The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-03-13


icism, perhaps you will hermit ne
briefly to indicate what we conceive
your full task and opportunity to be.
IL Is to lead democracy in a fresh
advance which it now clamors for IT
is TO guide democracy wisely while IT
compasses and overcomes a new kind
OF OPPOSITION that for some generations
has been erecting itself among us; a
KIND OF opposition to democracy which
is all the more battling and confound-
ing because it is, in the main, an out
come of democracy itself; because it
Is as If, in our startled battling with
1T, giant strove with his own giant
offspring. In this respect the curious
instinct of the cartoonists is no false
leading, but true indicator of our
real predicament. For the real foe of
democracy in this country wears no
form that privilege has ever worn be-
fore 1t is not monarchical. it is not
aristocratic, it is not military, it is not
clerical. 1t is entirely economic and
industrial The seat and source of IT
is neither court nor camp nor church:
1t is the common market-place. The
essence of it is, to be sure, monopoly.
and monopoly is old. But this kind of
monopoly self-created and self-sus-
tanning monopoly, is new. 1t is young
and vigorous. OF all the forces that
make against democracy it is the
youngest and most vigorous now ex-
tant in the world.
That is your giant antagonist, Mr..
President; and democracy expects of
you nothing less than that you forth
with prove yourself it's Jack the Giant
Killer.
A great expectation, truly! For the |
movement you must head, like most |
of democracy's periodical uprisings |
and self-assertions, is vague and in
stinctive, as well as tremendous. But |
we cannot doubt that you both COM
prehend its sweep and are striving to |
find for it definite aims and reasonable
methods. Fortunately, you are in
deep sympathy with it; otherwise you
could never hope to guide it. But
fortunately, too, you have yourself
written the history of another very
similar movement-the movement by
which the people, with Andrew Jack
son leading, once before took posses
sion of their government" Turn to
the skilful phrases in which you your
self have pictured that advance, esti-
mated alike the gains and the costs
Of it, praised and blamed its leadership,
and you will find there many a true
word and many sound reflection that
should today be helpful to you and to
your fellows in leadership. For the
present age seems plainly to demand
Of you that in many respects you be
like Jackson. But it is a later age;
may it not therefore demand more?
You have had a better training than
Jackson's and no such harsh, embit-
tering antecedents; may we not, there
fore, expect of you less of error and
violence and excess, and more of re-
straint and of Just consideration and
calm foresight, yet without loss of
firmness in essentials?
Yes, Mr.. President, 1t is a great |
a daunting expectation.
We should be insincere, we should be
merely fiattering you-or any other |
man alive. for that matter-if We pre-
tended an absolute assurance of your
proving entirely equal to it. 1t is
enough that, like your party and like
the country, we should account you,
of all men visible now to the nation,
the man most likely to prove equal to
it.
We do not neglect to note your
handicaps; we shall not forget them
when we fall back into our ordinary |
function of watchfulness and criti-
cism. 1t was your immediate pre-
misfortune to lead a party |
which had been too long in power; it
is your misfortune that you lead a
party which has been too long out of
power. 1t lacks the training power
alone can give. 1t has the habit of
protest and criticism,
not of responsible action. You will
be surrounded by men who can speak
only from conviction, not from expert
ence. To keep your leadership, you
must be, perhaps, complacent with ig-
norance and prejudice. Do not, we
beseech you, be too complacent; for
that may prove your greater danger.
We do not underestimate the necessi-
ty of tact and consideration and what