Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 January 1891 — TRUE DEMOCRACY. [ARTICLE]

TRUE DEMOCRACY.

The theme disoussed by Mr. Cleveland before the Democratic Association in Philadelphia # on the anniversary day of Jackson’s Viotory at New Orleans, was “True Democracy." The extract below will satisfy the reader that the great expresident—and in all probability next president—treats the subjeot in a masterly manner He said; Mr. President and Gentlemen—As I rise to respond to the sentiment whioh has been assigned to me I cannot avoid the impression made upon my mind by the announcement of the words “True Democracy.” I believe them to mean a conviction o) conclusion touching political topics, which, formulated into a political belief or creed, inspires a patriotic performance of the duties of citizenship. I am satislied that the principles of the belief or creed are such that underlie our free institutions and that they may be urged upon our fellow-countrymen, beoause in their purity and integrity they accord with the attachment of our people for their government and their country. A oreed based upon such principles is by no means discredited because illusions and perversions temporarily prevent their popular acceptance any more than it can be irretrievably

gl ipwrecked by mist ikes made in its name or by its prostitution to ignoble purposes. When illusions are dispelled, when misconceptions are rectified, and when those wno guide are consecrated to truth and duty, the ark of the people’s safety will st li be discerned in tne keeping o: those who hold fast to the principles of “trne democracy.” These principles are not uncertain nor doub ful. The illustrious founder of our party has plainly announced them. They have been reasserted and followed by a long line of threat political leaders and they are quite familiar. They comprise: Equal and exact justice to all men; Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations—entangling alliance with none; The support of the state governments in all their rights: The reservation of thv general government in itl whole constitutional vigor; A jealous on re of the right of election by the | eople: Absolute in the decisions of the majority; The suprema y of the civil over the mili ary a thorit v; Economy in the public expenses; The honest p yment of our d< bts and sacred preservation of the public faith; The encouragement of agriculture, and commerce as its handmaid, And freedom of religion, freedom of the press and freedom of the person.

The great president and intrepid democratic leader whom we especially honor to- night, who never relaxed his striot adherence to the democratic faith, nor faltered in »is defense of the rights of the people against all comers, found his inspiration and guidance in these principles. On entering upon the presidency he declared his loyalty to them; in his long and useful incumbency of that great office he gloriously illustrated their value and sufficiency, aud his obedience to the doctrines of “true democracy” at all times during his public career permitted him, on his retirement, to find satisfaction in the declaration: “At the moment when I surrender my last publio trust, I leffve this great people prosperous and happy and in the full enjoyment of liberty and peace, and honored and respected by every nation of the world. ” Parties have come and parties have gone. Even now the leaders of the party whioh faces in opposition the democratic host, listen for the footsteps of that death which destroys parties false to their trust. Touched by Thine, The extortioner’s hard hand forges the gold wrung from o’er worn poor. Thou, too, dost purge from earth its humble and old idolatries; from the proud sanes. Each to bis grave their priest go out till none is left to teach their worship.

But there has never been a time from Jefferson’s time to the present hour, when our party did not exist, active and aggressive, and prepared for heroic conflict. Not all who have followed the banner have been able by a long train or’ close reasoning to demonstrate as an abstraction, why democratic principles are best suited to their wants and the country’s good; but they have known and felt that as thiir govemment was established for the people, the principles and the men nearest to the people and standing for then., could be the safest trusted. Jackson has been in their eyes the incarnation, of the things which Jefferson declared. If they did not understand all that Jefferson wrote, they saw and knew what Jackson did Those who insisted upon voting for Jackson after h s death felt sure that whether their candidate was alive or detd they were voting the ticket of “true democracy.” The devoted political adherent t>f Jackson, who after his death became involved in a dispute as to whether his hero had gone to l eaven or not, was prompted by democratic instict when he disposed of she question by declaring; “I tell you. sir, that if Andrew Jackson has mode up his mind to go to heaven you may depend upon it he’s there.” The single democratic voter in more than one town, who year after year depo-ited his single democratic ballot un* dismayed by the number of his misguided opponents, thus discharged his political duty with the utmost pride and satisfaction to his Jacksonian democracy. Democr itic steadfastness and enthusiasm and tbs satisfaction arising from onr party history and traditions, certainly oUght not to be discouraged. But it is ha? ly safe for ns because we profess the true fait}),' and pan hpasf; qf distipgniehed poll io tl ancestry,to rely uppn these things as guarantees of our present usefulness as a party organization, or to retard their

