Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1909-06-10
NEW IDEAS And
old DEMOCRACY
From Trenton True American.

From Trenton True American.
There is a striking similarity be-
tween this New Idea" Republicanism
and the "Old Idea Democracy.
Someway the arguments of these
New Idea" Republicans sound very
familiar to Democratic ears. The
charges they make against the Reg
ulas, too, sound very much like in
dictments taken from the Democratic
platforms.
Equal taxation?.
Why. that is something the Demo-
cratic Party has been contending for
in New Jersey and in all the rest of
the Union since the days of Andrew
Jackson The true Democratic posi-
ton of the tariff is simply a plea for
the equalization of the tariff burdens
as between the rich and the poor, the
manufacturer and the consumer.
That is what the Democrats were
aiming at with their income tax
measure away back in Cleveland's
time. They recognized that the pos
SCISSORS of lage wealth and the receiv-
ers of large incomes were withhold
ing more of their wealth from the tax
gatherer than the men of small means
and the income tax was proposed as a
means of equalizing things to a GER
tain extent.
Special privileges?"
Why, the Democratic Party has been
warning the people of America against
the encroachments of the special in
terests ever since the war!
Away backyin Grants time the Dem
ocratic leaders told the people that
certain interests were getting more
favors at the hands of the National
government than they were entitled
to.
For generations opponents of Dem
ocratic doctrine have been preaching
that protective tariffs were too fire.
quently framed in the interest of
those who were wealthy: enough to
purchase legislation and that wage
earners were being deluded with the
argument that wealth should be pro-
tected so that wealth could pass the
protection along to the wage earners.
Popular election of United States
Senators?
How many Democratic platforms
in New Jersey and other States in the
past decade have not contained a
plank of that character?
Democratic leaders have been telling
the people for years that if the people
expect any consideration from Con-
gress the people must put their own
representatives in the Senate, that
under the present system the cor
porate interests were able to outbid
the common people in buying seats
for their favorites and as result the
upper branch of Congress has be-
come but mere adjunct to the or
ganized wealth of the nation.
"Bossism %
Democracy has been foe to this
form of government for generations.
One reason for the failure of the Dem
ocratic Party to win more elections
is the fact that Democracy will not
submit to the domination and direc-
ton of bosses. Autocratic bosses
have won more elections for the Re-
publican Party in New Jersey and in
the nation than sound principles.
Limitation of Franchises? ?"
The Democratic Party in hundreds
of American municipalities has been
fighting that battle for years, some
times with success, sometimes with
failure.
The New Idea" people, in fact,
seem to be getting back to the old
Democratic idea that there should be
more rule by the people and less rule
by the special interests and the bos-
ses. They are apparently waking up
to the fact that bossism and favorit-
ism go hand in hand and that the only
way to conduct the government of
State or nation for the benefit of the
masses is to get the government out
of the hands of the enemies of the
masses.
All this is old Democratic doctrine.
1t is idle to claim that Democracy has
always carried out its pledges when
entrusted with power. Democrats are
| human, just like anybody else and
Democratic officials all too often fall
under the influence of special interests
after they get in Office.
; But it is better to have a champion
of the peoples rights go wrong and
betray his trust occasionally than al
ways to be following after leaders
that are notorious and avowedly allied
with interests whose welfare runs
counter to the welfare of the people.