The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1883-04-21
Democrats should Honor the First
President.

President.
Our esteemed contemporary. the Pal
ladium. declared Friday that it is not
s'worried" because the emocrats ce,e-
brate Washington's birthday. but mere
" aston shed at their 'ieffroptery."
Proceeding, it says
1.-The pla n tact OF history is that tho
Democratic party not only villitied and
abused Washington when alive. but haA
done its best. notably during the past
twenty-five years, to set at naught the
principles he most ardently cherished.
II has stood for everything that he OPP
posed. including disunion and dishonor
of National obligations. Instead OF
glorifying itself on Washington's birth
day il ou- hit to do penance Tor its long
record Of mi deeds which have brought
so much sorrow and dishonor upon The
Nation which he founded. That it fails
to do tn 8. but instead seizes upon the
occasion to exalt itself. is but another
illustration OF its bra en- impotence and
ignorant perversity."
From tn s one would almost be per-
suaded that Wash ngton was kepub-
lican. but unfortunately for that claim
the present Republican party was not
founded until fifty years after Washing
toms death. If not nominally Demo-
crat, Washington was a Democrat in
principle before and during the Revo-
lutionary War. Indeed, the very pre-
text for rebellion was an unjust tax,
something like the present Republican
tariff. Governor BENJAMIN F. Butler. st
the Democratic ban luet held at Boston,
recently, clearly pointed out Washing
tons Democratic ideas. Said Butler:
"In the histor cal portraits of WASH
ington, there was one quality which
was not brought su fcently into promi-
nence. and that was that VIII Oh shows
him to have been q man. The result
was that the people reverenced him as
a sort of demi-god instead OF loving
him as man. He has been pla ed on
the podes al of his virtues so high that
the people almost feared to love him as
they loved the great father OF Demo ;
racy, Thomas Je erson. The Democ-
racy has q right to celebrate his, as
well as the latter's birthday. 1t was
the Democracy which fought the Revo-
lutionary War. The fortunes of those
men who gathered in the Contention
which declared independence. exc nd
ing the wealth of hancock. Franklin.
Carroll and Washington, would hardly
have sufficed to have paid the board
bills of the Convention. The poor men
stood by the country in its hour OF
need, and by the force of their love OF
liberty. by the force of their devotion
to principle, by the energy and the
character they brought into the con-
test they comnelled to fight with them
what were known as the better ele-
ments of society of that dav. They
drove into the ranks the clergy and 4 he
men of wealth. They drove into the
support of the country all who had the
slightest love OF liberty, and those who
had not they drove OF to Halifax and
Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island.
Washington ;oined he Democracy and
became part of US and one of us. "'
The struggle of the Revolution. in
which Was. .ington bore the leading
part was contest of the CONNER
people against the aristocracy, wealth,
oficoholders and iniquitous legislation
of England. II wac a struggle for ual
rights, for the Democratic principle of
local self-government and for equal tax
alton. These are the fundamental in
ciDloe of the DQm0crnfiQ rarity 0f In.