for. .YAV-V
MOUNT AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 100 8
NO. Ql
The Democratic Party
Col. Henry Watterson Discourses Philosophi
cally Upon The Suggestion of
Reorganization
Louisville Courier-Journal.
The New York, Evening Post
has issued to a limited number
of persona the following "circu
lar letter."
In view of the general belief
that the crushing Democratic
defeat calls for new leadership of
the party, with new policies, or
fresh application ot old ones, the
Evening Post desires to elicit the
opinion of influentionat Demo
crats on the course to be pur
sued. t
"First-Should an effort at
once be made to put the organi
zation of the party in abler
hands ?
"Second With the whole
question of tariff revision cer
tain to come up in Congress not
latei than March, should not
special zeal be shown in uniting
the Democratic minority for a
vigorous fight in defence of the
low tariff views of the party?
Could there be a tetter way of
preparing for the congressional
elections of 1910.
"Third In what way can the
election of Democratic governors
in Ohio, Indiana and Minnesota
be utilized to infuse new spirit
'"xXwin popular support?
iU lri.. .it.
tion.4 can be made, as both true
lessons of the defeat, and hints
for a constructive plan that shail
compel I success?"
These are suggestive rather
than pregnant inquiries. He
who should attempt to answer
tf.em must needs be both a
statesman and a philosopher. To
a.-hieve an adequate solution he
must needs be also, and at one
and the same time, a leader of
men and a favorite of fortune.
They prcsuppyso that pirties
nre the offspring of organization
when, as a matter ot fact, vrgani
zation is the offspring of party.
They declare for "abler" leader
ship, quite forgetting that "a
lil'ty", meaning intellectual
training, mental breadth and vi
gor is but a portion of the re
quired equipment for successful
leadership. A man so "able"
as Edmund Ilurke was a poor
party leader. The old whig par
ty in America went down under
the leadership of Webster and
Clay. The Republican party
reached its fruition not under
Seward and Chase, but under
Lincoln.
History abounds with exam
ples which show the futility of
"ability" against the hazards tf
flood and field. In answer to
Question No. 1, for example,
who is to make the "effort" to
"put" the organization of the
party "in rbler hands," who to
choose the constituent assembly;
who to name the time and place;
who to determine the standards
of "ability?"
Suppose the newly-elected De
mocratic governors of Ohio, In
diana add Minnesota should take
the initative suppose they should
be re-enforced by the Democra
tic governors of the Southern
States -suppose these should in
turn call about them the Demo
cratic membership of the Senate
and House of Representatives at
Washington wherein would
such a body be more homogene
ous and authoritative than the
laat national Democratic convention?
It was not "ability" that was
lacking on the Dsmoeratic side
in the last campaign, or wa3
present on the Republican side.
The trend of the popular thought
thoroughly commercialized, re
duced the contest to a man-toman
issue; it became a duel be
tween Mr. Bryan's record and
Mr. Taft's record; for all his
vociferation the President drop
ped quite out of it; great masses
of the voters believed that with
Taft they took no risk, but, on
the contrary, that they would
get an improvement on Roose
velt, whilst with Bryan they
knew not what; certainly con
tinued agitaton for something
which went by the name of re
form. Decidedly, the bread-and-butter
argument had the floor. It
was doubtless helped along by
money and macninery fortified
by threats and fears. But it
was predominant and it prevail
ed. Mr. Bryan had spoken too
much. He had spoken too well.
The very talent3 and virtues
which had brought him closer to
the hearts of the Demr.ctats, es- I
pedaii Lit tilii 7eSt hud SsjOtttT,
and made him their leader,
wrought his undoing in the elec
tion because they foreshadowed
something and frightened the
commereialalism of the time; a
cornmercilism which is deaf to
eloquent pleading, which is blind
to economic demonstration ; w hich
justifies its politics like its re
ligion, in self-righteous canting
and providing that they do not
too much disturb the waters,
leaves the rogues to paddle their
own canoe, barring a vicitim
here and there to tickle the -conceit
of the popular conscience,
or to pay the penalty enacted by
bad luck or bad play.
