The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-04-25
WHY THE DEMOCRATS
SHOULD NAME WILSON
R. f. Beas|ey, Prominent Editor,
Gives Strong Reasons
By r. r. BEASLEY,

eoitor OF eno monroe Nv. VI journal
A dozen years ago Judge Walter 81
Neal sent me book by Woodrow VIII
son, which was my first acquaintance
with this student and statesman. The
clearness Of statement and the vigor OF
the ideas of that book marked, to my
mind, the work Of q man who was
some day to be great force in this
country. Since then | have been 8
Wilson man. only waiting the time
when the circumstances and the de-
mands Of democracy should press into
service the master character that was
then In the course Of preparation. EN-.
erson said that the world would sooner
or later make q beaten track to the
door of the man who knew and did
we'll his job, no matter what that worl;
might be nor what the situation of the
doer.
Graded in the pure ideals Of south
ern Anglo-saxon democracy. Woodrow
Wilson has all his life been profound
student Of the science of government
and the principles Of real democracy,
and it is not singular that man Of
this type, having had the rare oppor.
tunity of developing his administra-
tive and practical abilities in the man.
agement of great university. where
he was called upon to fight tremen
dous battle in behalf of practical de-
mocracy against intrenched privilege as
insistent for advantage as it is in the
government of the United States.
should be revealed to the world as the
master mind in the Interpretation and
application Of the democracy that is
today struggling to throw of the band.
ages that privilege and shortsighted-
ness have fastened upon this great
democratic land literally while it slept
That he is the master of his Job. mas.
terful in ideas and ignorant ofAAthe
mere phrasings and chickering's of poll
ticians. explains why the heart Of de-
mocracy, burdened today as never be-
fore with the longing for light and
leadership, has turned universally to
this man of the hour.
In the light of the breadth, the depth.
the understanding and the sympathy
Of a man like Woodrow Wilson the
effort to tag any man southern"
western" or northern" seems puerile.
The problems Of democracy are not
sectional. Indeed. only in narrow
sense-national-they are worldwide.
The man whose vision Is too linn
tied to, see this is no democrat
at all, only partisan. and because
Woodrow Wilson is such a man the
darts and sings of petty welfare have
fallen harmlessly from his armor and
the sun Of his democracy day by day
penetrates deeper and deeper the re-
cesses of the country. These are the
fundamental reasons why l am for
Woodrow Wilson.
The next reason is that he is the only
man who can win. No man with a To-
cal tag can ride the gale in the coming
crisis. The current Of rising democ-
racy is too. strong and deep to be di
verified into sluice gates and stagnant
pools. The people will not be divert
ed II they can't get the genuine ar
ticle that Wilson stands for they will
grasp at the shadow in the form OF
Theodore Roosevelt With the Demo
cratic banner in the hands Of rea
champion it will make little difference
whether the Republicans nominate the
counterfeit Roosevelt or
the genuine standpat Taft.
The battle today is for equality
against privilege, not for party against
party, section against section or part
san against partisan. and the people
will follow only that leader whose
face is set toward the citadel and not
on the retiring skirmish line. The
man and the occasion have met. The
Of the Democratic party
consists in its ability to recognize the
fact. "