The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-02-22
REPUBLICAN PROMISES FAILED
To be Fulfilled : An Object
Lesson That is Worthy
of Note.
PEOPLE WILL NOT BE MooKED

boasts of Saint Paul that he had
kept the faith" boast amply jus
titled by the facts. We Democrats
should follow the example and emu
late the fidelity of the great apostle,
so far as in us lies. Last November
we captured one Of the three cita-
dels of Republicanism, the House of
Representatives; two remain in their
possession, the White House and the
Senate. The only way we can rea-
sonably hope to make clean sweep
in 1912 is to keep faith with the
people absolutely by religiously full
filling every promise that We made
in order to win the House. This
should be done as a matter of princi-
pie, simply because 1t is right. Even
If we were not willing to do so as
matter of principle. then, when we
remember what happened to the Re-
publicans last autumn because they
failed to keep faith with the people,
we should fulfill our promise as
matter of expediency.
The masses of the people of all
parties are horest in their political
opinions, and deserve to be treated
honestly. fairly, and candidly. They
are entitled to that square deal of
which we hear so much and see so
little. They will not be mocked
The woeful plight of the Republicans
is directly traceable to their broken
promises and should he a sufficient
warning and object lesson to us. The
sin of the Republican party in that
regard was as scarlet, and its pun
ishment was swift, severe and de-
served. To obtain pronerty under
false pTetenses is a penitentiary Of
Tense. It's a pity that the same pains
and penalties do not attach to Oh
tanning Office under false pretepses.
The law not permitting the impris-
onment of the Republicans for car
wing the election of 1908 bv false
nretenses. the Deople gave them a
thorough drubbing at the polls in
1910.
We have a golden opportunity
counled with grave responsibilities
To us success. not only in 1912 but
for years TO come. is as easy as fall
ing off a log. and a slippery log at
that. All that we have to do Is to
fulfll our promises: falling or neg
Letting to- do that, it is back to the
wilderness for us. Most assuredlv
we have had our uuantum sufficit
more than our Ouartum meruit of
wandering in the wilderness. Men
should saw what thew near and
mean what thew saw. Normal minds
dissent from the immoral dictum
that everything is fair in war, love
and notifies.
The promises most frequently
made in the last campaign we're:
Fi-s'. To revise the tariff down to
n reasonable. or revenue basis.
Second. To abolish Cannonism.
Third. To submit constitutional
amendment nroviding for the cleo
ton OF United States Senators BY
ponnlar vote.
Fourth, To cut appropriations to
the reeds of The Government econo-
micallv administered.
There are other promises st which
7 NAV refer in future article. hut
the four which I have mentioned.
we're, I think, most frequently made
and were uppermost in the public
mind. OF the four. the revision OF
the tariff was by long odds the most
imnortant.
am happv TO saw that Democrats
are already carrying ont their ante
election promises. We have appoint
ed a Committee on Committees. ]
cheerfully assisted in that reform,
though it will somewhat curtail the
power OF the Speaker. The House
should be self-governing body and
not an autocracy. The establishment
of Committee on Committees, to-
gether with other reforms in the
rules wrought in this Congress by
the coalition of Democrats and in
surgent Republicans, has overthrow
CannOnism. and will, believe, be OF
great benefit in securing good leg
islation.
At our caucus on January 10, we
elected the chairman and the Demo
cratic members of the Committee on
Ways and Means. who are also to
constitute the Committee on Com
mittees. We did the unprecedented
thing Of calling a caucus of the