100 YEARS AGO IN THE SARATOGIAN
Monday, March 18, 1918. What do the Republican and Democratic parties stand for in 1918? Speakers for both parties attempt to explain their positions at tonight’s class for new voters at Saratoga Springs High School.
Many of the class’s participants are women who received the right to vote through a state referendum last fall. With them in mind, Democratic party spokesman Carl L. McMahon emphasizes that “the Democratic party has endorsed woman suffrage for a long time….In New York State last fall the Democratic party worked hand in hand with the women and it was mainly through the support of this party that suffrage was won with such a great majority.”
Regardless of gender, the Democratic party “stands for exactly what its name signifies, government by the people as opposed to government by the select few. Under the leadership of President [Woodrow] Wilson it is the dominant party in this struggle for world democracy.”
“This struggle” is the world war against Germany, during which “the Democratic party is trying to equalize the taxation which must inevitably come with war, so that the financial burden of the war [will] be equally distributed among all.”
McMahon also gives the Democrats credit for enacting “more humanitarian laws” when they controlled state government from 191114 than Republicans have in the years before or since.
While the Democrats control Congress and the White House, the Republicans control New York State and Saratoga County. GOP spokesman William T. Moore takes a more objective tone tonight, telling the gathering that he meant to talk about party organization in general.
“I do not think that there is any great difference between the two large parties as regards the national issues,” Moore says. Historically, “the Republican party has always stood for the protective tariff as opposed to a tariff for revenue only. We believe that we should protect our home industries against the cheap foreign products because American labor has to be so much higher than foreign.”
During the war, however, “every loyal voter, every loyal American must stand by the present administration and help it to prosecute this war to a victorious end, no matter what our political views in regards to party.”
McMahon appears more committed to partisanship, warning the class that “it is not good for any party to have such a majority” as the Republicans enjoy in Saratoga County. “It is always wise to have a strong minority party to keep the other party in order.”
The Democrat adds, “Do not believe all the bad things you hear about politicians. They are always exaggerated by the opposing party and often are false.”