The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1908-09-10
mo DEM. PARTY"
SAYS w. r. HEARST
Only "One Man Party that
Goes to Bed With one Belief,
and Gets up with An
other

TALLY Democratic organization of
San Francisco, few days ago sug-
gested to Mr. William Randolph
Hearst that since he had decided to
oppose the election Of the democrat
ic candidate, Mr. Bryan, he could
not consistently retain his member
ship to the organization. In reply
to this suggestion Mr. Hearst to-day
sent the following letter to the as
sociation:
ITO the Iroquois Association, San
Francisco. CAL:
Gentleman received your letter
with both pleasure and surprise. |
was pleased and surprised, to learn
that the Iroquois Club was still in
existence, for | thought that it had
died the death and had been peace
fully buried along with the last rem
nants of the defunct democratic
party of California.
You imply that | am not demo-
crat. and strongly suspect that |
am not, according to the democratic
standards of today. worked hard
for the democratic party at one time
and contributed many thousands of
dollars and cheerfully suffered much
abuse and much injury for the dem
ocratic party. but | believed in it
then. and | don't now.
You imply, furthurmore, that you
are democrats. and | cannot help
wondering what kind of democrats
you think you are. Are you 1892
Democrats, 1896 Democrats, or 1900
Democrats. or 1904 Democrats, or
1908 Democrats? Are you Cleveland
Democrats, believing in the tariff re-
form 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 contribute and opposing them
if they don't? Are you Bryan DEM
ocrats, believing in free silver some
times and in government ownership
sometimes, and in the initiative and
referendum sometimes? And if you
are Bryan Democrats and believe in
these things, do you also believe in
Bryan platform that contains none
of these things?
Dear friends and brothers of the
Iroquois Club, you all remember
how the Democracy of free silver
was taught you and how you got in
tensely excited over it and cheered
for it and marched for it, and then
were informed that free silver was
not true democracy after all, but
that public ownership was.
Then you remember you threw
your hats in the air over public own
ership and worked up an almost hys-
terical enthusiasm for it, and then
were informed that this wasn't true
Democracy either, but that the in
itiative and referendum were.
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 platform in which there
is no free silver, in which there is no
public ownership, in which there is
no initiative and referendum.
Friends and ex-brothers of the
Iroquois Club, there is no Demo-
cratic party. There is only Bryan
party, and the followers of that par
ty don't know when they go to bed
at night what they will be called up
on to believe when they wake up in
the morning.
OiiSC IiiClC " a illdil WIN ildu Oil
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 it?" 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"
have always stood just where ]
stand now, sauarely upon the princi-
Piles of the founder of the democrat
ic party. but the democrat donkey
has lost sight Of its original adhernts
And so received your communi.
cation with qualification and graft.
tude, and ! withdraw from your
club with pleasure and without the
slightest hard feeling.
! William Randolph Hearst"