The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1910-04-22

Dear Sir
In giving my fourth edition OF
Idaho Mn ng Rights a kindly notice
in your valuable paper of last weeks
issue. you took occasion to charge
me with being a Democrat. If, in
deed, / were such, ! should not feel
ashamed of it or called upon TO apol-
ogize, as many good men have been
and many good men are now, Demo
Gratis. and the existence of the Demo
cratic party is very necessary to the
maintenance of the political equil-
brium in this country, as there seems
to be a natural law in the worlds
economy, making a negative force
necessary to every positive and the
Democratic party has for many years
quite well performed the function OF
negation for each positive move made
by the Republican party along the
lines of progress. but to charge me
with being a prominent member OF
the Democratic party that so patriot
ically, year after year, offers itself
upon the altar of political sacrifice
without prospect or hope of party
success, but merely to help maintain
by it's vigilance and patriotism,
higher moral and political standard
in the more positive and progressive
Republican party, is to esc,'lbe to
me more of patriotism than | pos
sibly possess, and also tends to rob
one, Orchard Farm" or "Tammany'
Jackson of lauTels which are his OF
right, as he has been for many years
a heroic and prominent Democratic
patriot, but so often has he been
taken for me and / for him, political
ly, that the writer has sometimes
been tempted to publish card an
nouncing that Il am not he and he is
not me-"
Now, for the politics of the writer.
l left the Republican party in 1894
on the silver issue and affiliatel with
the Peoples party, helped organize it,
was president of the State Clubs of
the party, assisted with fusing the
Democratic party with the Peoples
party and contributed my humble eff
forts in the nomination and election
of Captain Gum to Congress and
the now martyred Governor, Hon.
Frank Steunenberg to the Guberna
orial chair of Idaho. Thereafter
finding that the Republican party and
the Democratic party had each COM
mitted political grand larceny on the
Peoples party, by stealing all OF its
principles, worthy of consideration
and leaving to us its then members
only a memory, the writer at about
the same time as Jake Horn, Hon.
William e. Borah and other Silver
Republican celebrities, returned to
the Republican fold, also Joined the
procession, leaving 1.-The dead to bury
the dead" as per the biblical injunc
ton and in the year 1900 the writer
campaigned a portion of Canyon
County in the interests of the Repub
lican party, contributing his mite to
the Republican success of that year,
also voted the Republican ticket and
has been a consistent member of the |
Republican party ever since, main
tanning at all times, however, the |
highest degree of respect for the
watchful opposing political force
called the Democratic party, which at
each succeeding campaign has so
performed and is so pae-
performing about the onry
m ssion that seems to be left to 1t,
that of walking behind the procession
and urging the Republican party |
forward to greater accomplishment,
along the lines of practical and patr. |
otto craftsmanship.
am not in politics, neither am |
a candidate for office, and am only |
able to control my own vote, but do |
not like to be charged with virtues
that belong to others for whom | am
mistaken it seems, even
among my friends.