The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-09-18
ACHIEVEMENTS OF
REPUBLICAN PARTY
Shall the Brilliant Party Record Be
Endorsed?
Has Made America One of the Great
Nations of the Earth.

this country Will give their endorse
ment to the Roosevelt policies and the
deeds Of the Republican party or turn
to the Democratic party, with its I'M
tried promises. 1t is not, whether the
people shall rule, as Bryan stated the
other day, because the people already
rule as much as the Democrats will
permit them. The hundreds Of thous-
ands of DISTINGUISHED negroes in the
South, together with the many poor
white people, stand up and point the
finger at the guilty Democratic party.
Its statements about popular rule are
hollow pretenses. Its professions hypo-
critical claptrap.
Hays Tribute to Republican Party.
The distinguished American states
man, John Hay, in an address at Jack
son, Michigan, commemorative the 50th
anniversary Of the Republican party,
declared that the Republican party had
a noble origin, that it sprang directly
from an aroused and indignant Ma
tional conscience. Questions of finance,
of political economy of orderly admin
istration, pass out Of sight for the mo-
ment to be taken up and dealt with
later on. But in 1854 the question that
brought thinking men together, was
whether there should be limit to the
aggressions of slavery; and in 1861 that
solemn inquiry turned to one still more
portentious: Should the nation live or
die? The humblest old Republican in
America has a right to be proud that
in the days Of his youth in the presence
of these momentous questions he judg-
ed right; and If he is sleeping in his
honored grave, his children may justly
be glad of his decision.
The Republican party has history
which since its birth in 1854 is the
history of progress and prosperity. Its
leaders have always had the welfare of
the country at heart. 1t has never
taken a backward step, but has always
been the supporting pillar of the Ma
tional government Its cardinal prin-
ciples have been the maintenance of
the Declaration of Independence, inter
nal improvements, a tariff to protect
our labor and industries and to pay
government expenses, the building up of
our navy, preserving purity in elections,
for the diffusion of knowledge and hap
piness among all the people, for an hon
est medium of exchange. 1t has stood
for honor, dignity, integrity, patriot
ism, progress, prosperity, happiness,
law and order.
Voo-dO Democratic High Priests.
The high priests of the Democratic
party have for the last fifty years tried
to terrify the people with imaginary
political bugaboOs. When Lincoln was
first candidate, they got up the aw
full bugaboo they called "Abolitionism"
and deceived multiplied thousands of
the people. When Grant was our can
didate for the Presidency they manu-
featured twin bugaboos, called "Cen-
tralization," and military Despotism,"
belief that our liberties were about to
be taken away. When Hayes was our
candidate they paraded before the pub
lie the caricature denOminated "a
Bloated Bondholder," and tried to make
us believe that it was the Republican
party in disguise, and that if Hayes
were elected the bondholders would take
all of our property from us. When
Garfield was our candidate, they invent
ed fearful evil devil called "The Force
Bill" and terrified the Southern people
by declaring if Garfield were elected an
army would be sent to the South to
hold elections and none but Republicans
and negroes would be allowed to vote
When Harrison was a candidate these
same Democratic high priests got to-
gether and invented a new lot of hob
COLLINS which they denominated "Rob-
Der Barons," and rushed them all over
the country to the terror and dismay
of millions of unsuspecting Democrats
who actually elected Cleveland Presi-
dent.
When Mckinley was our candidate
for President, the bugaboo makers
brought out stupendous crawling mon
Stcl, VI anu
branded it "Gold Bug" and swore
that it was the Republican party and
that if Mckinley were chosen President
this monster would devour the sub
stance of we Americans as the cater
pillars and palmerworms devoured the
crops Of the children of Israel in the
days of old. When Roosevelt was NOM
mated these perennial alarmists, said
that the republic would be strangled
and be merged into Imperialism" that
the "Big Stick" would embroil us in
perpetual warfare with foreign nations
and that the Liberty advocated by our
fathers had vanished from the land.
We have been constantly told by
them that the Republican party could
not be trusted, that all the usurers, all
the money sharks. all the bloated bond
holders, all the robber barons, all the
gold bugs, all the imperialists and war
lords, all the corruptionists, all the
enemies of the laboring man and all
the foes Of the farmer were in the Re-
publican party and that IL that party