Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-04-14
DEMOCRATS
BIG FEAST.
Predict Victory for Folk Bryan or
TOWne-- Governor of Missouri
on Graft.


dred Missouri Democrats, including 100
Missouri editors, attended Il banquet
last night given by the Missouri State
! Democratic Press association to COM
memorate the birthday anniversary of
Thomas jefferson. The principal speak
ars were Governor Joseph w. Folk,
United States Senator William j.
Stone. Congressman Charles a. Towne
of New York and Charles w. Knapp
of the st. Louis Republic. All the
speakers made a plea for party harmo-
ny in this state, and all predicted that
at the next election Missouri would
| again be found in the Democratic col
umn.
1t was predicted that the Democrats
/ would be successful at the next ma
tional election and that the nominee
for president in 1908. whether ii be
Folk. Bryan or Towne,' will be elect
ed by a large plurality.
Governor Folk of Missouri was loud
ly cheered on arising and said:
"The life and teachings Of Thomas
jefferson are an inspiration TO The
lONcIS VI ItII tStllliliNC SNNNi ~ ~
everywhere. JeffcrSonian Democracy
means the rule of the people, not of
any class nor of any clique MOI of amy
| special interests. Whenever the PEG
pie cease to rule anywhere and gangs
and bosses govern instead then special
privileges and corruption which springs
from special privileges as a necessary
consequence follow.
THAT was one of the first declara-
tions against what is known in modern
times as graft. Graft in its last analy-
sis is Il special privilege, either eXer-
cised contrary to law or one the law
itself may give. Some special privi-
lege is at the bottom of every graft,
No one aver heard of an official being
corrupted in order to give equal rights
to all. 1t is always for the purpose of
obtaining some special privilege for Il
few.
"A very good rule to follow is 10 as
certain on which side the enemies of
the people and of representative gov
| eminent are fighting ana then get on
the other side and oppose them. one
may rest assured that he cannot then
be far from the right"
Charles A. Towne of New York city
said in part:
''TimeS change. and we change with
them. New ~eXigencies bring new du-
ties. The issues that arise in the life Of
Il great people must he solved in the
light of their attendant conditions.
SlaviSh obedience TO the letter of ira
dition may involve disregard of its
essential spirit. The highest honor we
can pay TO the memory OF Thomas Jef-
ferson is to meet the problems of to-
day not by trying TO discover their
analogy to the specific questions he en-
countered. but by bathing our souls iii
the high inspiration of his great gen
eral principles of government and lib
erty and addressing ourselves as prac-
teal men to the solution of practical
difficulties. Let us have his faith in
the people. his sense of obligation to
the welfare OF the whole citizenship,
his opposition TO class rule. his con-
ception of the dangers of special priv
ilege and the ~sacredness of honestly
acquired private property. In this
spirit ma the great party he founded
offer a shelter at the present crisis in
our Industrial history from the tyran-
ny of privilege on the II hand and
the unsoundcd pcrils of Socialism on
the other