The Prescott daily news., 1912-08-21

safely leave to that senile dementia which has seized the so-called Repub- hcan party the personalities of this campaign. Its untitness to rule the republic Is disclosed by its inability to keep its temper. It was cohesive so far as its leadership was concerned while it was engaged In footing the public, but even It's leaders are now disorganized while quarreling over the loot
 Though a majority of the people have been voting the Republican tick ct and have been assuming thereby that the majority would rule, the dis graceful but purifying scenes which have been enacted recently in Repub- lican conventions disclose that large number of those who have been vot- ing the Republican ticket are Demo crats at heart. These scenes disclose further that we have been mistaken in some of our conclusions touching government in America. We have yielded a quiet assent to the proposi- tion that a majority is all-powerful and that a minority has no rights which a majority Is bound to respect. But now we know that the theory of the historic Democratic party, that it is the right of a majority to rule but only within constitutional limitations and without the usurpation of a single inalienable right of a single individu- al, Is correct.
 Majority Becomes Minority.
 It is only when majorities thus rule that governmental machines move without friction. The right of ma jority to thus rule must always be con- ceded. I wonder, however, if it has dawned upon the sober second thought of this people that 1t is possible for a majority to be a minority and that it is equally possible for minor ity 60 be a majority At first blush, it would seem that the officials elect ed by the plurality of votes become the representatives of the majority and that as such, they rule. But l am not in error when 1 declare that 1t is not the mere number of votes which determines majority in Ameri- ca, in the sense of having the power to formulate the policy, enact the legislation and control the govern ment, and l point to the election of 1908 for proof The protest of every man who voted for President Taft and who is now dissatisfied with the presidents management of public af- fairs proves that for four years a minority has been the majority in America
 The social condition which we call Democracy and which finds it's avenue of expression at the polls through our party, is unalterably opposed to special privilege whether granted by the law or seized by ruthless ambition It is true the mother of all special privilege IS the high protective tariff. All who voted the Democratic ticket at the last presidential election were unalterably opposed to this system of unjust taxa ton and a sufficient number of those who voted the Republican ticket were likewise convinced of it's iniquity to make an overwhelming majority against it. Save a favored few, all were agreed that relief, to a greater or less extent, should be afforded to the people from the unjust eXactions of this sytem. All knew that we could not educate the people of America inz discriminatory enlarge their views of life and happiness and then by the high cost of living deprive them of their pleasures without making of American life a seething caldron of discontent. Theoretically speaking, therefore, the majority of votes, hay Ing put party in power upon ? platform, pledged to relieve the peo- pie of their burdens. has been ruling under constitutional limitations. But this IS not so Immediately after the election the minority became the ma Jority in the sense that it assumed control of legislation with reference to special privilege. All the members Of the Democratic party and all the protesting members of the Republic an party have been in the minority 60ItIn ThIK