The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-10-22
THE MASSAGE USE4rS DEMOCRACY

THE MASSA ACHUSETTS DEMOCRACY
 The voters of the Bay State are about to hold their annual State cleo tion. The Republicans have renom- mated the officials now in office, who have every reason, in spite of the con- f1icting opinions of the public with re- gard to mooted questions, to expect a reelection. The Democrats, who have an opportunity to impress their use fulness at this particular time in the history of the State upon the disinter- ested observer and who have gotten hold of the right end of things, ap- pear determined to ruin all their prospects in order that threadbare linen may once more be displayed up- on the line for disgusted political daws to peck at.
 The general character of Governor Guilds administration has been excel lent, more, however, on his account than on account of the leadership of the party which he adorns. As bus iness man he has been consistent in his advocacy of tariff revision and in other ways has shown his keen real ization of the industrial needs of his commonwealth. That he has not been able to take his party along with him and impart to 1t the aggressive quail ties which he possesses Is largely due to the strong hold Senator Lodge has had upon the machine. The confusion which has resulted has given Henry c. Whitney the chance he wanted to champion not only tariff revision but the proposed railroad merger. It has been made evident by his conduct that he sought a popular Judgment as to those necessary changes in the atti- tude of the government rather than a personal triumph at the polls. He has ben altogether too closely identified with the traction and gas interests of the city of Boston to be popular man as candidate for office. It may be said with accuracy that neither party would under different circumstances \ turaate@ him as an ideal candidate for public office, but representing as he does the proposed development of the industrial interests of the State 1t is impossible to judge him as he might otherwise be judged with justice. No one, on the other hand, seriously ques- tions his capacity or his integrity as a possible chief executive. It is an odd situation, but 1t is nevertheless a sit- uaton which appeals to thinking men, who have the future to contend with and who are satisfied that Massachu- setts needs nothing quite so much as the registration of public opinion up- on matters pressing for decision.
 It is at this point that George Fred Williams enters for the expressed and ayowed purpose of kicking over the dish prepared for Democratic con- sumption. There was row at the Springfield convention. The Williams party undertook to carry the day by physical force and place ticket of their own in the field. Since then the ballot commission has examined into the facts and found that the charges of fraud brought by the Whitney men were well founded and that the Whit ney ticket is the regular Democratic ticket. Undisturbed by party tradi- tions and unmoved by the rules of the game as 1t has been played for many generations, George Fred Will Hams now calls upon-"the Bryan Dem ocrats" to aid him in his attempt to defeat the regular ticket He froths at the mouth over the machinations "of the money forces" calls Mir. Whitney "the tool of the railroads and other corporate forces" and in the various ways known to his volatile tempera- ment dances as dizzy political horn pipe as ever convulsed audience gagged at The following extract from his turbulent manifesto gives very clear idea of the intense egotism of the man: "The Bryan Democracy of Massachusetts has fought the news paper combination and the power of the money forces for eleven years; it will continue this contest without qdailing before the decisions of any of the corporation servants who may constitute the ballot law commission" " In any other State of the Union this sort of political huggermuggering would laugh the representative of ii out of public life forever, but in the State of Massachusetts, where it is toe much to say there is lively sense ot humor, it makes an appeal and renders the outcome of the election extremely doubtful for the Democrats. Con. necticut may not have much to bras of in the way of Democratic govern. ment, but fortunately we lack tht following to which such Bembastes Furioso might appeal.
 It will be interesting to ascertain what sort of a following and how