glorification as surely making the way easy to the accomplishment of our political mission. The democratic party, by an intelligent study* of present conditions, must be prepared to meet all the wants of the people as they arise, and to furnish a remedy for •very threatening evil. We mav well be proud of our party membership; but we cannot escape the duty whioh such membership imposes upon us, to urge const, antly npon our fellow-citizens of this day and generation, the suffioienoy of the principles of “true democracy” for the protection of their rights and the promotion of their welfare and happiness, in all their present diverse conditions and surround mgs. > There should of course be no suggestion that a departure from the time honored our party is necessary te the attainment of these objects. On the contrary we should constantly congratulate ourselves that our party oreed is broad enough to meet any emergenov that can arise in the life of a free nation. □Thus when we see the functions of govemme t used to enrioh a favored few at the expense of many and se. also itß inevitable result in the pinching privation of the poor and the profuse extravagance of the rich; and when we see in operation an un just tariff whioh banishes from many humble homes the comforts of life in order that in the palaces of wealth luxury may abound, we turn to our oreed and find that it enjoins “Equal and exact justice to all men." Then if we are well grounded in our political faith, we will not be deceived n-r will we permit others to be deceived, by any plausible pretext or smooth sophistry exoußingZthe situation. For our answer to them all, we will point to the words whioh condemn suoh inequality and injustice, a* we prepare for the encounter with wrong, armed with the weapons of the democracy. When we see our farmers in distress and know that they are not paying the penaltv of slothfulnass and mismanagement; when we see their long hours of toil so poorly requited that the money-lender eats out their subs ance. while for everything they eed they pay a tribute to the favortes of governmental care, we know that ali this is far removed from the “encouragement of agriculture" which our oreed commands. W e will not violate our political ut by forgetting how well entilled our f .rmers.are to our best efforts or their restoi ation to the independence nf a ionuer ti:ue and to the rewards o better days

V\ hen we s e the extravagance of public expenditure fasi rea bing the poin of jecklesh w -te. and the unde-erred distribution of public money debauching its re ipients. and by pernicious example threatening the destruction of the iove of tru alit among our people, we will remember that “economy in public expense” is an important article in the true democratic faith. When we see our politioal adversaries bent upon the passage of the federal law, with the scarcely denied purpose of perpetuating partisan supremaov, which invades the states with election machi ery designed to promote the federal interference with the rights of the people in the localities Concerned, discrediting their honesty and fairness and justly arousing their jealousy of centralized power, we will stubbornly resist suoh a dangerously ai.d re' olutionary scheme, in obedi nee to our pledge for “the support of the State governments! in all their ri hts. Under anti-democratic encouragement we have seen a constantly increasing selfishness attach to oar politioal affairs. A departure from the sound and safe theory that the people should support the government for the sake of the benfits resulting to all, has bred a sentiment manifesting itseli with astounding boldness, that the government may be enlißted in the furtherance and advantage of private interests, through their willing agents in public place. Suoh an abandonment of the idea of patriotic political action on the part of these interests has naturally led to an estimate of the people’s franchise so degrading that it has been openly and palpably dehanched for the promotion of selfish schemes. Money is invested in the purchase of votes with the deliberate calculation that it will yield a profitable return in results advantageous to the investor. Another crime akin to this, in motives and design, is the intimidation by employers of the voters dependent upon them for work and bread. Nothing could be more hateful to true and genuine democracy than snch offenses against onr free institutions. In several of the states the honest sentiment of the party has asserted itself in the support of every plan proposed for the rectification of this terrible wrong. To fail in such such support would be to violate that principlepn the creed of “true democracy" which commands “a jealous oare of the rich' of elect on by the people,” for certainly no cne c n claim that suffrages purohased, or cast under the stress of threat and intimidation, represent the right of election by the people. Since a free and nupolluted ballot must be conceded as absolutely essential to the maintenance of our free instituaions, I may perhaps be permitted to express the hope that the state ot Pennsylvania will notiong remain behind hia sister states in adopting an effective plan to protect her people’s suff rage. In any event the democracy of the state can find no justification in party principle, nor in party traditions, nor in a just apprehension of democratic duty, for a failure earnestly to support and advocate ballot reform.

Thanks to Senator Tnrpie for bound volumes of Coi gressional Record. The Goodland Saturday Herald came out last week profusly and handsomely illustrated.