The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-09-11

We arc - have decent ;lUln!ll>t ration.
One party government Is only de-
yrce less objectionable than the one
mah power.
III.
1t is peculiar misfortune and
an augury of evil that the people Of
the east-notably the people OF New
York-yet their mental sustenanc"
chiefly through the organs Of the
rich. In the bucolic days ''befo' the
war" the people Of the gulf States
were fed from the same trough. Their
newspapers sang only the virtues OF
slavery. None others we're allowed
to exist. In the fabulous wealth OF
the east piled up in few hands
some Of it predatory-much OF 1t
sprung from class legislation--all of
it more or less corrupting- is easy
to detect a growing likeness to the
patricianism Of the old South.
Already artificial conditions of
life predominant. Young men are
reared to regard enthusiasm as effe-
inmate. Young women are almost as
educated in knowledge Of evil as
Young men. The sex line becomes less
and less visible. Moral confusion
makes political abliquitv. Caste
distinctions press the commonalty
more and more, and harder and har-
der. The foolish poor either hate or
emulate, the foolish rich. Graft is
everywhere. Money-making seems to
! have swamped simple patriotism and
popular ideas. The newspapers are
so used to this that they grow cal
lous-they take their complexion
from society, which is we'll pleased
with itself and wants things to re-
main as they area dissonant note
denounced as the ignorance Of an
outsider, or the outcroppng Of anar-
chism. It was just so in the Caro-
linas fifty years ago. He who did
not shout for slavery was an aboll-
tionist.
The worst Of it is that the rich are
ever ready to make common cause
with the predatory rich. They do not
discriminate. Mr.. Roosevelt has
gone much further in socialistic ex-
tremism than Mr.. Bryan ever went.
Yet those who abuse the president
denouncing Bryan as socialist-do
not so characterize Roosevelt; and
they will vote for Taft because they
think that, Teddy Bear. slowed safe
ly away in the wilds of Africa, "Big
Bill" and "Sunny Jim," with AID
rich in the senate and Cannon in the
house, will soon have the elephant
where they want him; the truth be-
ing that, for all the chatter about
trustism and rebates, a spectacular
fine, which will never be collected,
remains the single trophy.
Two or three years ago the country
stood aghast before the exposures
precipitated by the insurance scan
dals, and all good men were vowing
that they would not stop until the
Augean stables should be cleaned.
The traction scandals followed. Not
method has been altered. Not cul-
prit is in Jail. But the "business Of
the country" requires that there
shall be no fur;.ier agitation and in
order to secure peace and quiet we
must elect Taft, who swears by
Roosevelt, and Sherman, who swears
by Roosevelt, each Of them finding
him "a good enough Morgan till af-
ter the election. Is this anything
other than perfidy and dishonor, and,
if it should succeed, will not the con-
ditions to be ultimately reformed be
so grievous as to transcend the
agencies Of statesmen, and so become
the sport and prey of the mob? Is
not, for example, the other end Of
protectionism anarchy? Once upon
time we had a famous governor Of
Kentucky, old Charles Scott, the In
dian fighter, who used to say that
when things grow bad they are hard
to mend, but that "when they get
damned bad they just cut loose and
mend themselves.
Mr.. Bryan has suffered from over
praise as much as from over-abuse.
Yet never an abusive word that is
said Of Mr.. Bryan but was said Of
Nh. Jefferson. One need only turn
back to the republican newspapers