Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-07-27

Chicago: 225 Fifth Ave. New York
LEAVING THE PARTY.
There is no law against a man leav-
ing party with which he has long
been affiliated. There is no statute
prohibiting man from severing his
connection with the democratic or the
republican party and joining the social.
let party or the Roosevelt party or
the prohibition party. It is within MS
rights under the government OF the
United States, if he so desires.
The fundamentals of party allegiance
20 much deeper with some people than
with others The seriousness OF
government impresses some men mucn
more than it does some other men.
The responsibility of citizenship i'm
presses some men and some 1T does
not Impress.
Men will study American history and
read histories of parties and OF indl-
vidual members Of parties. They will
study the same history and make diff
ferent deductions; out Of the same
school will come free-traders and
protectionists. That is the result OF
honest differences of opinion, different
view points and different lines OF
reasoning. But they arp fundamental
beliefs, they are part Of the founda-
ton OF parties. Those beliefs have
nothing to do with the personality OF
any man.
Men who have stood with their party
through victory and defeat. who have
been loyal to the party as organized In
county. district, state and nation, hest
tate long while before breaking
bonds and partnership with that or
xantzation. After those bonds have
been broken, it is always hard for the
one leaving the party to get back into
the confidence Of the organization.
It has been sixteen years since the
sound money democrats pulled away
from the nominee of the regular con-
yention, yet Mr.. Bryan last month IN
Baltimore, openly defed that element
Of tho party and told them that they
were boilers and none Of them could
be elected to Office Of any kind IN the
democratic party. He was telling the
truth. too. It would be hard for any
democrat In this county who support
ed Palmer and Buckner in 1896 to be
elected to office even now. To be sure
the majority Of the men In that move
ment realized that before they took
that step. They knew how 1t would
AFFECT their political future. How
ever. the men who were back OF that
movement were not seeking Office.
The Palmer and Buckner movement,
however. differed from most OF Its
kind before and since. Palmer and
Buckner were not candidates for nomi-
nation before the democratic conven-
ton. Many Of the new parties that
have run for few months and then
been forgotten have had no basis for
being, except the disappointment OF
some defeated candidate
Horace Greeley was candidate for
president and was nominated by men
who were against Grant The demo-
cratic party met that same year at
baltimore and also nominated Greeley.
HIS candidacy caused great deal
more enthusiasm even in the middle
west than Roosevelt's has up to date.
However, the democrats did not stick
10 Greeley after they nominated him,
40 he was defeated and Grant was re-
elected. Some OF the men who left
the republican party at that time, have
never gotten back, but have been un-
successful candidates on the demo
cratic ticket since that time. .
Roosevelt is asking the people to
bolt their party and follow him simply
because Of his personal disappoint-
ment. His request has come at
time when great deal OF unrest 1s
IN the country. President Taft and
his administration have been criticised
but not any more than any other man
and administration would have been
criticised coming Immediately after
Roosevelt.
Roosevelt kept down criticism of
himself By fighting back He took the
time and trouble to have In his per-
ponal collection the record Of every
man in public Office whom he thought
might take dig at him. Senator
Tillman tried it one time and Roose-
yelt sent into the senate section of
Tillman's private record that broke all
the points off Of Ben's pitchfork and
while he partially recovered he has
never amounted to anything since.
From that time on until Roosevelt
went out Of office the senator's and
representatives let him alone because
thew did not know what he might have
learned from their wires FAMILY.
A great majority of the criticism of
President Taft hos simply been put into
the minds and mouths OF people by
men who would have found the same
fault with any one else that they have
found with President Taft. AS to what
are mistakes and what are not mis-
takes may be largely matter OF per-
sonal opinion.
There are men who think that the
greatest thing that could have hap
pened for the benefit Of the United
States would have been for Canada to
accept our reciprocity treaty There
are others who think that 1t would
have been a mistake. Some Of the
men who have found the most fault
with President Taft are men who
have advocated reciprocity with Can
ada then votsa aaginst it. There are
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