Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-29

The "Young America" political move
nent which triumphed in the congressional
elections Of 1910 was the result Of a radical
and progressive revolution within the ranks
OF the democrauc-republican party. II re-
suited I'm changing the character Of the
democratic party, In substituting a radical
progressive policy for a conservative and ,
non aggressive program, and Il brought into /
public life the second generation Of great
American statesmen. The young Amer /
leans, or the young republicans. as the /
ractionists were called, were led by Henry
Clay and John g. Calhoun. by Richard VI.
Johnson and Felix Grundy, by Langdon
Cheves and George NJ. Group. Not one Of
these men at this time was more than 40
years old They were. indeed and iu truth,
young Americans and Young republicans.
They also were the first Insurgents" in
American political history, and e is inter
esting to note that they accomplished their
revolutionary purposes in an orr year
election.
The federaust party never recovered
from the crushing blow Of 1900 and the
democratic majority I'm congress increased
with every biennial election during the
( eight years Of Jeffersons two adminstra-
/ tons But Notwithstanding the overwelm-
| ing preponderanCe Of the democratic party
and the great popularity of Mr.. jefferson,
the last years Of his administration were
far removed from political peace. When
the time came to choose his successor in
1S0S the federallsts attempted 20 galvanize
| their party into new life. but the gains
they made were not sufficient TO give them
control either OF the electoral colleges or
the congress, In the house they increased
their vote from thirty-one to forty-six, In
the senate from seven to ten, and in the
electoral colleges from the fourteen votes
given against jefferson i'm 1904 to forty
seven votes given against Madison. Madl-
son received 122 electoral votes and went
into office backed by a majority Of more
than two to one In both the senate and the
house.
But all was not harmonious. The great
majority of the people preferred to call
themselves democrats, and they hated the
federalists, hut they did not agree on
questions Of public policy. The great is
, sue before the people was how to solve
the problem OF dealing with British and
French interference with American COM
s. merce.
For a time beginning about 1903, almost
\ the entire merchant shipping business OF
1 the world was conducted by the Ameri-
cans The titanic struggle between Ma
poleon and all the other powers OF Europe
had driven from the seas the ships OF
every beligerent nation except England
and even the British ships were forced "a
@ be cautious and British wares were carried
b in American bottoms. This shipping bust.
Y ness was vastly profitable and was world
o wide. From Africa. from China from
o South America, from Java, from tho
" Philippines, from the West Indies, from
every exporting port in the world, Amer
: can ships carried cargoes TO the United
States, there to be landed and neutralzet
9 before being reshipped for European ports
While England was striking at France {,
maintain and establish the British suprem
: scy OF the seas, that supremacy was II
= fact about to be taken away by England
- lately revolted colonies. In 1904 Grea
n Britain began to harrass American ship
ping by laying a series OF paper blockade
10 and by again insisting upon the right L
% seize American ships and search them 10
l. deserving British seamen.
r. Napoleon, in his efforts 10 cripple Eng
st land did not propose to permit BIRTHS
manufactured wares to reach the oontinen
A. under the alleged neutral protection OF tn
al American flag, and so he issued the ia
Is nous DEGREES OF Berlin and Milan. he
1t tween English orders in council" an
]
- American merchant marine was paraIyseC
American ships and cargoes were confi'
Gated in European Iorts and British mer
:, of-war insuited and harassed America
- vessels in every possible manner.
jefferson and the democrats OF the oil
II school, the men who had helped found II
:. republic, who hated monarchies, WI
al feared autocratic power, who had led Il
Ia revolution of 1900. who had inveight
!" against the alien and sedition laws, WI
ce had supported the Kentucky and Virgin
ia resolutions, feared the menace Of militai
power more than they feared the stagn
ton of commerce. jefferson had made h
- will the will OF the people OF the natl,
and he was opposed TO a standing arm
and TO navy with all the zeal Of
fanatic. Therefore there was no Americs
navy capable OF opposing the English nav
and the American merchant marine vi
defenseless.
When jefferson came into power
found II expedient and necessary to aba
don in part his extreme ideas as 20 4
strict construction OF the constitution II
himself, admitted that he stretched I
constitution until It cracked when he pu
chased Louisiana from the French. VIII
the alien and seditiOn laws of the AdaI
administration were opposed by the radio
states rights propaganda embodied In I
Kentucky and Virginia resolutions, I
federalists had accused the democrats