The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-01-06
TRUE DEMOCRACY.

The JefTersOnlan Plan Of Organization The
Dangerous Union Between the Party in
Power and Corporate Monopoly. Rights
Of the People as Against the COrmOrants Of
Capital --Organlze az in the Olden Time, to
Restore and Preserve Liberty.
The following address was adopted at
full regular meeting of the Jefferson
Democratic Association OF York, Penna.,
Nov. 22d, 1880, ordered sent to the JEFF
ferson Democratic Association of Shrews.
bury, Pa:
Fellow Citizens-We hail with great
pleasure the advent Of your organization
as the eldest sister of our own. Your
twenty propositions Of Jeffersonian doc.
trine have been read in our hearing.
They are safe, sound and Indispensable.
Upon the body Of principles, of which
they are the most essential, rests the
whole superstructure of American insti-
tutions-the union Of supreme but limi.
ted powers, the independence of the
states and the personal liberty of the
citizen. Strike these stones from the
foundation and the whole edifCe must
Crumble.
We call ourselves after the great apos-
tie of American liberty, the author of
the Declaration Of Independence, and
founder of the Democratic party. We
propose to retorn to the principles upon
which he led our forefathers to the due
settlement of the blessed republican in
stitutions we have enjoyed through the
better part of century, We shall cher
ish them as the sheet anchor of peace,
order and security, and we here declare
our solemn purpose to avoid all political
association which subordinates these es-
sential principles tn any other purpose
whatever, and to repudiate all leader
ship which tends to sacrifice them to 10.
cal or temporary success. To this end
we shall employ, to the best of our abil.
ity, the press, the rostrum, and apply
our personal exertions in the dissemin.
alton of the pure, life giving principles
of government "of the people, by the
people, and for the people," And to
this end we shall, as an organized body,
take no part in struggles at primary or
delegate elections, or suffer any person,
under any circumstances, to make his
membership stepping stone to public
Office. Our mission is to bring together
men of like mind, that they may know
each other when occasion requires--to
counsel together for the preservation of
constitutional liberty, to give warning of
impending danger, and arouse the jeal.
GUS watChfulness of the people against
the enCroachments Of centralized power.
1t will be observed that our method of
organization is that of Jefferson himself
and his Compatriots of the revolution. 1t
is that of popular association-the popu.
lar vigilance committee, the liberty club,
which began the struggle against the
British crown, a1d is now again invok.
ed for the preservation to the people of
the sacred rights which were then won.
Never, since the adoption of the Consti.
tuition, have the Jeffersonian theory of
government by the people, and the Hamil.
tonian theory of strong government, re.
yond the reach of the people, been bro't
into sharper collision than at present.
We see 80 called business interests in
close alliance with the party in po YER
a Mon far more odious and more dan.
gerous than union of church and state.
We see the power of corporations and
of monopolies-both enjoying undue
enormous privileges under laws enacted
in corrupt and troubled times-exerted
to pervert the will of the people at the
polls, and even to change the results of
the voting af er they have been ascer.
tained and declared. Elections have by
these means become hideously corrupt;
electors are assailed with bribes, or con.
fronted by open intimidation. 1t is ex
pressly said change must be made; that
capital must be given larger and more
extensive control, as against the suffra-
ges of the plain people; that the govern.
ment bequeathed to us by our Demo
cratic ancestors must be made stronger,
more expensive and splendid, and be
by privileged class whose |
qualifications shall be measured by the
volume of their cash. 1t is even propos-
ed to disregard the example of Jefferson,
of Washington and Madison, and elect |
10 the Presidency for a third time a sue
3essful soldier, whose accession under
,hese circumstances would be universal
y understood as the beginning of that |
lire change which has been and still is
10 freely threatened.
Under these circumstances we feel the |
lime has come for the friends of the peo.
Die to associate, for Jeffersonian Demo
rats to organize into clubs, for patriotic
minute men to mount guard
We invite from you a permanent and |
cordial correspondence, that the results |
# our deliberations may be freely com.
nunicated to each other, and be made |
helpful.
CT. BLACK, Pres't.
H. L. WILLIAMS. SeC'y.