The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-09-25
TIME HAS PASSED ON.

After remarking in a lecture that
time passes on Artemus Ward
paused, and then added that lit was
a kind of way that time had" We
desire to commend this profound
truth to those gentlemen, all and
singular, who are concerned about
the possibility of revival of the sill
ver-gold controversy of 1896, In
connection with the Owen-Glass
currency bill. g5
New days bring new issues. What
is the issue in the currency contro-
versy of today? E
1t is not the monetary standard or
the currency. 1t is not, strictly speak
ing, it's volume. We are concerned
about working out system that
shall give the currency free move
ment, enable it to expand when it
ought to expand and contract when it
ought to contract, keep idle money
from encouraging speculation and
make bank reserves serve the pur-
pose that all other kinds of reserves
serve-that of a resource in cases of
emergency. @
The idea that the national democ-
racy can be drawn away from it's
|
defects of our present laws to fight
once more over issues which. were
discussed and settled more than a
decade ago may inject little humor
into a serious discussion, but is hard
ly likely to have any more important
effect.
This is good time to do a little
plain speaking about the internal
condition of the democratic party. In
those long years of overwhelming
republican supremacy, from 1876 10
the election of a democratic house or
representatives in 1910, the democ-
racy had time for thought and self
scrutiny. 1t saw that the republi-
cans drunk with power, had forgot
ten the public welfare and were be-
ing led by ambitious men, each with
his own private ak to grind. 1T saw
that there was no power in politics
that could resist fellowship OF men,
united in belief in a common body OF
principles, who should stand together
and work ceaselessly for the public
good.
Under the leadership of Champ
Clark and Oscar Underwood the
house democracy developed into
compact fighting body. While this
development was going on in con-
gress a group of strong democratic
governors appeared in the east and
middle west Among them was
"schoolmaster in politics. in New
Jersey and a man named Marshall in
Indiana Then came the fall OF re-
publicanism, whose leaders had been
unable to discern the fact OF its de-
cline The democracy, compact, dis
ciplined by opposition and by walt
ing, took the reins Of government,
and new order of things began.
Now at the bottom of present-day
,, democratic effectiveness is the SER
ious temper resulting from this long
and severe period of preparation.
The democratic leaders of today
know what victory costs. They know
, the country's needs. They know the
tests they will have to meet it the
! party is to continue in power. And
there could be no better proof of the
essential frivolousness of current re-
publicanism than this silly attempt
to sunder the democracy by raising
the ghosts of old controversies.
The democracy of the present day
| is at work and knows what it has to
do. 1t is quite willing that the dead
past should bury it's dead-and that
the republicans should act as pail
bearers. Victor Murdock's warning
of a republican trap" was kindly
meant, but is not needed. The demo-
Gratis are too busy running the gov
eminent to try to find few live
sparks in the dead ashes Of past dis
agreements.-St. Louis Republic.