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xTSON’S WEEK/ y 1N JEFFERSONIAN I EDITED BY THOS/ E* WATSON Vol. 11. The Nelv York World Asks—" What is a Democrat?" . is* IKS3 M »■ ? O\ ■■ j=U ■£* /a vs Jtw»>M|P ,: ‘ l I \\ Tnos. Jefferson S JA—»—•x> jjy f OißiH=fefr ~ ~ iW’ 1 I.' 1 . W?iiffliffilalMl« I WI- l | M flli Dear Reader: The World’s question has been a thorn in my side for a long time, and I could stand it no longer. I just had to draw! I started off bravely to answer the conundrum, but got so twisted and tangled up I had to quit. The question troubles me greatly and I now call for help! ! ! Can you assist me?—Gordon Nye. “WHAT IS A DEMOCRAT?”— Mr. Bryan, in a response to our in vitation of June. 6, undertakes in another- column to answer The World’s question, 4 ‘What is a Demo crat?’’ In respect to the external aspects of the inquiry he defines a Democrat as “one who considers himself a member of the Democratic organiza tion, who works with the Democratic organization and who expects to vote the Democratic ticket.” In a broader and more philosophi cal sense a Democrat is one “who believes in the rule of the people and who desires to make the Gov- ' • •* Atlanta, Ga., Thursday July 4, 1907. eminent the instrument in the hands of the people to carry out their will.” Under this definition as to prin ciple, wherein is Mr. Roosevelt less of a Democrat than Mr. Bryan? Wherein is Secretary Taft less of a Democrat than Senator Danid? Wherein is Governor Hughes less of a Democrat than Mayor McClellan or Mr. Hearst? Wherein is almost any Republican less of a Democrat than almost any Democrat? Mr. ißryan’s dissertation on the distinction between the Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian theories of govern ment must be dismissed as not ger mane to the issue. There is no party ' , ' J' »' ‘ ■, 'U js i- * ! * ** * > -.TUEi'' ■ at the present time which professes to distrust the people and none which can be said to identify itself in a peculiar way with the people. The people are the parties and the parties are the people. As for the popular election of United States Senators which Mr. Bryan presents as an important Democratic doctrine, it involves chiefly a question of expediency rather than of fudamental principle. As for the initiative and referendum, we observe that Mr. Bryan does n t claim that it has yet attained* full stature as a Democratic measure. There is not a line, not a word, not a syllable about Government own ership of railroads. Mr. Bryan d; es not mention it as an article of Dem- ocratic faith. The World is glad to throw open its columns to Mr. Bryan’s letter, but we are bound to confess that we do not find his answer either clear, complete or conclusive. No st an ger to American politics could deter mine from it the essential differences between a Democrat and a Republi can in the year 1907, and an answe that does not define those differences is not an answer tdP The World’s question. After reading Mr. Bryan’s letter with the utmost care and prostrating assurances of distinguished consid eration to its eminent author, The World feels bound to renew its in- * quiry “What is a Democrat?”—N, Y. World. No. 24.