The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-04-17
EDITo RIAL.
STAND BY THE PRESIDENT.

We regret to state that the time
has come when it is necessary to de-
fine ones republicanism. This ought
not to be. 1t should be enough for any
man to say that he is republican.
We did not deem it necessary to define
ourselves as between Progressives
and Standpats for two reasons. First,
in the last analysis, there was but
little difference between the two;
Second. we felt that it was more
largely a question of personal ambi-
tions than of principles. Just as the
democratic party has always attracted
to itself all the Tammanies and slums
of the great cities. so the republican
party has attracted a large number
of the capitalists of the country. We
have no fight with capital per see.
but we wish to make it clearly under
stood that we have no sympathy
with the methods which capital has en-
ployed to influence legislation. to
corrupt courts. to prosecute every hon.
est man who has stood in opposition
to its interests, whether he was Pres
ideni or petit juror.
If the time comes when to be re-
publican means to surrender to these
corrupting influences. we must cease
to be republican. Under the leader
ship of Roosevelt that time has not
come and we intend using what little
influence we may have that it shall
never come.
There is room in this country for a
great party of the middle classes. A
party that shall pander neither to the
slums. the vicious and the debauched,
or to the demands of millionaire plum
derers. If that party be called repub-
lican. we'll and good. but the rose
would smell as sweet under any other
name, providing that it was genuine
rose after all.
There are no fundamental differ
ences in the country to-day. save
along two lines. the capitalistic prob
lem and the race problem. The coun-
try is practically united as to the
policy of protection. The differences
are only as to degree and methods. A
hundred million dollars would not
induce democracy to pass free trade
bill. The south wants it no more than
does the North. the East no more than
the West. Some unfortunate. hodge
podge might be enacted but it would
be protective throughout In the
same way. our progressives. were
they in power. would not make one
tenth of the tariff changes they think
they would.
On the money question the people
are at one. Mr.. Bryan can apply the
increased production of gold'' plas-
ter to hide his wounds. but he knows,
as we'll as we do, that free silver is
dead for all time, and moreover that
its assassination meets the full APP
prevail of the unwritten law
Let us add to the two problems of
capital and race the municipal or
administrative problem and we have
all that need deeply concern the aver
age citizen of to-day in the realm of
politics. The Republican party has a
great record behind it. A record is
good only as corroborative evidence,
however. that man is fit.
We may expect more of the man
with good record than of the man
with poor record. but in any case
the man must keep on making good''
if he is to be given continued credence.
In this article we have no criticism
to offer concerning the recent achieve
ments of republicanism. 1t has kept
up to its record. The last few Con-
crosses have been epoch making. and
the credit belongs to the Roosevelt
republlcanism of the country. All
we say is that the hand is at the pillow
and we can brook no looking back.
There is work ahead. There is grand
opportunity: The republican party
has occupied the middle ground be-
tween radicalism gone mad and con-
servatism grown arrogant and if it
retains its position it can become the
chosen instrument of the great mass
Of the farmers, mechanics, business
aud professional men of the country.
In order to hold the allegiance of
this great mass of we'll informed peo-
pie it must. however. come with clean
hands. The housekeeping must be
continued. No party can appeal effect
lively for such support with leaders
whose honesty is questionable or
whose known sympathies are with
either the Hearsts or the Harrimans
of the country. This house cleaning
will be a difficult matter. Bryan
found it so when he tried to purge
the democracy of Illinois from the
faint Of Sullivan. The good and the
bad are SO inter- mixed. so many men