Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-09-10
The Dance of Democracy.

(IGW iStOn jour ldl-'
The man who has watched the Demo-
cratic party III its dance 10 de1ca'
must have long ago become beWlldered
bv it's aerial flights and mental SNra-
tjons. II has never followed the same
set Of PRINCIPLES through two success
sjve campaigns, but with uneriluS reg
,,,aritv ,cyerses its position on al pub
lie que stions by turning @olnIl"te
sonerSa,,lt. 1t has changed its de
Inand.; on the tariff every four years
since the famous campaign o1 f"lk IA
1874 1t has stood for tarlfi Tor rev
.nue only. for revenue incIdcntaiiy ana
for rpyt nue. "nerelv." Not only IS the
time charged but the instrument also
Claiming to he a party of the common
people it is invariably led by such men
as Belmont, Ryan and Taggart.
OStensihly opposed to trusts ana
monopoly it hugs to its bosom Bailey,
Of TeXaS. who is acknowledged 10 be
thc CHIEF spokesman Of Standard Oil in
the Senate. The backbone of its fol-
lowing is Tammanv Hall whose record
and membership have recently been
so graphically described by Police Com
missioner Bingham of New York. 1t
Dull1S ~ ndGu IlloIlty piftllPi III i'i ="
Cleveland and Parker and a soft mon
~ platform for a Bryan. Just now its
chief spokesman is engaged iii eating
and explaining away his own words.
In his famous Castle Garden speech
Mr. Bryan came out fiat footed for the
public ownership Of railroads and eyer
since then has been trying to prove
that he was only in fun. This rctrac-
ton and lacking water has been in de-
ference to the Instructions Of his mon
opolstic masters. He has side stepped
every rrir pie and every sentiment for
which he stood in his former cam
paigns.
The most ridiculous of all DcmOcra-
tic Inconsistencies is the position taken
by Bryan and his lieutenants on the
so-callcd Roosevelt policies. Tnitedly
and il, one Breath they proclaim that
Pryan is the one man in the country
who pcrsJnliies the President in his
strenuous fight for reform, and Is
therefore, the one man qualified to sue
coed him. With the very next breath
they vociferously shout that The late
panic was entirely due to the Ill adj
vised and hot headed aggressive policy
Oh f'IcSlteIL 1toCScNtll. vi course 40
attempt is made to reconcile the two
ideas and statements but that is q mere
trifc for these Varicgated StatcSrIe n.
Like the coat Of Joseph they prefer a
political garb of many colOrS that Will
show q different hue with every twist
and :urn. Consistency forms no part
of their political creed but the one
burning consuming passion is to pandcr
to every taste whether exalted or de-
PRAYED. Bryan breaches one doctrine
in the West and something directly
opposite in the East. He is a prohib-
ZIONIST in Kansas and reSubEiSsion-
iSt in Maine. In short, he is all things
to all men and his platform is built ac-
cordingly 1t is simply a repetition of
the old slave holding campaigns when
the Democracy had one set Of princ-
piles for the South and direct opposite
for the North,
The Journal has been strictly impair
tial in this description of Democracy
and has set down naught in malice
There stands its record and he who
runs may read 1t is written on every
page of American history and no man
'an mistake its meaning. YET this is;
the party that the intelligent and God
fearing people of Maine are asked to
boost into power. To this end the
wholesale liquor dealers of Boston are
pouring money into our State and to
this end every nerve is being strained
once more it is the dance of death.