New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-04
.lEEEERS0NL1N PRINCIPLES

JEEFEKSONI1N BHINtIPLES.
There has been vast flood of Democratic
oratory about going back to Jeffersonan prin
ciplcs, but there has been nothing like an i'll
vcntory of the principles. The public has been
left to imagine what those really were Mr..
Tilden wrote several long and rccOndltc letters
on the subject but when he attempted to bring
himself down to specifications he dropped
naturally into the old fraud yell and gave us IA
fresh variation of that. The consequence is
that there has been lOng-felt public want for
a correct definition of JelersOnian principles,
and are happy TO announce that this has at
last been supplied. An imposing gathering of
fifteen Democrats was held recently at Hender-
son, Tennessee, to elect delegates to the State
Convention. They discussed the political
situation with great soemnity, and poured
forth their souls in a series of resolutions which
are worthy of National attention.
The fIst one opens with this serious and
comprehensive declaration That we believe
the United States should be governed by the
Democratic party" We undertake to say that
there is not Democrat i'll the United States
who will hesitate to say that he agrees heartily
with that sentiment. The party has been in
consistent in many things but it has never
of its faith. 1t is undoubtedly the cornerstone
of the Jeflersonian edfce. The next dcclara-
ton IS little mixed in its syntax but its mean
ing is clear and its spirit harmOnizes with the
opening resolution: That the great majority
of the people of Tennessee are Democrats, and
ought to be governed by them" This is not
true but then that triiling flaw will not inure
it as a JefersOnian principle The next reso-
luton is somewhat long but the point Of it is in
the end, wherein the Republican party is de-
nounced as the cause of all our woes and bur
dens that are SO onerOus to bear" There is
nothing false about that If it were not for
the Republican party the Democrats would
have an uncommonly happy existence, while
the woes and burdens would be borne by the
people.
There are other resolutions, but we have
quoted the more important ones. They seem
to us to embody the spirit of true Democracy
everywhere. 1t would be easy to reconstruct
them into National platform, which could he
called JetlersOnan Principles and could read
something like this: ResOiccd That we be-
" lieve the United States of America should be
"governcd 10y the Democratic party. That the
great majority of the people are Democrats
"and ought to be governed by Democrats.
"That if it was not for the Republican party
ave could do as we pleased. That we are i'll
favor, therefore, of the determination of the
"Republican party" That contains all the
principles the Democracy has in its possession
to-day. There is only one misstatemcnt in it,
but the party has made this often that they
would never consent to accept platform with
out it. They do not constitute a majority of
the people, except when they stihe the voice of
the majority in the South, and nobody knows
that better than they do. Still we put the
plank in the platform to give it a familiar
oSDpct