The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-02-02
ALL KINDS OF DEMOCRATS.
The Party So Badly Gut UP That
the Classes Are In
Vulnerable.

There was o time, that halcyon and
vociferous period when to Republicans
everything seemed to be going the way
label was necessary to designate the
believers in o particular faith. II am
q Democrat" was enough, and in some
cases more than enough, says the
Troy Times. At any rate 1t left no
doubt as to the classification Of the
man who wore the tag. He was q re.
cruit in the army Of Democracy, and
all that he wanted was a chance to get
at the common enemy and do" HIM.
And II he went from one end Of the
country to the other that tag was az
good as a countersign anywhere. II
took him into every camp Of his party
and no questions asked.
But how different is 1t now! A man
who goes about displaying the sign u
am a Demrocat" will have to explain
what kind of a Democrat he Is or pre-
pare to dodge things. Our Democratic
brethren are badly cut up, so badly that
they seem to have divided not only
into clans and classes, but to have split
into almost as many component parts
as there are individual Democrats. In
congress the other day Champ Clark,
Of Missouri, who has added to the
gayety Of nations in many ways, was
making what he represented to be q
Democratic speech, when he vas asked
what kind of a Democrat he was, and
he instantly replied: 81 am q Champ
Clark Democrat" And there is no
doubt that he is, while from the utter
ances Of colleagues in the same body
1t may be assumed that each Is just
about the sort Of Democrat he person.
ally chooses to be, without the advice
or consent Of any other Democrat.
In New York the other day Judge
Parker, lately the Democratic candi.
date for president, met Bird s. Coler,
lately the Democratic candidate for
governor, and now president. Of the
borough Of Brooklyn, elected by Demo-
Gratis who supported municipal owner
ship nominees. A mutual friend asked
the Judge II he knew Mr.. Coler, and
the judge replpied that he did and had
been acquainted with him when Coler
was a Democrat. Evidently Mr.. Coler,
who still claims to be a Democrat, 10
not the sort of Democrat that Judge
Parker processes to be. Continuing, 1t
appears that Tom Taggart, who as
chairman Of the Democratic national
committee, al the last Democratic
presidential campaign, is not the sort
Of Democrat to whom the Bryan DEM
ocrats cotton. So the Bryan people are
trying to retire him, and from latest
advices 1t appeared very probable that
he would o shoot the political
chutes. The Taggart brand Of Democ-
racy does not commend itself to the
Bryan contingent. though what kind OF
Democracy the Bryan brand will cover
when Mr.. Bryan himself returns from
his swing about the sphere probably
Mr.. Bryan himself does not know.
So 1t goes. The Democracy for
which Hearst stands is a different
thing from that of Tammany and Boss
Murphy. Judge Parker represents one
idea; Bryan q different one. The
western Democrats want many things
which the southern Democrats will not
stand for, and there Is no cohesion be-
tween any section or group. Under
the circumstances the Missouri states
man took the safe course. In declar-
ing himself a Champ Clark Democrat
he avowed the only creed to which he
could adhere without arousing enmity.
In fact, the way Democracy is call torn
up" 1t Is a question whether a Demo-
crat can agree with himself. The old
war cry: II am a Democrat" has
given place to the query: what is .
Democrat?"