The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1872-02-02
GIVE Us A SHORT PLATFORM.


We do hope that our next State
Convention will give us brief and
pointed platform. For our part, we
take leave to say, long, loose string
of magniloquent, fiabby resolutions
would be not at all to our taste
Though in saying this we do not pre-
tend to speak for others, still we are
confident that there are many Demo
carts who will agree with ns. In our
judgement il is quite possiblc-to use
John Hays expressioD--to .'resoluten
too much. The truth is, the grand
time-honored principles of Democ-
racy are broad, comprehensive and
obvious and they can be expressed in
few plain English words. There is
no need therefore of using very ex-
tensivc vocabulary in making decla-
ration of Democratic faith. Gener-
ally speaking when convention gives
loose to phrase-makiDg and under
takes 10 explain, amplify, and extend
the good, oid-fashioned doctrines of
the party it soon forsakes the common
faith and begins to declare the crotch
cts and peculiar notions sofindividuals.
There is no particular necessity
either for a Democratic Convention
to try to be origiuut in its declaration
OF principles. We confess to strong
predjudice against "original plat.
forms,' for whatsoever il new in De
mocracy is generally Of doubtful Or
tbodoxy. The Democratic party is
not a thing of yesterday. 1t has the
hue of age upon it. For more than
half n century it has been the true
and faithful companion and body
guard of the Constitution. Its creed
was framed by parrots of the early
time, men who knew the worth of
great principles, men who were capa-
BILE of devising rules of political faith
and practice that would suit all ages
and all circumstances. Hence though
Democracy may grow and has grown
with the times, it never changes
Underlying the opinions OF the party
on the shifting questions OF the honr,
the grand cardinal doctrines of its
faith are the same to-day that they
were in the time of Jefferson. We
like TO think of the Democratic party,
not as a green, slender sapling, sway
ing with every wind that blows, but
aa an aged tree with huge, quailed
trunk and bark wrinkled and scanned
by the storms of years, towering up
to the clouds. fiinging out its great
protecting arms over the land and
bending not before the fercest blast.
We like to Delieye that the fathers
planted it in the beginning to be the
shade and shelter OF the infant Repub-
lie through all coming time. We like
to think of it growing up through all
these years ever true to its sacred
trust, ever standing like some tall SEN
tinel guarding the Constitution. the
ark OF our liberties. We like to think
of the generations of patriots that
shade. We like to think of the hosts
of statesmen that it has sheltered,
who catching from the free winds
that whistled through its branches the
inspiration to noble lives and grand
achievements, have gone out with
dGioW W WIN lof tnCi NOth
try and tor the world. And when
we think of oil these things we feel
like clinging to the tried principles
that have animated in times past the
multitndes that have clustered be-
meath the shades OF that grand old
tree, discarding all new and strange
notions and experiments. For our
part we love the old doctrines and
old ways of Democracy and they
constitute a creed good enough for
us.
Besides, a brief, earnest platform
will be more inspiriting in the COM
ing contest than any long series of
tedious resolutions A judicious
commander always addresses his SOL
diers on the eve of battle in few
nervous words. That is felt to be no
time for finished orations and long
homilics on the duty of patriots Let
our Convention initiate this wise ex-
ample. Let them give us before we
march to battle Napoleonic ad-
dress, a short and earnest declaration
of inspiring Democratic principles
with no useless verbiage. Aplafornl
of this sort will ring out like bugle-
call over the hills and valleys OF Ore
gon.-Hercurv.