We are quite sure of no seri
ous agitation under Taft. What
we might have had under Bryan
we may only conjecture; but
certainly continued agitation on
the line of reform." Unless the
movement suggested by the Ev
ening Post had this in view, to
what purpose, anv movement at
all, but in case itha. how would
it differ from other movements
involving agitation and distur
bance for which the people are
not ready ?
11
Suppose Bryan had been out
of it, Suppose he had agreed
betimes to play Warwick to John
son of Minnesota? Can the Ev
ening Post think that the result
would have been different? All
that was said against Bryan
would have been said against
Johnson, with the addition that
in Johnson. Bryan's candidate
an offset would have been found
to Taft, Roosevelt's candidate,
Johnson might have got a larger
foreign vote in the West. He
might have got a larger indepen
dent vote in the East. But the
final would have been the same.
The bread-and-butter argument
was decisive.
Under the new cartel, we are
to hold the Phillippines eight,
or ten millions of semi-savage3
to be educated and Christianized
and converted into customers, to
be fed and clothed under the
blessing of a protective tariff.
We are to hold the Paillippincs,
a vantage-ground in the Orient
whence to meet the world in the
quest for the trade of China
still under the blessing of a pro
tective tariff, Cuba, and the rest
of the West Indies that we may
require, we shall hold in reserve.
We owe these t r ings to Christ
anity, to benevolent assimilation
to the market-getting spirit of
the age, to the principles of free
and enlightened republican gov
ernment; but, of course, we
must have a great army and a
great navy, and; happily these
fall in with the maintenance of
a high protective tariff. What
shall the people care about bil
lion dollar congresses whilst
their trade expands in every di
rection? Why should they turn
out a level-headed party with a
wondrous turn for the almighty
dollar and put in a party of
rhetorical visionaries
to experiment with rhapsodical
theories of reform?
Tariff revision? Why, the
Domocrat3 had their chance and
what came of it? After 20 years
of agitation the most practical
and elucidated: led my men
deeply learned in the schedules
and their relation to business;
able to expose the sophistry of
protectionism on the hustings
and to meet the falsehoods of the
protectionist attorneys on the
floor of the two houses of Con
gress; what happened? Why,
the party ship fell upon a man
who, as to this great issue, prov
ed singularly unequal to its de
rnands. The fruits of twenty
years or pati'yu-pamstaKing,
a glorious victory, were complete
ly lost.
Wells is dead. Beck is dead.
Frank Hurd is dead. The Old
Parsee Merchant is dead. Who is
fo take the place of any one of
them as teacher in the new les
son of the schedules w hich is to
be learned and mastered and dis
seminated before we can have
anything in Congress but a sham
battle of no particular interest,
or benefit, to anybody but the
manufacturers who, ro matter
what Mr. Carnegie mav say, do
not intend to surrender a dollar
of the subsidy they enjoy under
the protective system.
Ill
To the Courier-Journal it looks
as if there will be no change of
parties in the rational govern
ment until the Republican party
of its own weight ar.d rotten
ness -we do not mean to be of
fensive goes to pieces on the
high tariff as the old Democratic
party of its own weight and
rottenness went to j ieces on
the issr.e t f African slavery.
The people are rot rotten.
They are merely prosperous and
indifferent, impervious to moral
influences that affect their busi
ness. They want trade balances
and rising price lists, not lec
tures on political economy, or
constitutional law. The shoe
does not pine h them yet. It may
not in a long, long time. The
country is very fruitful. It is
exceedingly rich. It can afford
a deal of wastage. It does not
lack for "able hand" to guide
it in its lavish outlays, for able
tongues to encourage it in its ex
pensive and expansive ways, for
able pens to flatter its self-glori-fy.ng
beauty, and keep it in good
humor with its conscience and
its God.
Can the Democrats do nothing
then? Why, yes, if they keep
together they can achieve the
ends of a wise, upright and in
telligent opposition, prepared to
take advantage of such opportu
nities as the future may offer
them, meanwhile rerving.the
country faithfully and well. That
is all they can do. Talk about
new issues and new leaders is
mainly .idle talk. It is but to
tamper with men and to tinker
with affairs.
The people at large are for the
present very well content with
the Republican party. Neither
the organization nor leadership
of the Democratic party is suffi
ciently m contrast successfully
to brag about, or bank upon.
