The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-10-10
DEMOCRACY AND THE NATION.

1t is highly creditable to the political
acumen of Lieutenant General II. G.
Corbin, retired, that he forecasts the
possibility that the Congress to be
elected next year will be Democratic.
The Democratic party is going into that
fight to win. Republican dissensions
over the tariff and other questions of
vital Importance make it highly prob
able that the Democrats will elect a
majority of the House of Representa-
tives of the Sixty-fir Congress.
But General Corbin wabbles badly in
his prophesying when he says that this
result would be followed by hard times
and by weakening of the national de-
lenses. Taking up first the hard times
part of General Corbin's prognostica-
tion, it is asserted without fear of sue
cessful contradiction that the great
prosperity which the country now en-
joys is due, in large measure, to the
adoption and enforcement of Democrat
lie policies by the present Republican
administration.
If confidence in the stability and use
fulness of the great corporations which
serve the people has been strengthened,
rather than hurt, by the application of
these Democratic principles, the out
come is testimonial to the greater
wisdom and conservatism of Democracy
as compared with the Republican party,
which has stumbled into Democratic
ways only by accident.
Throughout it's entire history the
Democratic party has been most con-
sentative champion Of property rights
and jealous promoter of national in
dustry and prosperity. The country
has never been happier or more uni
formly prosperous than when governed
upon the Democratic principle of equal
rights and opportunities for all, special
monopoly privileges for none. A Demo-
cratic Congress, acting upon the tradi-
tional party policy of seeking the best
welfare of all the people, and injuring
no legitimate interest, would postpone
rather than hasten the hard times of
which General Corbin is dreaming
dreams.
If he were as we'll informed in the
military history of the United States as
he ought to be, General Corbin would
know that there was never in this coun-
try political party more jealous for
the national defense or more punctili-
GUS in upholding the honor of the Amer
lean flag than the Democratic party has
BEN.
1t has been claimed, with apparent
truth, that there were more Democrats
than Republicans in the Union armies
during the Civil War. The war of 1912
by which American independence was
firmly established, and foreign nations
were compelled to respect the American
flag as they had not done before, was {
Democratic war. The Mexican War, b,
which we won California and some o
the finest portions of the great South
west, was another Democratic war, car
ried through against the opposition o
elements which rallied to the Republi
can party almost as soon as it wa.
formed.
Both in Congress and in the ranks
Democrats gave to the Republican ad
ministration as hearty support in thu
Spanish War as Republicans possibl.
could. That the national defense
either by land or by sea, would be il
any way weakened by the election of
Democratic Congress is folly to whicl
people of ordinary understanding will
not give heed,-St. Louis Republic.