Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-12-09
Democratic Vitality.

We observe that some Republican
papers-mainly, however. of the rural
persussion-are predicting the early
dissolution and final wiping out of<the
Democratic party. As this .preuiction
has been put forth atvarious times aud
with various degrees Of epR3haAs apd
assurance for the past twenty Years, II
may be regarded as somewhat stale,
and therefore It II, Ne presume. .thd3
none of the more influential Repub.
licafi organs indulge in a repetition q
what has been so repeatedly faisiacd
by the facts. loft doomed to death,
vet fated not to die, can -bs- said mora
truly of the Democratic party ban of
any other political Organization -the
country has ever seeH or is likely to
see. A vitality which has surfEed
such internal disruption las THAI OF
1860, such elements of =demoralix6tion
rs those thaspreyailed during the war.
six successive Presidential >dcfeatss in
Guiding the Presidential fraud. which
was worse than defeat mag be, con.
sidered practically, iSulnerable. II
we add to ALI these external TRIALS the
severerone \ theknaves audf fools who
have used and abused-sh party for
their.own purposes false friends
Infinitely more dangerous than the
most powerful and vlndictive enemies
Democratic life becomes little. short
of miracle, and it is difficult to
imagine any combination of circum-
stances which will suspend the miracle.
|, TO those who study politics from
what may be termed the philosophical
standpoint, the secret OF this uncon-
querable vitality is easily discovered.
The bedrock upon which the Demo-
cratic party rests existed long before
the Federal Constitution was france .or
even National independence achieved.
1t was in the mind of Thomas LETTERS on
and other apostles of human liberty in
Europe as well as America, while En-
gland and her colonies were still united
in apparently indissoluble bonds, and
when popular government was yet only
bright and seemingly unrealizable
dream. This bedrock is simply the
rights, power and wisdom of the people
i'm their broadcast and best sense. Lin
coin, though he went-unwillingly, we
beiieve-widely astray in practice,
enunciated the Democratic theory with
absolute correctness in the famous
sentence, "a Government of the peo-
Pile, by the people, and for the people"
This is Jeffersonian Democracy OF the
straightest and purest sort. The Hamil-
tonan Federalism-which Mr.. Garfield
SO much admires and his party has
virtually adopted-is a Government Of
radically different character. 1t is a
:" strong Governments the strength
coming from those : centralizing
tendencies which invariably and
inevitably diminish and at last
absorb the rights and power Fof
the people. 1t il a." splendid Govern.
ment;" the splendor being at the ex-
pense of the peoples pocket. and in
tended to blind their eyes to the gradual
loss of their hberties-a loss for which
there is no remedy save revolution.
In Republic, therefore. there must
always be a Democratic party; that is,
a party which represents the Jeffer-
sonian theory of government as OPP
posed to the Hamitonian. When the
Democratic party dies, the Republic
will have ceased to exist. The name
democratic" is nothing, and another
might be substituted, whenever desira-
BILE. The Democratic party of JeHer-
sons day was called Republican. !"
But the principles are everything. and
when these are, abandoned, popular
government win be in its collin If the
present Democratic party were to dis
band, as did its gallant rivalsthe Wing,
within six, monthsit would. have a euo-
cessor embodying, no matter how much
disguised. the same essential and funda-
mental ideas. And whiles Democrafic
policy may be this. that, or the other
thing-and is occasionally something
the reverse of Democratic-the principle
is immutable and -immortal; 1.-The same
yesterday, to-day and forever"
1t is easy. therefore, for the dullest OF
our Republican rfriends to see that
though they have beaten the Democratic
candidate for the Presidency for the
sixth successive time Gncluding the
iraud) they are no nearer destroying
the Democratic party. than when Ere:
mont was nominated. Theythave mere.
ly thrown down the India-rubber ball
again, and may now watch it bounce
once more-as it has bounced nine
times in the last eighty years. This
bouncingness," if we may coin a
word, is illustrated, in the invincible
good nature with which Democrats
have borne their iates5 defeat. They
are not sour and sullen as were Repub-
licans after the Maine surprise. They
show none of that Republican spirit
which Grant (before Indiana)
when he said, in, substance, that in
event of Democratic victory the North
would watch Congress and the new Ad-
ministration jealousy, and If they, went
wrong Chat is, not to suit Republicans1
"would rise up and put stop to it."
The Democracy, sadly disappointed in
deed. but not in the least disheartened,
contemplate the future with perfect
complacency; able to stand anything
the rest of the people can stand. and
knowing that the people will as surely
sooner or later come to them on their
bedrock principle as the Mississippi
flows to theseE CRepyhicans'aC ypR
PEELED to be always looking round for
IAN, issue Def1bcfs9 haze theirs
always at hand; al issue as old as the
FIRST dawn of popular governnsent, and
destined to last AS long as b vestige of
popular governments fingers upon the
earth. ST. Eoais Republicans.
Jewell ought to be happy, but it
;s,,s< o< IL LII ol fh of ho Ia VIvko racpl-