There are too many groups for
any definite alignment Nobody
is in authority. Dissonance, not
harmony, would follow all at
tempts at convocation and reor
ganization. "When in doubt do
nothing" is a good saying; in
the case of the Democrats sup
plemented by the circumstances
that too often the "doubt" in
volves rancorous "difference."
Clean politics, honest politics,
wise politics the good of the
country would seem to demand
that the Democratic party, much
discouraged and depressed, and
thoroughly beaten, should still
hold together, seeking to pre
serve its morale, and as the say
ing hath it, keeping it3 powder
dry. If it should go to purees
nothing would remain between
our instituional system and the
Deluge except a body of able and
self-confident opportunists, call
ing themselves the Republican
parcy, and quite equal to the
commerfcal exigencies of the
times, and that vast monster,
the Mob, tame enough when fed
and clothed, but very destruc
tive when turned loose hungry
upon whatsoever it may devour.
its compliment , to the Evening
Post and if it ' cares would con
verse with it on this general sub
ject at its pleasure and leisure;
not in a spirit of discussion, or
argufication, at all; for discus
sion raises usually bars to Truth,
and Truth is all that wise men
should wish, or seek to know.
A Hack Saw Fcund n Ja'l,
Wilkesbora Patriot.
A hack saw, an instrument
capable of cutting the mst har
dened steel, was recently found
in the big steel cage of the
county jail here. The saw has
been in the jail for more trutn
three years and during that time
strange to say, although its pre
sence was known to almost ev
ery inmate of the cell, little eff
ort was made to put it to the use
of which it was capable. It was
carried into the jail by a priso
ner, who was afterward con
victed and sent for a term to the
State penitentiary. When he
left he gave to his fellow prison
ers the precious instrument as a
coveted heritage. They, in turn
would tell each new arrival, and
so, for three years, the secret,
carefully guarded from the jailor
was handed down. Last spring,
for a short while, the jail was
without an inmate, and after
wards, when new arrivals came
they inherited the cell without
knowledge of the saw. The for
mer prisoner, who carried the
saw into the cell, having served
his term in the penitnetiary,
came back, and feeling that pri
son life wa3 not to his liking and
with the hope that he might nev
er be called upon to occupy that
cell again, told the officers of the
law where the saw might be
found. After it was found the
jailor made diligent search for
evidences of where it had been
put to use and he wa3 able to
discover only some slight marks
on the bars in one of the darkest
corners of the cell.
Foley's Orino Laxative cures chronic
constipation and stimulates the liver.
Orino regulates the bowels so they wilt
act naturally and you do not have to
take purgativer. continually. Sold by
J. II. Gwyn.
The Situation in the Fifth.
Charlotte Observer.
Tairbrother's Everything, of
Greensboro, has in its current
issue a most interesting editorial
everything in Everything, we
are reminded, is editorial and in
teresting -about the political
affairs of the fifth congressional
district and incidentally of the
State ani we are sure our read
ers will be interested in so much
of it a3 we have space to quote
as they would be in all"
"The political student has
found much in the recent elec
tion that id gratifying much that
was disappointing. The defeat
of A. L. Brook3 wa3 not a per
sonal misfortune it was the
death knell of every politician
with congressional aspirations in
the fifth district. It means more
than many imagine at first blush
it means practically, and in a
few words, new deal all around.
Brw ks was ambitious to go to
Congress and perhaps had other
drtar;. Those v ho developed
as his personal enemies, many
fighting in the open and others
rejoicing over his defeat and ov-
er his narrow margin in securing
the nomination, were themselves
ambitious for political prefer
mentand of course it goes
without saying that in his politi
cal downfall they fell with him.
"It was a sorry dav in the po
litical life of his enemies when
Brooks was defeated. It was a
defeat no lees to e veryone
of them. Had Brooks been
elected by a majority of, three or
four hundred he would have
c off than hcCyima:'
is. iner his enemies could nave
pointed cut that it would not do
to nominate him again -any one
of them with congressional as
pirations, and there were Sever
al sitting in that boat, could have
demanded the nomination, and
received it but when Brooks
was wired off the slate they also
became indistinct.
