The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-12-08
HARVEST TIME.


election returns Of 1910 indicate
that the democratic party is ap-
preaching the hour of it's triumph.
For fourteen years it has been labor
ing in behalf of certain fundamental
reforms which were much needed.
At first it's policies were regarded
as dangerous, and every possible eff
fort was made to arouse opposition
to our party among the timid radi-
Gals as we'll as among the avowed
conservatives. When the democratic
party took the side of the people on
the money question and insisted
that the country needed more
money, the money changers organ
lied and terrorized the people into
apparent submission to the disas-
trous conditions caused by an in
sufficient volume of money. Now
the world knows that there was not
enough money in 1896, and intel
ligent people understand that the
prosperity that followed since would
have been possible without an I'M
expected increase in the volume of
money
When the democratic party fought
for an income tax, those who favor
ed the tax We're called demagOgues
and disturbers of the peace, and
were accused of trying to array the
poor against the rich. Since a re-
publican president, republican
senate and a republican house have
submitted the income tax amend
ment, the people have become con-
WINGED that the democratic party
was the champion of the masses in
its advocacy of the income tax.
When, eighteen years ago, the
democratic party began it's fight for
the election of senators by direct
vote of the people, it was accused
of attempting to revolutionize the
government and destroy the in
fluence of the states in the federal
congress, but now that two-thirds of
the states have endorsed the reform;
now that three republican congresses
have declared for it and a republic
can candidate for president has adj
mitted that he is inclined to favor
it, the people recognize that the DEM
ocratic party has spoken for the
masses of the people.
When the democratic party be-
gan, fourteen years ago, to demand
railroad regulation and spoke out
against rebates and discrimination,
the railroad officials rushed into the
republican party and made it the
representative of the big railway
combines, but now that the republi-
can leaders have been compelled to
admit the necessity for better regu-
lation, now that the rank and file
of all parties demand it, the demo-
cratic party is recognized as the
pioneer in this work. During all
these years the democratic party
has been pointing out the evils of
private monopoly and insisting up
on the enforcement of the criminal
tional statutes as may be necessary
to protect the public. Now that
even republicans are compelled to
admit that the trust evil demands
attention, our party, is recognized
as the defender of the peoples in
terest on this subject. Our party's
opposition to the ship subsidy and
to extravaganza in legislation is now
more popular than it was few years
ago.
For more than twenty years the
democatic party has been pointing
out the iniquities of a high tariff
and calling attention to the neces-
sity for tariff reduction. A great
many have been so welded to the
principle of high protection that it
has been difficult to check their
faith in the system, but the promise
made by the republicans two years
ago and their violation of it in the
first session of the present congress,
these together have opened the eyes
of the blind and aroused a country
wide protest against the high tariff
leaders.
The growth of public sentiment in
f.vOr of the l!'ngs which the demo-
cratic party has been advocating
and the disgust with the manage
ment of affairs by republican lead
ers, have led to the signal victory
won by the democrats on Novem-
Der 8, but the victory will be of no
purpose unless the democrats en-
trusted with power are in sympathy
with the forward movement which
the democratic party has been lead
ing There must be no backward
step: there must he no dallying with |
the reactionary element of the party. |
It was the republican party's Wall
Street connections that led to the |
movement in the repub- |
ican party, and Wall Street is much |
less popular in the democratic par
~ than in the republican party. A
LEM ocratic congress mlst keep step
with the 81 ;rit of the true and lead |
D lblic sen!'ment to the reforms upon
which the people have agreed. The
democratic arty must everywhere
urge the election of lTnlred States
by direct vote Of the people;
the democratic party must in all
sections night the trusts and carry
)ut the democratic platform demand
ing legislation which makes it i'm
possible for private monopoly to ex-
st. The democratic party must
make a sincere effort at real tariff |
reduction. 1t goes without saying |
that the party must redeem it's
pledge to orevthrow Cannonism and |
establish representative govern
ment in congress.