The Washington herald., 1920-01-09

of the whole people, regardless of
class. The Republican party has be-
come a capitalistic party and has
permitted tariff barons to write the
tariff laws, trust magnates to direct
the policy Of the party on the trust
question. railroad presidents to die
tate its policy on the railroad ques-
tion, while packing house companies
and other profiteers have used 1t as
their own. 1t would divide the coun-
try into class parties and by its own
attitude compel the formation of a
farmers party and a laborers' party.
The Democratic party, on the con-
trary, stands for the protection of
the rights of every class. dealing
with each citizen as an individual
instead Of as a member OF a class.
II has, since 1t has been in power.
given the commercial class a
splendid currency law; II has
given the farmers a farm loan law;
it has given labor an eight-hour
day and greater security in Its
rights, and has given to all the peo-
pie relief from the high tariff bur-
dens that had been placed upon con-
sumers. Democracy contemplates CO.
operation between all elements and
the promoting of the welfare Of So
ciety> in general
It would prevent strikes not by
prohibitory laws, but by the crea-
ton of machinery which will in
vestigate disputes and thus secure
a peaceful settlement of differences
before the controversy reaches the
stage of strike or lockout.
The Democratic party will distin-
guish between evolution and reyo-
luton, guaranteeing freedom OF
speech and press to everyone who
advocates governmental changes by
constitutional methods, and, at the
same time. prevent the use Of either
freedom of speech or freedom of the
press for the overthrow Of con.
stitutional government.
The Democratic party has for
twenty years denounced private
monopoly as indefensible and intol-
cradle. 1t cannot surrender its po.
sition on this subject now when tne
beneficiaries Of all the private mon-
opolies are mobilizing under the
banner Of the Republican party for
a united attack upon the right OF
the people to own and operate all
necessary monopolies in the interest
of the public.
The Democratic party will con.
tinue its fight against the prof
iteer. A government that re-
strains the individual from the
use of force in the protection oi
his rights assumes the solemn
obligation to protect the disarmec
citizen from every arm upliftec
for his injury. We need machin.
cry in every State and in eacf
community that will give to the
consumer a tribunal before which
a dealer accused OF profiteerinr
can be brought for examination
The Federal Trade Commission 1.
a step in the right direction. but
the subject is too big to b.
handled by the nation alone oil
by a national commission. The
remedy must be as complete a,
the evil, and il cannot be com
plete unless. States and communi,
ties as we'll as the Federal gov,
ernment are prepared to deal with
this subject.
/ assume that the party will &C.
cept prohibition as the permanen nj
policy of the country. Three
fourths OF the Democrats in the
Senate and two.thirds of the
Democrats in the House voted tc
submit the national amendme mt
and every Democratic State voted
for ratification-and every Repub,
lican State except three. 1t i.
inconceivable. therefore. that oul
Ghntrld nf q pnnfza thu
moral sense of the nation. Johr
Barleycorn is dead. The Demo.
cratic party cannot tie itself to q
corpse or become the champion
of an outlawed trafic.
I assume that the party will ac,
cept woman's suffrage also as ar
accomplished fact. The women saw
ed our party from defeat in the
last campaign, and We need theii
aid to hasten the triumph of every
righteous cause.
I venture to suggest three new
propositions for which l ask con-
sideration:
% A National Peace-Way. running
into every State, wide enough to
accommodate both passengers ant
oAu Ildl
will be lasting tie binding to-
gether the forty-eight common
wealths. 1t will be a memorial tC
the soldiers and to all others who
took part in the war, and a monu-
ment in commemoration of peace
restored. 1t will not only be an
expression of patriotism, but it viii
be educational as well as useful.
1t will bring the word peace into
the thought and conversation Of al
our people for centuries.
t2) We need, above all other things
just now, a national bulletin-not q
newspaper, but a bulletin-under bi.
partisan control, furnished to all
who desire it at a nominal cost
ga bulletin which will present to the
people the issues upon which they
must act, with editorials presenting
the arguments for and against the
action proposed. so that every citi'
zen may intelligently exercise the
duties Of citizenship and give to
his government the benefit of his
judgment and his conscience. The
avenues Of information are at pres
ent in private hands, and the edi
tors, being human, have a bias,
which makes it impossible for them
to present both sides fairly; and
to make the situation worse, the
great predatory interests are in po-
sition to influence many newspapers
in addition to those which they alb.
solutely control. II there is any
thing for which a government like
ours can AFFORD to spend money. II
is to inform those upon whose will
the government rests.
(3) The initiative and the refer
endum are not new. For a quar-
ter of century the idea has been
growing and spreading. Since the
reform has been put into opera.
ton in States like Ohm Illinois