The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-09-20

! q furious Onslaught upon the iillcllld rev
enue system and yet with full power in
] both houses of Congress, 1t did not reduce
| the tax on whislley or tobacco q single pen
/ nv. but OH the contrary, stubbornly re-
| sisted the reduction made this year by the
| Republican party The Dem0crOtic needle
! has been true to no fixed star of principle,
4 bnt has pointed first South. then North,
then East. then West, faithful only to the
Unsuitable hunger of acrobatlc oflice-Seek-
els. might therefore leave this party for
the reason that it has no fixed principles,
but changes its position from year to year,
us the eXigencies of the situation seem to
require, usually gathering It's hungry fol-
lowers around the abandoned camp-fireS OF
the Republican party
VIOLATION or DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
BY TIE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
/ might also Justify my Withdrawal from
the Democratic party on the ground that
even were in accord with its ''time-hon-
ored ;, doctrines, it openly and repeatedly
violates those principles which it most
loudly processes and proclaims. For eX-
ample
I-sTATE- RIGHTS.
That dogma which she Democratic party
has asserted with most persistence is the
doctrine of States Rights. And yet i'll the
face OF the fact that the Constitution OF
the United States provides that each State
shall appoint certain persons as preslden-
tial electors, this ''State-lSightS DemOcra-
cy'' proposed in the Congress of the
United States, in the year 1877, to go be-
hind the electoral returns Of several States,
alleging that the electors returned by those
States had not received a majority OF the
qualified votes. What Congress has power
to do at one time, on q seemingly honest
and plausible pretext, it can do at another
regardless of motive. If, therefore, this
scheme had been successful, the Congress
Of the United States would have become
grand National returning board, thepeople
would have lost the right to elect the Pres
ident voting by States, and q long stride
would have been made towards a central
lied deSpotiSm.
II--IOaE RULE.
This term, though less high-sounding
than State-Rights, is equally dear to every
true Democrat. 1t meanS-if it has q
meaning that the people of every COM
munity have the right to manage their To-
cal government through agents selected by
themselves. And yet every neighborhood
squire in North Carolina is virtually APP
pointed l,y the Democratic Executive COM
mittees in each county. OF the Central COM
mittee in Raleigh, without regard to the
wishes of the people. The 'squireS in turn
elect the purely local boards Of County
Commissioners the Justices of the Infer
ior courts, and the school committeeman.
Thus, our schools, our township affairs and
our county matters are not regulated by
officers chosen by a majority OF the people
residing therein. but by men selected
mainly as strikers to advance the fortunes
of political place-hunters and placemen.
But | do not withdraw from the Demo-
cratic party because it violates its protested
principles, for the majority OF its prlncl- |
pies are more 'honored in the breach than
the observance. The doctrine OF State
Rights, especially, has rarely been invoked |
for any humane, wise OF patriotic purpose. |
1t was first called into existence to prevent |
the formation Of the Union next to avoid |
the payment of taxes, then to extend and
perpetuate human bondage, and finally to
destroy the Union, whose formation it had |
resisted and whose authority it had deiied. |
1t is now invoked to prevent National aid
to public schools, to restrict the ballot, and
to abridge the liberties OF American cltl- |
Zenship.
The main causes which impel me to sew
er my connection with the Democratic |
party respect the methods, the leaders, the
drift and tendencies, and the purpose OF
that party, especially in North Carolina,
where | see and know them.
1t is impossible to ascertain the purpose
Of the party from the professions OF its
leaders, for these are often contradictory,
usually violated and always changing. Its
purpose must be learned from q considera-
ton of its methods of action, the charac-
ter and antecedentS Of its leaders, and its
general drift and tendencies.
TIE METHODS OF TIE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
1T ex;lcts not only general obedience
and acquiescence in the support Of its
men and measures, but q particular appro-
yal ard laudation Of all that its leaders and
olce-holders think, say OF do. A contracted
and illiberal spirit, intolerant OF just crit |
cism, inconsistent with independence OF
character OF freedom Of individual opln- |
ion, dominates the party. Any member OF |
it that processes broad, humane and liberal |
ideas is II marked man. 1t has inaugur |
ated and firmly established i'll our midst
the rule OF political bosses. The mandates |
of these bosses must be implicitly Obeyed, |
no matter whether they accord with the
principles of true Democracy OF are plainly |
in violation thereof. To hesitate, to ques-
tion, to debate, is political ostracism, com
pIete and final. 1t has inaugurated sys-
tenn of mental slavery, unfavorable to ma
terial progress, Intellectual growth and
civil liberty. Lit denOunceS returning
boards and establishes one in every county,
composed solely of its own partizans. 1t
advocates universal suffrage and takes
from the people the right to elect their To-
cal.ollicers. Processing to be the enemy
of ignorance, and theparty Of intelligence,
it votes down q bill introduced by a Re-
publican into the General Assembly, pro-
viding that no man shall be a poll-holder
who cannot read and write. when the only
work done by a poll-hoder is to read the
tickets and write the returns. Clamoring
for wears that the negro race i'll forth Car-
DINA is about to rule the white race it
gravely attempts pass through the Gen
eral Assembly q bill to prevent negroes
from leaving the State thus attempting
to deprive q man of the last refuge which
God has given the oppressed-the refuge
of flight. 1t declares that the East must
| be saved from negro governments and APP
points negro magistrates and elects ne
gro as mayor of an eastern town in order
to defeata white Republican. 1t processes
to be the custodian of property and gives
away railroads like playthings. 1t pro
| claims freedom Of speech, and when a man
accepts anOminati0n for Judge ltattemptS
! to starve him into subsection by deprlv-
ing him OF an Office which is his property
Asserting that the majority must rule, 1t
oyerturns q city government to prevent q
| political combination between u minority
OF it's own members with the opposing
party, and most shamefully gerrymanders
| States, cities and towns. 1t has employed
| the most bitter, INSCRIPTIONS and ungen-
erous methods Of conducting campaigns
and controlling elections. 1t has not
shrunk from frauds at the ballot box and
false returns of votes. 1t has lnaugurated
| in the politics Of our State methods and
practices which it would not have dared