The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-01-13
1 The Mission Of the Democratic
Party.
Senator Wallace, of Pennsylvania, in North
American Review.


: The events and processes Of more than
generation have taken the control of gov
ernmental affairs away from the intelligen
! rule of the masses and vested it in a powe
l as vet formative and underlined. Among
these were the civil war, the creation am
peculiar manipulation of the public debt
re construction outside the Constitution
? universal negro suffrage, plethora of pape
money, loose public morals, enormou
growth of private fortunes, and clos
connection of the government with tbs
banking interest. Each had its weight il
sapping the foundations of government bl
the masses, and in shaping our course TO
ward different rule. Whether that rule II
to be suffrage, qualified and rarihed, oil
suffrage controlled by the power of aggre-
gated wealth or monopoly, or a senatorial
oligarchy, hereditary government, il
beside the present inquiry, save as they
each and all show distrust of the people,
and build their foundations upon universal
suffrage, debased, corrupted, and dominated
The tendency toward so-called stronger
government is as manifest as are the causes
that have given it form. 1t Is in the nature
of things for governments to grow stronger
at the expense of the governed but the
plain proof of the existence of this tenden-
| cy is found in the opinions of the federal
judiciary in federal legislation over matters
HcIGlOlOIt hllIl1 Tie COulIOi Vi lLG pSOPIC
Of the States, in the modes of execution OF
those statutes, by which local rule, local
courts, and personal liberty are overthrow,
/ and in that ramihcation OF Executive pats
ronage which sends its mandates to the
extremities, and at will gathers in single
! hand enormous contributions and unscru-
| pulous obedience from ninety thousand PAID
officials. Executive patronage will bring
us to a master" A network of office-hold-
/ 70 r a vialHinu ip1a
and money and power of place to pack
primaries, dictate nominations, crush indie
pendent thought and action, and subordinate
| local control to the will of an Executive
who governs in the name of party, points
| the road with unerring certainty to the
! end that Franklin, the wise man, predicted.
| Further guide~boards on that road are seen
in large donations of money by corporations,
! monopolists, and wealthy men, to supple
ment the power of the Executive, and carry
elections in the interest of an aristocratic
! class who dislike and distrust the people
in the domination of employee by employer;
in the marked ballot in the third-term
candidacy and pilgrimage on the stump; in
the National and Labor organizations,
which are but overZealOus protests against
this tendency, and in that ill-concealed
demand for energetic government, which
has been the fundamental thought of the
opponents of Democracy since the days of
John Adams.
The issues of 1899 and 1900 again confront
the people. The theories of that day are
again to struggle for the mastery. The
government Of the republic is already CEN
tralized. The canvass of 1880 teaches this.
The federal Executive has been felt from
the ward caucus to the vaults of the Treas
ury, from the primary to the Presidential
election. A high federal official quits his
place to take nomination for Governor of
the pivotal State, and at once the Executive
arm Is extended to his support. Marshals,
detectives, collectors, secretaries, and all
else that are needed, locate themselves with
in the State, and its suffrage is debauched
and its undoubted will reversed. A suffrage,
first debased, then corrupted then obedient,
is Capitalization in its worst form. This is
but one means to the end sought. The
mission of the Democratic party is decen-
traliZation. Its duty is to restore the
government of the republic to the intelli-
gent rule of the masses of the people. 1t
must teach and practice the doctrines of its
illustrious founder. 1t must appeal to the
people themselves in their own interest. 1t
must preach the eternal truth that the in
dividual citizen is the unit in government,
from whom proceeds all power, in whom is
vested all rights save those which are grant
ed by him for the good of the whole. The
penple a the base. sl1e States and the federal
government each supreme within It's sphere,
is the system to which it looks for liberty,
and it must teach that he who looks to
paterDal government, to Capitalization, or
to empire, looks to despotism. Care for
and perfect the government, and it will
protect the liberties of the people, was the
thought of Hamilton. Give intelligence and
information to the people, teach them that
it is their government, and their interest to
preserve law and order, was the thought of
Jefferson Paternat government and vigor
in the federal head on the one hand, infor-
nation to the masses and energy from the
extremities on the other. The former gave
the republic alien and sedition laws, direct
taxation, federal marshals, and centralized
rule in 1899. The latter swept these out of
existence in 1900; carried US successfully
through two foreign wars; acquired an
empire of territory, and governed the coun-
try for sixty years. We must choose be-
tween these two now. The Democracy must
again plant itself upon the axiom, Gov
ernments are made for men, not men for
governments" 1t must strike with mailed
hand the tendency to strong government.
1t must be true to the people and aggressive
in its fealty. Dominated labor must be
taught its rights and its interests. Capital
must see its safety in the intelligence and
justice of Individual rule, and not in the
exercise of arbitrary will. Honest per
formance of every governmental contract
now in existence, but change of policy by
which the debt shall be managed in the
interest of the people and not of the credi-
tor; equal taxation on every form of prop
erty; thorough inquiry into taxation for
revenue and its REIMBURSEMENT upon basis
just to every interest and to all the people
no monopolies forfeiture of the franchises
of corporations and punishment of aggrega-
ted wealth, individuals, for coercion of
employees, or the use of money in elections
our own carrying trade made to be our own
preserve; and a divorce between govern
ment and banks, are thoughts which find
place in such an issue. The cry of s'Solid
South is exhausted and impotent at last.
1t has served its purpose. Divided councils
upon questions of administration have kept
the Democracy a mere party of opposition,
and concealed the silent approaches of the
enemy to strong government 1t will con-
tlpue to be party IN opposition, Entrusted
and untried, until it defantly asserts its
ancient theories and goes to the people for
their Vindication.
The Democratic party is not dead. Antaus
like, after each defeat, it arises from the
people stronger than before 1t cannot die
whilst it teaches and believes in the rights
of the masses. The hour for its triumph
will have come when it boldly asserts its
true theories and ignores the Establishments
of money, monopoly, and corrupt power
He whose interests, Judgment, or teachings
are adverse to the rule of the masses will
join its enemies, but in his room it will re-
cruit scores of those in whose interests it
strikes, or who respect its attitude and de-
test strong government. The future of the
Democratic party is the future of the
republic.
The Youngest Telegraph Operator in
the World.
Waco (Texas) Examiner
The frontier telegraph ofsce at Williams,