The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-08-23
THE IRREPREssIBLE CON-
FLICT.
Editorial from the Youths Com
panion.)

the country is now engaged is merely
the latest battle between those who
wish to make haste slowly and those
who desire immediate reforms.
The campaign is interesting to the
student of political history, because
it makes complete change in the
characteristics of the two great par
ties. The Republican party was or
ganized as. protest against an in
dustrial system that disregarded hui
man rights. The original Republicans
were radicals and progressives, and
demanded that slavery be abolished
at once. The Democrats were con-
sentative.
When the specific battle for hui
man rights had been won, radicalism
lost its first impulsive force; with
the passing of the years and with
continuance in power, the Republican
party has become the party of con-
servatism. There are, of course,
radical Republicans, but they are not
happy in their historical allegiance.
The conservative wing nominated its
candidate at Chicago and adopted
the platform of those who believe in
making haste slowly.
The triumph of the radical wing Of
the Democratic party, at Baltimore,
was the fourth in sixteen years. AS
far back as 1896 the growth of radi-
calism in the Democracy had made
such progress that the nomination Of
Mr.. Bryan on a free-silver platform
was the logical outcome. The conser-
natives bolted, and nominated a can
didate of their own, as the radical
wing of the Republican party in the
same campaign bolted, although il
made no nominations, when the party
convention named conservative
candidate. The free-silver issue Of
1896 was another form of plea for
human rights; kind of radical re-
sentiment against the money power"
intended to place the man above the
dollar" The radcalism of the De-
mocracy persisted in 1900, when Mr..
Bryan was again nominated. In 1904
the old-time Democratic conserva-
tives siezed the reins and nominated
a gold-standard man, but radicalism
triumphed a third time in 1908. and
once more made Mr.. Bryan the party
candidate. The Democratic party
now declares that it represents an or
gained protest against the abuses of
a commercialism that has disregard
ed the rights of the individual in the
race for wealth. The system is the
joint product of the development of a
new country and of tariff duties lev
led to protect those who were doing
the developing.
The Republican party, which has
been in power during the greater
part of this industrial expansion, and
has assisted in the expansion, is nat
uraily anxious to preserve what it
has won; but it rcsents the charge
that it is. any less interested in hui
man rights that it was when it fought
against slavery; it declares that it be-
lieves in working through evolution.
The Roosevelt bolt from the Chica-
go convention remains to be consid-
cred. If history always repeated itself
in details, the bolt might mark the
beginning of new party; but history
learns its lesson only we'll enough to
repeat the broad outlines of it. 1t is,
therefore, impossible to say what
place the new progressive Republi-
can organization will take. There are
some who think that many progress
sive Republicans will vote for the
Democratic candidate, and that many
conservative Democrats will vote for
the Republican ticket; and that there
will be nothing more than a realign-
ment of voters in the old parties,
according as they represent conser-
vatism and radicalism.