The Washington herald., 1907-04-15
4 Conversion Inverted.

: Conversion Inverted.
/ John Temple Graves eloquent welcome
/ TO President Roosevelt as an unexpected
and potential convert 10 the crecds and
| theories of Democracy gives pertinence
/ to the inquiry. What is the creed Of
! Democracy. and 10 what portion of it has
! Mr.. Roosevelt been converted?
/ We doubt whether it be possible to
1 frame a wholly satisfactory answer TO
/ either branch OF this question:; for the
| Democratic creed can no longer be postu-
/ lated with certainty, and Mr. Roosevelt,
4 we fancy. would be about as uncomfort-
! able an occupant Of the Democratic
! mourners' bench as could well be
/ imagined, 20 say nothing Of the cousterna-
/ ton his presence would create among
/ the old-line devotees of the unterrified.
/ But this much is true: That the national
| feeling Of unity has done away with so
many Of the old party differences that
! Americans are all nearly of one mind as
to the essential political principles under
{ lying and animating our governmental In
/ stitutions. For this reason there is much
/ less difference between a Republican ana
| a Democrat than there used 20 be, and
/ also much less ground for difference.
1t was not always so, however. The
/ line of demarkation between the two his
/ toric political parties which have alter
nately swayed the destinies Of the country
was once indubitably fixed Nr Blaine
in his Twenty Years OF Congress" con-
trasted THE party OF strict construction
and the party of liberal construction: the
party Of State rights and the party Of
national supremacy; the party Of stiHted
revenue aud restricted expenditure and
the party Of generous income, with It's
wise application of public improvement" d"
/ No such contrast could be drawn to-day
with any respect for accuracy. The one
principle for which the Democratic party
has consistently stood from jefferson 8
time to the end Of Cleveland's last admin
Iistration, which has been the guiding
feature of its policies and the inspiration
OF its platforms, is the dogma Of State
rights and its corollary. the limitation OF
Federal power. Nearly every prominent
feature OF our national policy s. founded
on a negation of this dogma. So inef-
fective has it become as a party rallying
cry that it is recognized among Democrats
of all schools that TO nominate a candi-
date for the Presidency upon a State
rights platform would be futile. and to
elect a candidate on such a platform
would be sheer impossibility.
State rights finds small place In the
creeds and theories Of the Bryan Democ-
racy, the dominant type of the Demo
cratic party. Nearly all the characteris-
tic features Of the Bryan platform
features which Mr.. Roosevelt is alleged
10 have adapted TO his own use. and ap-
preparation of which is thought by such
men as John Temple Graves to entitIe
him to a high place in the Democratic
party-involve large extensions OF the
Federal power. with an accompanying in
vasion of the functions OF the States: in
other words, negation of the fundamental
! principles of the old Democratic creed
The party of strict construction no longer
insists on strict construction; the party
of State rights is strenuous for national
supremacy in fields of control that would
have astounded the Democratic fathers
the party Of stinted revenue and re-
stricted expenditure joins hands with the
party Of generous income and wise APP
plication Of public improvement, and tho
appropriation bills Of a two billion dollar
Congress pass all but unanimously.
II this be the true state of the case
who are really the converts, Rooseveltian
Republicans or Bryan Democrats?
Both classes of believers are. in truth
the products Of the time. They are an
outgrowth OF the steadily advancing
spirit Of nationalism among our people
The decline Of sectionalism, the increas-
ing unity of the population, the wiping
out Of State boundaries by modern means
of communication. the growth OF poll;ica
liberation, and the decadence Of the par
: ticularist and obstructive doctrines of the
, old Democratic party have contributed
to the leveling of acute political differ.
ences. If Roosevelt and Bryan now oc-
cupy practically the same position with
respect TO important public policies, It is
because men OF hitherto divergent view:
have been moved by q common impulse
to war upon the common enemy. As Tho
evils against which they war aflict tht
entire nation, It IS but natural that ma.
, tional agencies should be called upon tC
combat them. And If Mr.. Roosevelt be IL
! any sense a convert, hts conversion is in
; no wise attributable to the influence Of
any distiuctively Democratic doctrine but
70 the spread OF that radical sentiment
= which has operated to break botf
} parties from their ancient moorfngs and
, has set the Democratic craft further
, adrift than the Republican. Could a Dem
ocrstic statesman Of the old school b,
, resurrected and placed ia a position Of
3 r.
I posed. on principle. TO nearly every i'm
= portant act of Theodore Roosevelt's ad
) ministration.
: AS to the specific case OF John Temple
r Graves. we suspect that the distinguished