The Alaska citizen., 1912-04-01
HOW EVOLUTION UTlLlZES THE
 "DEMAGoGUE."

dpIiitdDlt to the term demagOgue today. Not so long ago the appli- cation of this term to any public in dividual was usually sufficient to relegate him in popular estimation 10 the ranks of the generally "un- desirable citizens" but it is now fast losing it's potency in that re spect And it is worthy of remark too, that such phrases as safe and sane" wisely conservative" etc. are no longer unquestiCnably accept ed as political virtues, but on the contrary are becoming suspected as terms Connoting the continuance of capitalist monopoly. exploitation and oppression.
 Immediately following the deliv- cry of Roosevelt's address at Colum- bus, a universal shriek of "dema- gogue" arose from the conservative and plutocratic press. which has since died down to a large extent. as the shriekers gradually perceive that the "radicalism" of these ut terances actually expresses a chang ing attitude Cf the public mind, far more important than the personality or sincerity of Roosevelt.
 It matters little on the whole whether Roosevelt believes in the policies he advocated at Columbus. but it is highly important as to how many people agree with him and whether their number is on the increase
 The individual politician is just ly suspect as to his good faith and sincerity, but none the less, it is what the politicians say rather than what he does that in the long run is most important.
 Even if MT. Roosevelt were elect ed, and made not the slightest move 10 establish any one of the radical policies he outlined before election. the effect of his utterances would not be lost. The game of merely promising such measures is not one that can be played indefinitely. Scon- CT or later the people who want them enacted will take steps to see that they are enacted It is far easier for the voters to change polit- ical leaders than to abandon the hope of having these radical meas ures enacted into law. simply be cause the politician who advocated or promised them shows no in clination to put them into ef- feet. And while waiting for this to take place, the mass always be- comes more radical in the interim. and inclined to demand much more than the politicians has at first ad- vocated
 Also the radical" leader. by the very abuse of his conservative op- ponents, is forced still farther along the path of radicalism. To call him "demagogue" and agitator, is mere ly to compel him to emphasize his defiance of his opponents and re state his policies in even more ex- treme terms.
 For instance, Roosevelt has been called 'revolutionist" by some of the more hide-bound of the conserv- ative element. He comes back by insisting once more on the "sov- ereignty of the people" and their right to recall judicial decisions and clinches the statement by informing his opponents that ''if that be revo- lution, they can make the most of it Even the hated term "revolu- tionist," he is willing to accept in defense of his policies. He does not go into a long winded explan- ation that it isn't revolution, CT take an apologetic attitude of any kind upon his policies. If his ad- versaries think they are revolution ary, they are welcome to think so for all he cares.
 There is little doubt but that the most far-sighted elements of Con- servatism are not so much frighten- ed of Roosevelt as they are of the somewhat vague but undeniably growing change of attitude among the masses, to which he tries to give expression and utterance. Not Roosevelt. but what comes after Roosevelt is the cause of their un- easiness. He might personally re- verse his attitude and become as conservative as any of themselves, but that would not change the sit uation, on the contrary, it would rather accentuate it, for his defec- tion would but make room for a successor as a political leader who would to certainty, advocate still more revolutionary" policies than Roosevelt.
 Some ten years or so ago, it be- gan to be noticed that a permanent split had taken place in the Demo- cratic party between the radical and conservative clements. A sim liar process is now going on in the Republican party, with Roosevelt dis