The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1909-03-16
Democratic Leadership.
Editorial from the Commoner. !

1LOhA SAAO
The Brooklyn Eagle recently contain
ed an interview with Senator Patrick
McCarren, of Brooklyn, in which he
says:
81 think that the national situation
is one that affords opportunity to the
Democratic party to make an issue on
which it might successfully appeal to
the people. We have not been on the
right side of any public issue since the
Civil War. For instance, we were on
the wrong side of the Civil War issue,
| because of the fact that so many of
the Democratic states were opposed to
the union. Then, intervening between
the period of the war anG the time of
Tilden, we were on the wrong side of
the tariff issue. Everybody knows
that the election of Tilden was pro-
| test against the methods of the Re-
publican party at that time, and a
declaration in favor of a change in the
methods of government.
"Since that time we have been on
the wrong side of every issue. with
the exception OF one campaign in
which Cleveland was elected. His
election was repetition of the Tilden
period. 1t was an effort on the part
of the people to wrest the government
from the hands of the Republicans, be-
cause of the belief that their methods
were nigh handed and detrimental to
the interests of the country.
Then the Bryan period followed.
beginning with the declaration in
favor of the unlimited coinage of sill
yer in an arbitrary ration. 1t is I'M
necessary to elaborate on recent hap
penings for the reason that every
Democrat today, young and old, real
ICES the disastrous consequences that
have followed the attitude of our party
on all the questions that presidential
contests are decided on. The patriot
ism Of our country was arrayed against
US because of our attitude on ques-
tions following the Spanish war. Our
anti expansion stand. lined up young
AmericanEvoters against US. While
| have never voted anything but
Democratic ticket in my life, anG have
worked for no other than the candi-
dates for Democracy, did so in the
belief and with the feeling in many
campaigns that l was pursuing for
Iorn hope. because of the realization of
the exact that the position of our party
would not be endorsed by a majority
Of voters.
cit is evident, to my mind, that we
must put ourselves or that side of
national issues that will be endorsed
by the voters, and the sooner we do it
the better. The result of the last cleo
ton, it seems to ME, is so pointed that
there can be no controverting the
statement that there can be no contro-
verting the statement that the Ameri-
can people will not stand for radical
theories in the affairs Of our govern
ment. To my mind, Mr.. Taft was
elected because he was suspected of
being conservative.
Before commenting on this inter
view, The Commoner took occasion to
make inquiry and ascertain that Sena.
tor McCarren had been correctly quot
ed, and it is brought to the attention
of the readers of The Commoner be-
cause it illustrates the endorsements
under which the Democratic party has
labored. In a war no great hope of
victory could be entertained if the
armies were differed by men who were
opposed to the principles for which
the army was fighting. For instance,
a man who believed in monarchy would
not be a good person to lead an army
fighting to establish popular govern
ment, and so man who believes that
the Democratic party has been on the
wrong side of every issue since the
civil war is not good man to lead the
Democratic party. Assuming that
Senator McCarren honestly did the best
he could in the late campaign, it must
be apparent to every reasona Die man
that he could not arouse enthusiasm
among his followers when he confesses
that "in many campaigns he worked
with the feeling" that he was "pur-
suing forlorn hope.
The Democratic party is entitled to
leaders who are in sympathy with the
voters of the party. Someone has, de-
fined a leader as one who is going in
the same direction as the people, BUT
A LITTLE BIT AHEAD, and surely
che can not wisely, courageously or
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