The Paducah evening sun., 1910-01-27
Democracy's Danger.

| judged, and rightly so. not by what
IL processes to be, but by what II
really is as evidenced by It's agents
in authority. II those agents. the
lawn makers and other ofiiceholders.
prove recreant the party must, un-
fortunately, be judged by their acts,
for they are supposed to be execut-
ing its Will. having been selected TO
do that. That the people of KEN
lucky are by preference Democrats.
there is now small room TO doubt.
They have shown il too plainly for
anyone to gainsay it, True, on oo-
casions they have voted Republicans
into the offices, but this was as We
/ believe, merely because the voters
had become discouraged with the
! leadership Of men in the Democratic
party who seemed obhv.ous TO Dem
Qcratic principles which they sup
ported In a superficial sense, having
ever in view their own selfish per-
sonal ends. Take the election last
fall The sweeping Democratic vic
/ tory showed a willingness. aye, an
leagerness, on the part Of the voters
to restore the party to it's heritage
in the state. This honest purpose
on the part of the voters seems TO
have been misinterpreted by the
politicians who were swept into
official position by the Democratic
! landslide. - these seN-seekers
whom the people once more dared
to trust the November election
meant no more than a return for
them to the trough after they had
grown a little lean on the stubble.
Had We enough true patriots among
these men now sitting In the legis-
lative halls of our state the victory
IN last falPs election might be used
10 so good an effect that IN the
election next year We could hope 20
rOut out the Republicans from the
capitol at Frankfort. But il looks
now as # this fond hope OF the party
IS to be shattered by the men who
are for the time It's spokesmen and
Is pledge to the people.
In the senate Of Kenaucky today
the leaders on the Democratic side
are Senators Linn and Combs and
their acts viii be taken by the
people as an earnest OF what DEM
ocracy means in Kentucky. Fol-
lowing the leadership Of these men
we see a majority of the Democratic
members of the senate. not
single western Kentucky senatDr
standing out against them, save
Senator Eaton. Of Paducah, who also
has yielded to them In the matter
OF the county unit bill. What may
we expect from this but almost ir-
reparable injury to the party? The
people have shown on several Oc-
casiOns in the papst l 5 years that
| they are not to be trified with. and
that state Republican admfnistra-
tion is no longer such a bugaboo to
them that they Will accept any old
thing in the place OF T. The people
are not going To- stand for the Linn
and Combs type of Democracy nor
the Ben Johnson kind, when IL
comes to look ahead IL the
Democratic party Is to barter away
its respectabilty and set up
Whalien hierarchy in the state.
then you may depend on IL the Re-
pubhcans have a still longer lease
Of power in Kentucky. Take this
district. as the Mayfied Messenger
well says in discussing the votes Of
Senators Taylor. Eaton, Catlett and
Linn:
Notwithstanding at least FIVE to
one Of the constituents OF these
four senators are heartily in favor
Of the county unit bin, yet they
are not only against 4 but are on
the side of that element which
wants to defeat the bill without
letting it come to a vote in tine
senate or in the open.
1T is passing strange that
these gentlemen will oppose a
measure that is for the good of the
people, and which their con-
stituency so strongly favors. The
whisky power is now laying its
plans deep and strong TO defeat
the Democrats at the next state
election and our Democratic sena-
tors are fast falling into the trap"
The press of this end of the state,
outside OF Paducah and Princeton.
condemns the votes of these west
ern Kentucky senators, and the
press IS very close TO the people
and is In position 10 know their
sentiments.
In calling attention to these things
the Gazette has no hope Of recalling
these public servants to a sense of |
their obligation to their constituents. |
for we fear that they are bound |
hand and foot by the whisky in |
terests and no longer have a free
and untrammeled vote; but We
refer to II i'm order that the people |
may be awakened to the duty that |
confronts them. The people elected |
these men and they are responsible
to the world for them, and to the |
party for any harm they may do St |
u Is for the people TO arouse them I
selves II the future holds a remedy /
for the mistakes of the past.-Clin-
ton Gazette.