The Irish standard., 1908-05-09

|cI 1uuoQ0uueuI as QuOllC man. t1e
was decidedly independent in Albany
as legislator a quarter Of century
ago, and, as the head of the delegation
which went to the National Convention
in 1884, he opposed Blaine, the man
who carried off the candidacy in that
year. But after Blaine's nomination
he took the stump for him, and gave
him honest and earnest support. He
has looked at all the great issues as
an American, and not as partisan,
and for this reason he has obtained
much Democratic support for them.
But he never forgot that he was
Republican as distinguished from
Democrat, although many of his warm
est friends have been Democrats.
Throughout his whole service, as
President, Democrats have been almost
as frequent visitors at the White House
as Republicans, and they have, been
he probably received more Democrat
ic votes than were ever cast for any
previous Republican presidential can
didate. Many Democrats and Popu-
lists who voted for him said they did
this because he really belonged to
their party, or was advocating or car
rying out policies which were part
of their creed. All of them knew,
nevertheless, that he called himself
a Republican, that it was by Republic
can votes that he would be elected,
and that it was from Republican con-
crosses that he would look for his
chief support. On these points there
was not the faintest doubt in any
mind. When he swept the country in
1904 the triumph was heralded on
both continents as a Republican VIC
tory, and meant the continued SUI
premacy of Republican policies.
Nor is there anything singular in
the circumstance that Mr.. Roosevelt
is a party man. Every president has
belonged to one or the other Of the
great parties of the day. Some writ
ers say that Washington was neutral
as between the two political organiza-
tions. This is a mistake There was
only one party, the Federalist party,
when he was first elected, in 1889 JEFF
ferson became the leader Of another
party, however. before washington's
second election, and by the time Wash
ington's successor was chosen in 1895
there were two distinctive political or
ganizations in the country. One OF
these was the old Federalist party, OF
which Hamilton, John Adams, the
Pinckneys. John Jay and others were
member of that party, as against the
Republican or Democratic party,
which began to take shape in 1891,
and which had Jefferson for it's prin-
cipal candidate against Adams in
1896. Jefferson's Republican party of
I791-1s2s has been the Democratic
party since the latter year, the change
Of name taking place in the early days
Of Jackson in the presidency, and
Jackson had the leadership in his time
which Jefferson had welded in his
own days of power. Adams in 1896
(when he was elected) and in 1900
(when he was defeated) was the Fed
eralist candidate, and he was the only
Federalist except Washington who be-
came president Washington was not
elected either in his second or in his
first term as a Federalist. He was
chosen because he was the largest
American Of that day, or, indeed. Of
any day, and he received a unanimous
vote Of all the electors in 1889 and in
1892, but in general his preferences
were for measures Of the Hamiltoniah
as distinguished from the Jeffersoni-
an school, and his aniliations were
chiefly with members Of the Federal
list sect.
AS the hrst Of . long line Of Demo.