The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-01-30
BOURBONS
WILL NEVER REFORM


The following by THE Lame
Duck" one of the best writer's on
the Saturday Evening Post, neatly
sums up the attitude of the old-time
leaders OF the republican party to-
ward public affairs:
- As nearly as / can figure it out
frop the remarks made at the wake
recently held here over the republi-
Gan party, the republicans will win
IN 1915 if meantime all the demo-
Gratis gol broke and die.
You never saw or heard so many
prophets of gloom and disaster as
gathered here at the meeting of the
Republican National Committee; nor
does hist Dry record an assemblage
where the prophets of gloom were so
universalE gleeful in their prophe-
cies. Ordinarily when man pre-
diets disaster he does his predict
ing with solemn face and a qua
yering Ivoice; but those calamity
howlers did their bowling accompa-
MED by pleasant smiles and earnest
WISHES that what they were predict
ing would come to pass.
There was that cheerful party,
Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah, who
said no convention was necessary,
because, in addition to whatever
platform the republicans shall adopt
in 1916, there will be an added in
centive to vote the ticket as the peo-
pie will be starving, the mills will
be shut down, everybody will be out
of work and famished; and the cam
paign cry will be: Vote for the re-
publican candidate and eat.
Wasn't that a pretty spirit for a
bunch of men who came together to
devise means to get the corpse of
their party out of the tomb and re-
stated and loudly cheered that there
isn't much chance of their winning
anything on their merits; but if hard
times comes-and they are all root
ing for hard times-they will win
because of hard times solely, and not
because they deserve any support by
the people. That is what they base
their hopes on-universal disaster
and distress!
1t was a curious gathering. After
the republican party was wiped out
in 1912 a few of the patriots who
had nowhere else to go determined
that the thing to do was to reorgan-
ize and try to entice to themselves
a little public confidence. They
and held it necessary to show a prop
er spirit of humility, and eagerness
to do something-anythi get
a hearing.
Now there have been difficulties
from time immemorial in the way of
raising both parties and persons
from the dead; and there were diff
ficulties in this instance. However,
as is often the case, the dead didn't
know exactly how dead they were;
and they decided the crying evil was
the system of Southern representa-
ton whereby such a neat little job
as the nomination of Mr.. Taft at
Chicago in 1912 was possible by the
presence and cash-registering of del
egates from states where the repub-
lican vote is negligible.
They picked out a mild restora-
!tive-unmindful of the fact that all
but these little bosses know, which
is that the dead-and-gone republic
can party cannot be brought back by
the mere dispensing with a handful
of delegates from the south. That
is like trying to stop a ship from
sinking by throwing overheard few
members of the crew instead of go
ing down below and plugging up the
holes in the hulk. Even then they
were baked, for it was decided the
national committee could not change
the system of representation, but
that a convention would be neces-
sary.
Now, if there is any salvation for