"Therefore conservative Dem
ocrats'are wondering. Many of
them look at the figures and see
that Taft carried the fifth con
gressional district by about five
hundrel Majority, t'uy seethe
hand-writing on the wall. If
any man who his before been
prominent in politics in the fifth
district bobs up wanting the
nomination he will be searched.
If it is discovered that he was
for Brooks he will be opposed by
those who fought Brooks; if it is
discovered that he was with those
fighting Brooks he will be oppos
ed by the Brooks faction and
don't forget Brooks still holds
the balance of power.
"So anyway it can be figured
out t iere must ba a new deal.
One politician tells us that when
it comes time to take inventory
every man ever before mention
ed for Congress must step aside,
that it will be a new name
either a manufacturer or a citi
zen who is neither a lawyer nor
politician."
There is much more, but we
omit so much as relate? strictly
to State affairs. In the recapi
tulation: "So it appeirs, after sunming
up the situation after looking ov
er the field and caring for the
dead that the wounded are in a
100
One hundred fine pigs on hand. Or
der before they are picked over.
JOHN
worse plight than those who fell
carrying the colors. It means
at least in the fifth district an
absolutely new deal. It means
that all the Heretofore becomes
the Impossible. It means at
least that those who expected
some time to go to Congress are
forever out of the race and some
Undiscovered Man must be the
one offering himself to succeed
the Hon. John Motley More
head. "And also in the meantime a
district which gave Taft five
hundred majority over William
J. Bryan, must in all candor, be
considered, from this time on a
very doubtful district doubtful,
indeed."
We produce the picture a3 best
we may, drawn by Colonel Fair
brother, a friend and supporter
of Mr. Brooks, for the enter
tainment or instruction, the
case may be, of our readers. It
represents that an irrepressible
conflict is on in the fifth district.
We have learned as much from
other sources. The Observer
has no comment to submit upon
- the facts or alleged facts, being
in the mental attitude of the nig
ger who was telling about hav
ing seen a ghost and asked why
he didn't interpolate it, made
ansver; "It wasn't anyermy
business and I wasn't gwine ter
meddle wid it."
Trouble Over Teddy's Toddy.
Among Presideut Roosevelt's
Christmas presents will be a gal
lon of tiae old South Carolina
whiskey from the State v?hre his
: ..:
h
smacks his Ls over toe Uhrist-
tuas toddy his mind will doubt
less revert to the strenuous times
of San Juan Hill, one of whose
heroes, Major M'eah Jenkins, is
the seiu'er of the liquor, the same
M ijor Jenkins of courtly bearing
and distinguished South Carolina
lineage whom Roosevelt appoint
ed collector of internal revenue
an 1 presented with a- sword in
Charleston and who now enjoys
the honors and emoluments of
the Columbia revenue uftice.
But there was much iigitatioti
fer a time i ver ti e exp-ess com
pany's hesitancy to accept the
ulf f.r l,!pniei;t Tii" Carey
Co'hnm law forbids shipment of
liquor from 'wet" to u "dry '
cVy n nd the gent feared this
law "might also apply to interstate
shipments When the Attorney
General was asked about the mat
ter he. t-aid he was not the legal
adviser of the express company.
The company's attorney finally
advised dipping the stutl. At
torney General Lyon said to-day
that there was nothing In tho
law to prevent such shipments.
SA I I'M KNT 1IHU VI.
However the shipment is still
being held here pending a con
ference between Governor Ansel,
tne SrAte legal department and
the Southern Express Company's
lueul attorneys. The Guveruor
declined to give his permission
for the whiskey to move.
You can cure dyspepsia, indigestion,
sour or weak stomach, or in fact any
form of stomach trouble if you will take
Kodol occasionally just at times when
you need it. Kouol does not have to bo
taken all the time. Ordinarily you only
take Kodol now and then, because it
completely digests all the food you eat,
and aftr a fear days or a w-ek or so,
the stomach can digest the food with
out the aid of Kodol. Then you don't
need Kodol any longer, try it today
on nur criiAranl Wf know what it
will do for you. Sold by J. II. Gwyn.
PIGS.
A. YOUNG,
CreensBoro, N. C.