Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-29

hold on life and found adoption in
Some developed into theories which pr
great commotion and confusion, and t
majority verdict of the American PEG
silver.
Some Theories Which Survived.
D Some heories that were Graded with
the unsound things developed into re-
forms which, translated into law, have
served the people we'll. and among
these might be cited national and state
laws affecting the civil service, banks,
insurance. labor, lands. schools. mines.
tenements, woman suffrage, liquor and
the regulatory laws for those agencies
which pass under the general term Of
public service corporations or pub
JIG utilities"
There might be field for fair dis
CusSion to whether many of the
reforms which distinguish the prog
resS of mankind and the develop
2ncut of democracy in the state are
of socialiStic or communistic origin.
fl" purpose of this article is not to
prove or diSproVe that point Its aim
is 10 esarch out the beginning and to
trace the early growth in this coun-
1ry of the call for government own
ershIp of railroads. But in passing.
and for the sake of turning Il side
light on the history of this idea. it
hint of what we now believe to be
reforms essential to sound govern
G1eut are usually to be found in the
thought of some man who wrote or
spoke before the day of popular
rights and popular government, and
who, by his practical contemporaries
NiS considered TO be a viSioniSt. AT 4
later period this kind of man may
have been denounced as socialist
and even as AN infidel. for there was
supposed to be relationship between
socialism and infidelity.
II is also probably true that great
social reform movements have been
carried forward and written into
statutes by men and women who had
no association with socialism eX-
Ctpt i'll its broad and good signifi-
canoe. and certainly they had no as
ISOLATION with that witches brew of
wild and vicious theories which to-
day passes under the name of social
ism.
Individualism in America.
The professional socialist has had
little influence i'll the United States
He is usually an emigrant from con-
tincntal Europe. most often from
Germany, and gets his audience from
.un-American or non-AmericaniZed
smm grants. The -American-born man.
especially the American whose blood
lines run back to the British Isles, or
Palestine or Africa, gives no ear to
the Nagaries of professional socialism,
He is an individualist and believes
in the individual rights of property
because even if he has no property
he expects to get some and he has
little doubt that his children will
make their million"
Such governmental reforms as an
peal to him as proper he generally
seeks to make operative through the
machinery of one of the organized Do
1itical parties. Sometimes he helps to
organize Il third party. but that in
due time becomes absorbed by and in
duences one of the historic parties. OF
course, when u historic party falls
under such management that it can
not embrace new ideas backed by .,
substantial part of the people it
passes out as did the federal and whig
parties. The democratic and republic
an parties have yielded notably to re-
form pressure which in some instances
sprang up within the party fold and
in other instances outside of the or
Sanization.
To illustrate this it may be pointed
out that the attitude of the democratic
party. favorable since the days of
populiSm to numerous doctrines of
state socialism, Is in strange contrast
70 the principles of the party as enun-
ciated by its early leaders and through
its early platforms. In the first of
SilOSC I'liIIi ol
pies called platforms" which was
proclaimed by the democratic party
in 1910. it was resolved: THAT the
federal government is one of limited
powers. derived solely from the Con-
stituIion. and the grants of power
shown therein ought to be strictly,
construed by all the departments and
agents of the government. and that it
IS incXpedienD and dangerous to eX-
ercise doubtful constitutional pow
crS; and resolved. That the Constitu-
ton does mot confer authority upon
the general government to commence
and carry on 4 general system of IN
terral improvements"
7 Party Lost the Election.
u is worth recalling that in the
Fear of the adoption of this declara-
, tiuu of principles the democratic party
lost the election. but that election
was not :: test Of principles. but 4
contest of personalities, and William
Henry Harrison made a much stronger
appeal to the electorate than Martin
Van Buren, did for reelection. The
wings relied with such confidence on
The strength Of that appeal that they
did not furnish statement OF prlncl-
pies. Tippecanoe. log cabins. coon
skins torchlight paradeS and banners
Inscribed with patriotic legends and
emotional notices carried the day.
strict construction and liberal construc-
non OF the Constitution were laid aside.
William Henry Harrison was the 'peo-
piles candidate" He had fought In
dams. He had lived in a lob cabin deco
rated with coon skins. He drank hard
cider He wore no silk hosiery. He was
not an aristocrat. Enough: lie won.
The democratic platform of 1910 de-
ecribcd what might be called the his
torlr fundamental attitude Of the demo-
cratic party toward government. though
the record shows various lapses from
that policy. As an example of such a
Iause let US recall that i'll the admins
tr.ttion cf President jefferson the demo
Cratic party opened the way for national
public improvements by proposing and
Ii!!iily passing an act for the building
OF national road from Maryland to
the Ohio river Ito facilitate the tide of
emigration that was flowing westward
snd TO accommodate the rapidly in
creasing trade being developed thereby -
Jefferson favored the project on the
principle OF eXpediency, but believed
that the government had no constitu-
ronal warrant for the exercise of such
authority, and in his message to Con-
gross on December ]. 1906. he recon-
mended an amendment to the Constitu-
tion which would authorize the eXpendi-
cure OF the surplus revenues on roads,
canals and education.
When. in 1871, Congress passed 4 bill
for the preservation and Improvement
OF this national road. President Monroe
vetoed ii for the reason that Congress
does not possess the power under the
Constitution to pass such Il law" He
urged an amendment to the Constitution
and subsequently he approved an act
p7akinS an appropriation OF $50, 600 for
surveys for certain roads and canals.
The attitude of President jackson,
especially toward roads and banking,
xa-ilI reward examination Congress- n