Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-12-14
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN.

nv SoIsSFNs
The word progressive seems to have
many meanings, and to differ in its
meanings in different sections and in
different parties.
This paper in referring to a progress
sive, in this state, means that element
of the republican party which rejects
old republican ideas and takes up
simple democracy, still claiming to be
republicans. Those who with George B.
Winship, Judge B. f. Spalding and the
original bunch of progresslves, called
themselves insurgents and who believe
in tariff reduction, popular election of
United States senators, the primary law
system of election, etc.
A progressive democrat is any demo-
crat who believes in good old democracy
of the Jetfersonian type, bringing the
government nearest to the people and
giving to the individual the greatest pos
sible liberty consistent with good gov
ernment, This idea would eventuate in
3 pure democracy in the course of time
and at such time as civilization had adj
vanced to that point where a pure dem
ocracy is possible. This being the real
end aimed at by democracy, hat demo-
crat who believes in progressing to that
end through the most modern ideas and
by the best applicable methods is a
progressive democrat. In other words
any democrat who believes in the un-
DERIVING principles of democracy and
acts up to that belief is a progressive
democrat: or to be a democrat he must
hold and work for progressive ideas.
This leads up to the real difference be-
tween the two parties. In this and all
other Of the leading countries of the
civilized world, whore acting under a
representative form of government there
are two distinct ideas owing to tempera-
mental differences in humanity.
The one is progressive, radical, reform
or whatever you are pleased to term 1t.
1t believes in advancing and that in order
TO advance new methods must be tried.
I the formative period of this country's
J" iItical history Thomas Jefferson stood
+ r these ideas. Better to try new and
promising methods, even if failure fol-
ows, than to continue in the old methods
Try to bring a nearer equality into
the rights of man, and to do this
sometimes experiments must be made.
This idea is the foundation idea of the
democratic party.
The other believes in a more central
lied form of government and extreme
conservatism in changes in any direction
One whose nature, surroundings and
early training makes him conservative,
while admitting that things are not just
what they should be, breads change for
fear that a worse condition might follow.
He would follow along in the old groove.
These ideas we're cbampioned by Alexan-
der Hamilton, the leading political op-
ponent of Thomas jefferson and are the
underlying principles of republicanism.
The democrat who votes with the re-
publicans on tariff stands with them as
against the election OF United States
senators by the direct popular vote of
the people; he opposes the primary cleo
ton flaw system and other of the
clearly defined democratic doctrines.
He is not even a conservative democrat.
In fact he is not a democrat at all. He
is a republican and should go TO that
party. Any good democrat is a progress
slve, so the word progressive is superfu-
Gus, the term democrat covering it ALL
Bathgate Pink Paper.