The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1908-11-19

could not compose that between free
dom and slavery. Butneither the chiefs
of the system, nor the victorious party
leaders need trouble themselves about
that just yet. With such men the rule
is "sufficient unto the day" and "eat,
drink and be merry, though tomorrow
ye die" Just as fifty years ago little
more of moderation and little less of
party spirit might have averted our
sectional war; ought il to be plain to
thinking men that the course of over
confidence on which we are launched
must inevitably lead to conditions
equally battling to the craftsmanship
of the future. Pray heaven that they
be not so ruinous and tragical; but that,
under God, it shall be the destiny of
the republic to vary the experience of
human kind and to work out without
bloodshed the problems of popular gov
eminent to some hitherto unknown
Looking back over the circumstances
of the campaign now ended, theCourier-
Journal has nothing to regret, or re-
tract. We have given expression to our
true beliefs, accepting alternatives, not
of our own makinging, with good grace
and putting forth our uttermost in the
cause of the right as we were able to
see it. We had great confidence in the
election of the democratic ticket. In
no political battle that we recall has it
seemed to us that so much to condemn
appeared upon single side, or was so
plainly visible We believed that there
was virtue and intelligence enough in
the voters to see this, and to resent it
at the ballot-box, though only as re-
buke to overlordism and partyism,
quite lost to the sense of good citizen
ship and fidelity to the state.
The result shows that we diversified
the spiritual and undersized the mate
rial in the hearts and minds of the peo-
pie. They were deaf alike to prece-
dents, to reason and to eloquence; for
nothing could surpass, as nothing has
ever equaled, the personal canvass of
Mr. Bryan; its wondrous lucidity and
power of statatement; its splendid in
tellectual and physical endurance; its
unanswerable argument Nor did Ig-
natius of Loyola sweep through world
of incarnate evil bearing the Cross of
Jesus to triumph with greater force of
inspiration and truth than did the he
roic son of Nebraska traverse land
gaping with curiosity, but too busy
over its work and play to consider any
danger to the immoral soul of its con.
stitutional fabric
There is something yet better than
being president of the United States
and that is the real sense of duty done
Tilden will livein history, when Hayes
J is forgotten, or execrated. History vii
say of Bryan that in three great popu
J lar movements, clouded sometimes by
errors of judgment and obStructed al
ways by curruption-as we now know
by insurmountable corruptiOn-he lee
sublimely; that he set before his coun
trymen the standards alike of God anC
! truth; and that he went down beateI
with clean hands and high repute, car
rying with him the homage of patriotic
e men.
$ In the national government the oil
+ garchism of privilege finds itself strong
q er entrenched than ever before. 1t
1 fortress is unassailable. 1t can neve
3 be driven out short of its own dissolu
9 ton, or some dire cataclysm, bringing
/ ruin in its train. Yet, vanquished a
e the democratic party is, it has not beel
i so one with itself in many day ant
o it owes renewed loyalty TO the publ
S service. This should be maintaine,
d equally in defeat and in victory. Their
e must be systematic and enlightene
s. opposition. How this shall arrange il
self and who shall lead it, will appea
= in good season.
h Old-time democrats will wait an
Al keep their powder dry. If they shoul
$ despvir, if they should break apart, tn
n country would be exposed to politics
Il anarchy leading through radicalisr
rs and excesses of every sort to practices
,e irresponsible on the one hand, unreger
ct crate debauchery backed by resistles
,e force on the other hand. We may be
lie power for good though beaten and i
re opposition. Seven millions of votes al
+ never to be despised in case they hol
together. Many states remain to u
The constitution of the United State
\ has not been abolished yet, nor institl
i tional freedom, nor wise and uprigf
" administration, and these are still wort
o' fighting for.
m So, amid the unneighborly and unpi
10 triotie vociferatiDn of the republican,
ne the jublilation and intolerance of Il
- nondescripts fiocking to the winnin
nc side-the blatant bullying of the Leaf
is ears alike of predatory wealth and
IT, plundering politics-let us sit steady
al the boat, sustained by our own rect
tude and holding to the oars of what v
~ conceive to be good government in Il
n nation and in the state.-Louisvil