The copper era., 1909-11-25

of their nation shall be measured
not by the wealth and abundance o.
PROPERTY of a few; but by the welfare
and happiness of the Mass.
These common people produce the
nations wealth in time of peace an6
fight the nations battles in time Of
war, and they have right to deter.
mine the character of the govern
ment of that nation, for they are the
ones that bear the burden of the gov
eminent.
believe that the common people
are Interested in the democratic
that the word democracy is not as
well Understood in Continental
Europe as the word republican. The
Swedish minister told me that he had
difficulty in getting the people of his
country to understand that the word
republican had no connection with
the word Republic" as many of
them thought that the word republi-
can had something to do with the
word republic, and I am satisfied that
what he says is true, and that the
word republican has attracted many
of the immigrants from continental
Europe.
A story is told of a joint debate up
in Michigan camp between a demo
crat and a republican, and in the
course of the debate the republican
referred to the constitution of the
United States and read from it that
cause which says that a republican
form of government is guaranteed
to every citizen and then he accused
the democrat of trying to violate the
constitution in electing a democrat.
81 l can see that the word republican
sometimes fools these people. Not
long ago while in France, l wanted to
get the views of the French Pleas
ant, and l took an interpreter and
drove out some distance in the coun-
try where we found representative
man in a little village and 1 spent
couple of hours with him, talking and
getting his views; as 1 was about to
leave he called the interpreter back
and told him to tell me that he was
glad / was a republican, because he
says if he wasn't I would not talk to
him, and here l had twice run for
president of the United States on the
democratic ticket. I saw then that
this word republican was confusing,
but the worst case is yet to be told.
A man brought me copy of the New
York Independent and showed me an
article on an interview with for
eigner in that paper, and my name
was mentioned in it i'll this connec
ton: This man came from southern
Europe and he had prospered and be-
came influential and in the story that
he told, he said that after he had
been here a while he went to politi-
cal meeting and the speaker said that
the republican party wanted a repub
lican for president, but the demo
cratic party wanted an Irishman
named Bryan for king.
Now the word democracy is really
a better word than the word republi-
can, for it is the best word that could
be used for a party name, for it is
ing, "the people" and ''to rule" and
a democracy is a government in which
the people rule, and the democratic
party and a democrat is man who
deserves the name of democracy be- |
cause he believes in the right and
the capacity of the people for self
government. l believe, my friends, |
that democracy appeals to the hearts |
Of people everywhere. While |
Thomas Jefferson put into words the |
democratic doctrine, and while he |
gave fit expression to the impulses of |
the human heart, the democratic idea |
was not born with Jefferson; he simply |
what people had thought |
for ages. The democratic idea was
born with mankind. 1t has been
at times, but on all sides |
you will find that spark of democracy
and under favora BILE conditions it |
will manifest itself. The struggle |
for democracy is worldwide strug- |
gle and you will find people who are |
striving for self-government on every |
hand, and they are democratic where |
ever you find them. 1t is true in this |
that the great majority of /
our people are democrats. l have |
never thought for a moment that all |
he democrats of this nation were in /
The democratic party.
Go to a republican banquet and you
will hear the name of Hamilton, but |
cad the first republican platform
Ind the name of Hamilton does not |
appear, instead it was framed by |
hose who wanted to follow the ideals /
If Washington and Jefferson. Jeffer-
on's name was found in the first re-
publican platform and the name of |
hamilton was not to be found there
n. Lincoln, the first immortal lead
n of the republican party, was an
Ldnirer of Jefferson. He said that |
iC 0AA AOL hdfC pOAlGAOelA
hat was not traceable to Jefferson;
md when in SO the opening of Bos-
on port was celebrated by democrats
md he was invited, he wrote a letter
his regret that he was I'M
bile to attend, and in that letter he
raised jefferson as much as have
yer done: and in that letter he also
Ised the phrase that 1 have used SO
ften, and for which the republicans
me before they found that
had copied it from Lincoln, and
hat was, "that the democratic party
grees on the man and the dollar,
ut in case of conflict, the man be-
ore the dollar."- Every man in this
ountry is a believer in the doctrine
f democracy.
When 1 was in school 1 was taught
hat monarchy, aristrocracy and
emocracy are the three forms of
and that of the three
monarchy was the strongest, the
ristocracy the wisest, and the
emocracy the most just. Well, if 1
ad to decide between the three as
o which is the most essential in gov
rnment, 1 would choose justice, be-
ause in fact justice is the test of a
strength, but 1 have
ad about twenty or twenty-seven
ears in which to study the subject
f government and 1 will not admit