Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-08-29
Why Hearst Leaves the Democracy.

gested to William Randolph Hearst
that since he had decided to oppose
the election Of the Democratic candi-
date, Mr. Bryan, and run a party of his
own, he could not consistently retain
his membership in the organization.
In reply to this suggestion Mr. Hearst
has written letter to the San
Francisco club which makes exceed
ingly spicy reading. One does not
have to possess any admiration for
Mr. Hearst or give any endorsement
to his brand Of politics to appreciate
the telling thrusts he gives the
present-day Democracy of which
Bryan is the exponent. Here is the
letter. Read it for yourself. We
guarantee you will be amply repaid:
San Francisco, Aug. "a.
To the Iroquois Association, San
Francisco, Cal:
Condemnation imply that am not
that l am not, according to the Demo-
NioliS StdiiudiOo VI loudy. worked
hard for the Democratic party at one
time, and contributed many thousands
OF four dollar checks and cheerfullv
suffered much abuse and much injury
for the Democratic party, but l be-
lleved in 1t then, and l don't now.
You imply, furthermore. that you
are Democrats, and l cannot help
wondering what kind Of Democra ts
you think you are. Are you 1892
Democrats, or 1896 Democrats, or 1900
Democrats, or 1904 Democrats, or 1908
Democrats? Are you Cleveland Demo
Gratis, believing in the tariff reform
that we didn't get and the military
suppression of labor unions that we
did get? Are you Parker Democrats,
supporting the trusts if they contrl-
butte and opposing them if they don't
Are you Bryan Democrats. believing
in free silver sometimes and in gov
eminent ownership sometimes, and in
the initiative and the referendum
sometimes? And If you are Bryan
Democrats and believe in these things,
do you also believe in a Bryan plat
form that contains none OF these
things?
Dear friends and brothers of the
Iroquois Club. you all remember how
the Democracy of free silver taught
you and how you got intensely ex-
cited over it and cheered for it and
marched for it. and then We're in
formed that free silver was not true
Democracy after all. but that public
| ownership was. Then you remember
how you threw your hats in the air
in nd yal
an almost hysterical enthusiasm for
it, and then were informed that this
wasn't true Democracy either, but that
the initiative and referendum We're.
Then you came nobly to the front
again and affirmed undying devotion
to the everlasting principles of the
initiative and referendum; but now
you have a platform in which there
is no free silver, in which there is no
public ownership. in which there is ~
initiative or referendum. and still you
are informed by the old DIR. Grngle
of Democracy that only that platform
with the owners trademark pasted on
the front and the owners name blown
in the bottle is genuine Democracy
and that II you don't subscribe to that
you will be read out of the Democratic
party.
Friends and ex-brothers of the Iro-
guois Club, there is no Democratic
party. There is only a Bryan party
and the followers of that party don't
know when they go to bed at night
what they will be called upon to be-
lieve when they wake up in the morn
ing.
Once there was~a man who had IN
old carving knife which he said had
been handed down to him from his
grandfather. A friend said to him:
1T looks rather new. Haven't You
ever done anything to ito"
And the man said: "Oh. I've had the
blade changed once or twice and the
handle renewed a couple of times. but
otherwise it is just the same knife my
grandfather had"
Mr.. Bryan tells us that his variable
doctrines are the Democracy of orr
fathers. but I say that both the blade
and the handle have been changed 50
often that there is no recognizing the
original principles.
Once again, there was farmer who
had balky mule and he couldn't
make the mule GO A stranger came
along and offered to help. and the
farmer told him to go right ahead. The
stranger had bottle of turpentine
and he opened the mules mouth and
pushed back his head and poured
about half of the bottle into the mules
stomach The mule gave one startled
gasp and struck out across the prairie
and was lost to sight
The surprised farmer stood for
It'll. IN, ftn,
then he said: stranger, please give
me the rest of that turpentine; I've
got to catch my mule"
Friends and ex-brothers OF the one
time Iroquois Club. / have always stood
just where l stand now, squarely upon
the principles of the founder of the
Democratic party and the Trainer o.
the Declaration of Independence, but
the Democratic donkey has gon'
gallOping over the political prairie I'M
til it is lost to the sight of its original
adherents.
| am not in the race to catch that
donkey. and If you are, you will find
that you have to keep plumb full of a
different kind of turpentine in every
campaign.
And so / received your communica-
ton with qualification and gratitude.