The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-02-23
THE. DENIOCRATIC PARTY'S
DUTY.

the facts. We democrats should
follow the example and emulate the
fidelity of the great apostle, so far
as in our lives. Last November we
captured one of the three citadels
of republicanism, the house of rep
resentatives; two remains in their
possession, the White House and
the senate The only way we can
reasonably to hope make a clean
sweep in 1912 is to keep faith with
the people absolutely by religiously
fulfilling every promise that we
made in order to win the house.
This should be done as matter of
principle, simply because it is right.
Even if we We're not willing to do so
as a matter of principle, then, when
we remember what happened to the
republicans last autumn because they
failed to keep faith with the people,
we should fulfill our promise as a
matter of expediency.
The masses of the people of all
parties are honest 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 Knocked.
The woeful plight of the republicans
is directly traceable to their broken
promises and should be sufficient
warning and object lesson to us.
The sin of the republican party in
that regard was as scarlet, and the
punishment swift, severe and de-
served. To obtain property under
false pretense is a penitentiary Of
Tense. It's pity that the same
pains and penalty do not attach to
obtaining office under false pre-
lenses. The law not permitting the
Imprisonment of the republicans for
false pretenses, the people gave them
a thorough drubbing at the polls in
1910.
We have golden opportunity
coupled with grave responsibilities
To us success, not only in 1912, but
for years to come, is as easy as fall
ing off log, and slippery log at
that. All that we have to do is to
fulfill our promises; failing or neg
lecting to do that, it is back to the
wilderness for us. Most assuredly
we have had our quantum sufficit,
more than our quantum meruit of
wandering in the wilderness. Men
mean what they say. Normal minds
dissent from the immoral, dictum
that everything is fair in war, love
and politics
The promises most frequently
made in the last campaign were:
First, To revise the tariff down to
reasonable, or revenue basis.
Second, To abolish Cannonism'
Third. To submit a constitutional
amendment providing for the cleo
ton of United States senators by
popular vote.
Fourth, To cut appropriations to
the needs of the government eco
nomically administered.
There are other promises to which
I may refer in future article, but
the four which l have mentioned
were uppermost in the public mind.
Of the four, the revision of the
tariff was by long odds the most
important.
l am happy to say that democrats
are already carrying out their ante
election promises. We have ap-
pointed committee on committees. |
I cheerfully assisted on that reform,
though it will somewhat curtail the
power of the speaker The house
should be a self-governing body and
not an autOcracy. The establishment
of committee on committees togeth-
er with other reforms in the rules
in this congress by the Goa
lition of democrats and insurgent
republicans has overthrow Cannon
ism and will, believe, be of great
benefit in securing good legislation.
At our caucus on January 10, we
elected the chairman and the DEM
ocratic members of the committee
on ways and means, who are also to
constitute the committee on commit
ices. We did the unprecedented |
thing of calling caucus of the DEM
ocrats of the Sixty-second congress
six weeks before the life of that |
congress begins, for the purpose of |
expediting tariff reform promptly, |
thoroughly, and intelligently, and
thereby fastening tn redemption of |
our promises. All sorts of lurid |
prophesies had been INDUCED in by
hostile papers and hostile men about |
how we would go to pieces at that |
caucus, and act the part of the Kill
kenny cats. AS a matter of fact it |
was one of the most harmonious
caucuses ever held in Washington, a
sort of democratic love-feast, where
speech was absolutely free There
was much speech, but it was all in a
good natured way That caucus did
much to puzzle and confound our
enemies, also much to please and ell
courage democrats. So it is clear
that we are keeping the faith as to
reforming both the tariff and the
rules.
Over in the senate, the democrats,
aided by handful of insurgent re-
publicans, are keeping the faith by
an honest and earnest endeavor to
submit a constitutional amendment
providing for the election of United
States senators by popular vcte. OIL
course the house will pass it With a
whoop as it has done in five con-
crosses. There never has been a
sound or sensible argument advanc-
ed against that proposition, The