The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1912-10-24

ooi snare OF the appropriations, but
not at the price of party disloyaity.
Let no one be deceived by the stuff
that has been sent out from WASH
lngton to the North Carolina daijias
as to Simmons ''masterful leader
ship" All this is pure printers ink
slush. Every intelligent man knows
that he Is not the Democratic leader
OF the Senate, and never will be
Everybody in the United States tex
cept the Simmons partisans in North
Carolina, knows that Martin Of Vir-
g'nla is the leader Bailey Of Texas.
whose Democracy is 50 discredited
IN his own state that he had to de-
cline to enter the contest for re-eIac-
ton, is the ranking or senior Demo
cratic member of the finance com
mlttee, the committee that has
charge of tariff measures. Simmons.
under the old Aldrich- Bailey regime
organization, stands next to Bailey
on the committee. Under the rule
and custom prevailing in the Senate
the ranking or senior member Of the
Committee has charge on the floor,
as matter Of course, of tariff nea
sures for his party, provided he ia
vors such measures. Bailey, who
leaves the Senate in March, stepped
aside or waived his right. Simmons.
being the next ranking Democratic
member, under the rule and custom.
took control on the floor of the Sen
ate of the tariff measures sent over
by the House This is all there is to
his leadership" so industriously pa
raded by him through the press Of
North Carolina-tnough it seems
that no papers in the United States
except in North Carolina ever heard
of his being the Democratic leader.
When the Aldrich-Payne bill was be-
fore the Senate the test of Simmons
Democracy was made. It was weig',-
ed and found wanting. There will
be another test when the Democrats
get to work at tariff revision in the
next Senate, reorgan;zed by pro-
gressive Democrats. What can We
expect from a man who has proved
aiSlcysa!ttto to his parry p.s.,.oz11. Oh
this very matter of the tariff which
Governor Wilson declares to be the
most important issue between the
parties?
Mr.. German Repubublican;zed the
Democratic party OF Maryland
Since his treachery on the Wilson
tariff bill Maryland has nearly al
ways voted the Republican ticket
for President. Such will be the
logical outcome in North Carolina if
Senator Simmons argument that
protection is the proper thing once
gets possession of our people. It is
only fit that one who believes in
protection should 60 to his own
place, and that place is the Republi-
can party.
Mr.. German had the ardent sup
port Of the "near-Der1ocrats" in his
State. So does Mr.. Simmons. By
"near-Democrats" amcng our voters
mean first, those who have been
voting the Democratic ticket in
State affairs and the Republican
ticket in national affairs; second, |
those who vote the straight Demo !
cratic, but ''pray for" the success cf |
the Republican national ticket, and
third, those who favor protection, |
especially on cotton mill products
and lumber.
Once more there is a promise Of |
Democratic President We already |
have Democratic House. Wehore
for a Democratic Senate, but it Will
be by a narrow margin. We cannot
risk having for Senator man whose
party loyalty is in question. We
want no more Germans, nc man
whose votes violate the party plat
form. The Democracy of the ma
ton is expecting loyal Democratic
Senator from North Carolina, not
one who has voted whether once or
nineteen times against the majority |
of his party on important tariff
legislation. Further, we must have
a Democrat, not only upon past and
settled issues, however important
they might have been, but a Demo
crat upon the issues of to-day.
We want no "near-Democrat, y no
man who argues for protection, no
Mr.. Simmons.
We do want man Of unquestion-
ed Democracy; we want MIR. kitca'n. |
AS a fitting postscript to what
have written above written several
davs before the weekly came out
dos;re to add the following editorial
note in "Collier's Weekly" for this
week. 1t will show how an unpre-
IS-I