Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-23
FACTS FOR THE DoUBTER

IF one is in doubt concerning how
elections and wants some light on
the subject from an unprejudiced
source-a source. by the way, whence
has come no little praise of President
Wilson at times and a very great deal
of adverse criticism of Republican Of
ficials at others-he may turn to Col
lier's Weekly of current issue. Col
lier's has an uncomfortable habit oi
being perfectly truthful; of "hewing
to the line and letting the chips fall
where they will" Sometimes the az
falls on the Republican side, some.
times on the Democratic. Reviewing
the claims and Accomplishments OF
the Democratic administration, Col.
liers says:
The one new idea it (the Demo-
cratic party) has had was financial
heresy, and that idea was promul-
gated by the man whom Mr.. Wilson
appointed as chief of his Cabinet.
Maybe resistance to public dis
honesty is not a new idea" in Mr.
Wilson's sense, but the Republican
party successful resistance TO Mr..
bryan lfee SILVER plank IN 1895
was probably the most important
moral achievement OF recent civili-
cation. Turning to other new ideas
which nave come into political dis
cussion during the last forty years,
some of which have been CRYSTAL
lied into statutes, what ones have
been contributed by the Democratic
party? What States have been most
advanced in the prevention of child
labor, in compensation to injured
workmen, in all kinds of protec-
tion to labor? Republican States
or Democratic States? The one vivid
fact that tells the whole story in
detail is that there are Just five
States In the Union which do not
yet have compulsory education
laws. which have not yet come to
the belief that an education is a
thing which society owes to the in
ddividual. These fiye states are
position is typical of the Demo-
indeed all the movements toward
greater and more effective partici-
patton of the neople in public az
fairs--have come from Republicans.
The idea of conservation was in
vented by Republicans and given It's
President and Republican Con-
gress. The State regulation of
railroads and other public utilities
has made, practically all its pro-
gress so far in Republican States
through Republican Legislatures.
President Wilson alluded to the
new currency measure as a Demo-
cratic idea. This would be pardon
able in a slamwhanging political
orator, but is not pardonable i'm a
historian. The AIdrich- -Vreeland
act, under which this country sue
cessfuily defended itself against
the emergency of war, was passed
by a Republican Congress: more
over, the present banking and cur
rency act, which happened to be
passed by a Democratic Congress,
was, really invented and perfected
by the Republicans who preceded ii.
The truth is the geographical CEN
ter of gravity of the Democratic
party is somewhere in the dense
fastness of the Ozark Mountains.
Democratic solidarity is greatest
where illiteracv is most common,
where public education is least re-
Rarded. and where all the attributes
of MODERN civilization, material and
srirltual, exist in the smallest de-
gree.
This enhghtening comparison shouI,
provide food for consideration on tn
part of anybody who may be in douh
as to which is the party of practica
service and accomplishment and whicl
the party of glittering generalities anC
governmental inefficiency.