The Placer herald., 1872-06-22
DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIC LAW

Ii is not every one that says Lord, Lord
that shall be slved!' nor is every man that
processes Democracy Democrat. A Dem
accepted and pricticed by the great states
men of our party, is one who believes the
people sovereign--that all Iower ennat es
from the people, and that the official is but
their agent and is bound to carry out their
will as previously expressed. Indeed, our
greatest and most revered statesmen have
admitted the right of instruction during their
official terms. and obcyed such instructions, or
resigned. The law that governs the primary
actions of the party is in strict harmony with
the above doctrines and practices. We can
recover from an occasional violation in pr-
maries and conventions, of these doctrines,
but we are lost as party when our news.
papers teach without rebuke any other doc
trine as orthodox party law. We must
never forget that the highest authority in our
party, indeed the supreme authority, is the
voters in tlieir primary capacity. The lead
ing Democratic paper of The State, the one
circulating over the widest territory on the
coast, with few others Of less note, have
been doing violence to these principles for
weeks ,and teaching the heterodox doctrine
that there is higher authority in the Demo-
cratic party than its voters. The Examiner
has been teaching for weeks that it is wrong
for the masses of the porty to discuss and
declare what the party action shall be, or to
instruct their agents what they shall do
We should like to ask the Examiner, and
its associates in this policy, how the county,
State and National delegates are to know
what the Democracy of California want if
he lips Of the masses of the party are to be
sealed, and all expression Of public sentiment
and wish is TO be suppressed. The Erana'
iner says cit is shameful that the supreme
authority of the party should be thus ig-
nored." And this is said because a public
meeting Of The members Of the party, where
all ~ere admitted, saw proper to proclaim
its choice for the Presidential nominate on
Who constitutes the supreme authority of
the party? Is it the delegates to Baltimore or
the people who send them there? Is it pos
,ib!e that the Erun,ii,er has found some
higher authority in the Democratic party
Than its voters? II so name it, that we may
denounce it as bastard intruder, as a bane-
fu excresence and demand its, and its adhe
eats, expulsion at once, in the name of the
true sovereign of that party, the people Are
we TO be told that the delegates to Baltimore
are not strictly bound by the will of THEN
constituents? No, no, it is not only the
right of the Democratic people but it is their
duty to proclaim in thunder tones theil will, ,
ard demand that it be carried out by the
delegates 10 the letter. When all sections
of the country have done this then it is De-
mocracy that the voice Of The majority should
be the voice of the party. But in California
his is all over now, and whatever the State
Convention may have done must answer for
this time; ard these suggestions are only fer
the vindicaton Of correct party law, doctrine
and action in the future. When the party
has candidate to nominate, be it town
ship officer or President of the United States,
The members of the party should at once
commence canvassng the claims of all aspi-
rants and continue it to the day of the con-
venton, and then let him who is the choice
of the majority be the nominee, and the
whole party acting in the matter lie bound to
support him. This is Democratic law and
precedent and must not be violated if we
wish to perpetuate our organization.