The Ocala banner., 1920-04-23
PRESENT DAY DEMOCRACY

dress declared one reason why he had
consented TO permit use of his name
as a presidential candidate in Ne
braska. was because he felt that If the
state were to present a candidate to
the democratic national convention,
''he ought to be man who is at least
in harmony with the present attitude
Of the democratic party, and not one
who is attempting to displace Presi-
dent Wilson as leader OF the party
In commenting upon which the
Times-Union says:
Senator Hitchcock speaks Of the
present attitude of the democratic
party. How does he know what is the
present attitude of the party? The
democratic party is not one official or
group of officials. It is the demo
cratic people Think of a party called
democratic that instead of having
principles blindly follow leader.
Has not the democratic party al
ways had leaders? Was not Thomas
Jefferson its founder for a long time
its leader and do we not hold in
sacred memory his example and his
precepts?
Was not General Jackson for a long
time its leader and do we not still
commemorate his memory by having
jackson dinners" at which the
achievements of the democratic party
are recited and from which it takes
on fresh inspiration?
But because we hold up their hands
we do not do so blindly.
The Times-Union says that "one
would think Senator Hitchcock's idea
of republic was country that elect
ed a ruler and then obeyed him inn
plicitly."
Not at all. He is not blind nor has
his colleagues accused him of stupid
ity. He is a member of the senate
and has full knowledge of the achieve
ments of the democratic party under
the present administration
He is telling of those achievements
in Nebraska the same as Senator
Fletcher is telling of them in Florida
AS the Times Union is printing SEN
atOr Fletcher's speeches from day to
Gay in the several cities throughout
florida il ought not to be in ignornace
of the achievements of the democratic
party and ought not for one moment
TO entertain the belief that Senator
Hitchcock is following the leadership
of Woodrow Wilson blindly.
If for dwelling proudly upon those
achievements and dilating upon them
to the. people of Nebraska subjects
Senator Hitchcock to adverse criti-
cism the same criticism should apply
to Senator Fletcher in Florida.
And what are those achievements?
Go and hear Senator Fletcher's
speeches. He does not tell them all
but he dwelIs upon good many and
those that he dwells on will bear com
parison with the achievements of any
administration since the Foundation of
the government.
Both inlcabinet and field they will
hold up under the severest criticism
that can be brought against them.
Ask Hindenburg and the Kaiser
what were those achievements in
France?
The enemies of the administration
as long as they could give comfort and
to Germany proclaimed
that we were ''unprepared.' That
both the war department and the
navy department had fallen down.
And even since the cessation of hos.
tilities we are told by Admiral Sims
and his crowd that our navy was not
"fitten."
Ford says of his automobile: 1T
takes you there and brings you back. "
Wei. with all this mountain of ad-
verse criticism we took our soldiers
over to France--we won the war and
we brought them back.
Is not that glory enough?
What we would have done had we
been fully prepared need not give US
any worry.
Our own opinion is that il we had
been preparing for as long a time as
Germany we could not have given
greater luster to our arms ard could
net have written American history in
more Illuminating colors.
Read Senator Fletcher's speeches.
and one viii find out what the present
democratic administration has done
for the tillers of the SOIL
Not since the beginning of the gov
ernment has SO much been written
into the law for their benefit.
And while doing much for the farm
ers it has not been unmindful of the
great body of consumers.
1t cut down selfishly sheltered
mmopoly in the tariff schedules and
pm the necessaries of life on the free
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