The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-29
THE DUTY or nEMoonArs.


 To those who have habitually voted the Democratic ticket it sounds some- what strange to hear Democrats say that they will not vote for Mr. Bryan this year. because they disapprove some of his political theories and ut teranoes. If there were another Demo- cratic ticket In the field. as there was in isss. there might be some excuse. The Palmer and Buckner ticket was a Democratic ticket in all the essen tiais of Democracy--in it's candidates and in it's declaration of principles. It was difference of opinion between Democrats and was supported by Democrats as true and tried as any that ever east vote.
 It Is altogether different this vear We have but one ticket in the field and have no choice. whether ws are in all respects pleased witt the cam didhtes or the platform or not. No Democrat can excuse himself by say Ing that there is another ticket in the field which more nearly represents bis ideas of what Democracy is and ought to be, and for that reason he aiii sup port it. TOT there is no otn.r and will not be ary that Dsaoerst csn sup port and preserve his political self respect.
 What are political parties for if not to be adhered to? There may come ! time, though we do not believe it. when there will be no parties in this country and when each citizen will vote his own convictions and feel him self under no obligation to vote for man for the simple reason that the man Is the nominee of his party When that Utopisn time comes-if 1t ever does-there can be no such thing as defection from party candidates and party principles. but each citisen will be at liberty to follow his own con vietions and his own con science. re- gardiess of what others may do or say.
 But that time has not arrived and We are not expecting it. Ours has come to be a government of parties. whether we like to admit 1t or not. and we must make up our minds to support one or the other. We say "one or the other" for we know of but two parties now. Our choice must be either Bryan or Taft. for we know of no middle ground for Democrats to stand on. MT. Bryan is the nominee Of the Democrats, selected in the regu- lar manner and by 6 convention of delegates sent there by the voice of the Democrats of the entire country. He is the duly accredited leader of the party and 1t is tn. duty of Demo- crats to support him.
 What. we ask. have Democrats to expect if they refuse or fail to vote for Mir Bryan? If they sulk in their tents and refuse to vote, or If they vote for. Taft, the result will be the same: Taft will be elected and the country must endure four years more of Republication, probably in even more undesirable form than now. Then the Democrats who refused to vote the ticket will have the poor satisfaction of feeling that they help ed to defeat man they didn't like. and that is all the consolation they will have-a very poor one. we take 1t.
 We cannot see how any patriotic Democrat can contemplate with any degree of satisfaction the success of the Republican ticket this year. If there has ever been a time when 1t was the solemn duty of Democrats to clean out the party in power and in- stall a new and better era of govern ment that time is now. The admins tration of Roosevelt has not been a creditabie one. either to his party or to the country. and all the ebuilieneY of his admirers cannot make 1t so. There have been blundeFs and failures. some of them through iRnoranee sems