The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-23
PARTY IN THE CRAVE
WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARSTS
LONG HINT FOR DEMOCRACY.
Head of the Independence League De-
livers an Address in which He De-
nOunces the Political Sharks and
Pirates Who Have Wrecked the
Organization; Bold Band of Buc-
cancers in New York City.

New York, April l9.-Declaring
among other things that he was under
a ''hard and fast" agreement not to
again run for any political office, and
that the proper place to read anything
of the democratic party is in the
obituary column, William Randolph
Hearst created mnch enthusiasm at a
largely attended Independence league
banquet at the Knickerbrocker hotel
Saturday night.
Among the speakers and guests were
many men of great prominence, some
of them who have never before been
identified with the organization.
The large banquest hall, beautifully
decorated with flowers, began to fill
early and before the dinner started
there was no room to spare.
Hearst Was Instroduced
Mr.. Gehring was given a hearty
greeting when he arose to speak, and
when he introduced Mr.. Hearst, the
music of the band, playing national
airs, was completely drowned by the
cheers.
Some of the things Hearst said:
l take great pride in belonging
to political organization whose mem
bers go into campaign, not for what
there is in it for themselves, but for
what good can be gotten out of it
for the benefit of the community.
The activities of the old parties in
the matter of reform are mainly due
to the menace of militant new party
DO you not realize that almost
every progressive measure that is be-
fore our law making bodies, or has
actually been passed into law, found
its main source and first strength
in the agitation of the independence
party?
Upon this independence party will
deyolve the duty of devising and Sc
curing practical plan of public own
ership of public utilities. As long
as l live and have my faculties | in
tend to take an active interest in poll
ties, as every good citizen should.
But | have made hard and fast
agreement with Mr.. Gehring here that
| shall not again be asked under
any circumstances to run for office
As regards the democratic party, |
have hunted for it high and low, not
with the idea of joining it-heaven
forbid-but with the intention of tell
ing it a few things for its own good.
have not been able to find any
democratic party.
There is a band of buccaneers in
this town who before every election run
up the democratic flag and under that
disguise pursue the rich galleons of
public office.
Calls Them Pirates.
But no sooner is the election over
than these political pirates haul down
the star, run up the skull and cross
bones and Tammany Hall, and pro.
ceed to loot the prizes they have
won. Surely they are not the dem
ocratic party.
There is gang of gamesters in In
diana who sit around the political
green cloth and copper the princ-
pies of jefferson and play both ends
of the public interest against the mid
die of corporation profit, and stack the
cards against the people, with the red
devil as the symbol of degenerate
democracy and Tom Taggart in the
lookout chair.
Surely that is not the democracy OF
our fathers.
There is an organization of freeboot
ers in Illinois who have been APPLY but
inadeqnately described as train robbers.
The designation does not do them
justice. Their depredations are not so
limited. Their operations are not so
cribbed, cabined and confined.
Outlaws. aud outcasts, lead by Bar.
rabas, they patrol the political high
ways.
They rob the voters of their rights.
the people of their public property. No
individual is poor enough, no corpora.
tion powerful enough to escape their
toll OF their blackmail.
Surely they are not the democratic
party.
In the far west every four years
there rises funnel-shaped cloud. Ac-
companied by a nigh wind of oratory
it darkens the political heavens and
devastates the political plain.
1t picks up one principle here and
drops it over there; it picks up an
other principle there and drops ii
over here. Meanwhile the financial in
terests take to the woods and pros.
rerity seeks the cyclone cellar.
! Surely that is not the democracy OF
our fathers.
| In the south men will vote for a
yellow dog if he bears the brand of a
regular democratic nomination and
very much doubt if they will ever vote
for Billy Postum which does not.