The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-05
prscnrprrrNa THE PARTY.

It Is almost amusing, to call IL oy no harshor term. to note the sonae- what nsuseating exhibitions of syco- phancy-for we cnn call 1t nothing eise-displayed by many Southern men towards Mir. Taft. Especially Is this true when done by Southern Democrats To read their ebuiiitions one would think that in hims they had found the very highest embodiment of all that is desirable in our political. industrial and financial life.
 Now. we think that all patriotic Americans should join in the wish that Tsfs will make . good President. That is what the country needs. and what we can honestly hope for with out surrendering or doing violence to our own convictions. Neither section- aiism nor psrtisanship should stand in the way of desire for a sound and honest administration of public affairs.
 But we should understand at the be- ginning that Taft is Republican, and will be . Republican President. We believe him to be honest In his politi- cal vews, and therefore we expect of him that he will adhere to the policies and look after the interests of his par ty while performing the duties Of his high office. To expect anything else would be to brand him as a hypocrite and time-ssrver, and we do not look on him as either He is clean, strong Republican, and we expect him to give the country a clean administration, but he is a Republican to the core and we have no cause to expect anything but that he will be faithful to the par ty that elected him.
 We have thought that much of the satisfaction. if not rejoicing. over the election of Taft was due to two caus- es. One is the hope that we are get ting rid of Roosevelt and Roosevelt ism for good and all. The country has had a surfeit of Roosevelt. and in spite of the fact that Taft has all along been looked on as Roosevelt's candi- date. and pledged to follow him and his example fin all public matters. there has all along been a strong hope that when he becomes President he will cast aside many of the examples and precedents set by hts predecessor and administer the office in obedience to the dictates of his own judgment as President of the whole people.
 That has been one ground of the satisfaction. and another is founded on the hope and belief that his .elec- ton has rid the South and Democracy of the incubus of Bryan and Bryan ism for good and all. It is of no use to point to the large vote that Mir Bryan received and proclaim 1t as an evidence of Democracy's belief in him and his theories That large vote came to him in the main, because he was the nominee of the Democratic Par ty. He was selected by a regular con- yention as the leader of the party and the party as . whole. was loyal to him. This Is not to be taken ss evidence that all Democrats believe in him, or that they really wanted him elected, but that they were willing to set aside l their own views for the time and help to wrest the government from the hands of the spoilers. Loyalty to party and the fear that Taft would follow in Rooscvelts tracks brough, to the Bryan ticket hundreds of thousands of votes that would either have gone to Taft or remained un. cast. had 1t not been for these two reasons.
 But all this is no excuse or defense for the Southern Democrats who are fgurativeiy casting themselves at the feet of the newly elected President. It is no defense for the gush and sub serviency displayed by those who thereby discredit themselves and seek to bring discredit on the Democratic Party. Instead of swearing allegiance to Taft the Democrats of the country. and of the South in particular, should renew their allegiance to their par ty and siege on the result of the late election as c new incentive to party fealty and a good occasion to renew their vows and pledges to the only party which can give the country good government as the founders in- tended.
 We repeat that neither partisa nshlp nor sectionalism should prevent us from hoping for improved conditions under the coming administration. Democrats of all sections should stand ready to approve and uphold every of. fort of Mir. Taft to give the country safe and creditable administration, but that does not mean that we are to prove traitors to Democracy or that we should bow down before the feet of the man who possesses none of the vital clements of the faith that we believe in. Let us at least be spared the humiliation of feeling that there are among us men who would Crook the pregnant hinges of the
 knee That thrift may follow fawning"