The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-02-08
WHOM DO THEY SERVE.

Presidential candidates are not
supported altogether on their own
merits They gain or lose popular
favor to some extent by the charac-
ter of the men who are associated
with them.
A presidential candidate who has
at his side score or more of dis
tinguished leaders in whom the peo-
pie have confidence profits by their
popularity and absorbs their strength
even though he may not be a great
parsonage himself.
) On the other hand. presidential
candidate of exceptional ability and
by conspicuous supporters who are
distrusted by the people.
The democrats entered this cam
p:.;gn with a large number Of availa-
BILE and powerful leaders. BY rights
the nomination of any one of them
should have had the added strength
of the men over whom he had been
preferred, on the presumption that,
in the event of success, they too
would be called to high honors.
Is it accident, them, or is it the re-
suit Of a well-contrived arrangement
of some kind that forces appear to
be everywhere at work to blast the
regulations of these men and under
mine popular confidence in them?
If stand-pat republlcanism, know
ing itself to be in minority, had
set out with deliberation to gain by
sneaking acts what it could not hope
to achieve by mere numbers, what
better course could it have pursued?
Not to mention others, who, like
Gov. Dix of New York and Gov. Mar
shall of Indiana, have been humiliat-
ed for a purpose by fractional fights,
Gov Wilson, Gov. Harmon and
speaker Clark have been selected
one at time for destruction as they
seemed to be rising too rapidly in
public favor.
Tammany and Taggart were used
upon Dix and Marshall. George
Harvey, Henry Watterson and The
New York World were used on Will
son. The New York World has been
used upon Harmon to insinuate
falsely that the most progressive
Governor that Ohio has had in a
generation is a 'reactionary. The
Folk bureau has been used upon
Clark to make him appear as a can
didate of the 'interests." Mr.. Bryan
was unhappily used upon Under
wood to cast suspicion upon great
legislator, and it only needs little
activity on the part of Mr.. Bryan
himself to bring down upon his own
head the same malicious hostility
that attended him during his various
candidates.
Who is it that is chiefly interested
in, killing off democratic leaders?
Who is it that will profit by these
assassinations Of democratic char
acter and reputation?
Nobody but stand-pat republican,
ism; nobody but the cormorant COM
bines and trusts: nobody but the
gluttonous tax eaters intrenched be-
hind the protective tariff; nobody
but the conspirators in restraint of
trade and the rebaters; nobody but
the centralizers and empire builders
at Washington; nobody but Big
Business with it's high designs on
government.
These accusations against decent
democrats do not hurt because they
are true, but because they come from
so-called democrats.
The surest way to destroy politi-
cal party is to destroy it's leadership.
If pompous and self-glorifying dem
ocratS are to eXterminate their own
leadership the party will enter the
presidential fight in vain If in
fated small democratic bosses are to
kill the great men of the party the
party must perish.
1t is time to stop democratic
throat-cutting. 1t is time to re-
move the shadow of the black hand
from the party. 1t is time to ask the
credentials of the overrighteous. 1t
is time to consider very seriously
what interests the Apaches of poll
tics really serve.-St. Louis Repub-
lic