The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-06-30
DEMOCRACY.

What was it enabled Democracy to
grow from its Insignificant proportions
in 1865 to its present prOpOrtiOnsp A
handful, denounced, hated, suspected,
but true and faithful, the party bore
Odium, and grew to Its proportions of
1874, Of 1876, and to its grand proper
tiOns of to-day. What was it against
which Thurman and Bayard contended
almost single handed, but sustained by
some living principle, and their hands
upheld by true men2 1t was something
worth enduring or 1t would not have
endured, and so have gathere dtrue men
about it into a grand party. That 1t
has 80 grown Is a standing and perpet-
u8l rebuke to those who believe princi-
pie Is dead and only self-interest and
spOils will build or sustain parties.
That which has accomplished such re-
suits Is that Democracy Is, as 1t has al
ways been, the party of common sense,
the party of the people, the party which
appeals to the common sense OF man
kind, with promise of law, and its
prompt and thorough execution of gov
eTnment, and its wise and economical
administration, but with promise OF the
least law and government possible and
the largest personal liberty and free
dom of society in pursuing Its own pro-
gre9sive development. That which
Thurman and Bayard resisted and found
the party grew daily as they resisted,
was not human liberty, not citizenship
for men, not the preparation for punish
ment for crime. 1t was that interfer-
enee with personal liberty, that con-
straint applied to communities, that de-
termination to enforce social and pOliti
cal progress by the enactment of laws
and the application of force. 1t was
that bringing government to the kiteh-
en-, that compulsory progress applied to
communities which the whole people re-
buked in 1874, which Grant admitted
was failure and Hayes dared not pro-
ceed step further with in 1877. A Re-
publican Supreme Court has since iusti
fed every step In Democratic resistance
to these undemOcTatic and unrepubli-
can methods. The Republican party has
been for nine years marching, laggard
in the rear of Democratic opposition.
tardily accepting the results of Demo-
cratic wisdom and yet still proposing,
as 1t Is whipped into submission on one,
line, new methods of too much govern
ment and new interference with per-
sOHAl liberty. Now the public stands
ready to return to party which pro-
poses the utmost possible liberty for the
individual, the utmost possible for local
government for communities, the freest
conditions In life and equal OppOrtuni-
ties for all men, that the progress of the
country and the business Of the country
and the happiness of the citizens may
be results due to the people themselves.
Government must hold itself merely re-
spOnsible for preserving peace, good or
der, and the conditions required by
thrift and industry, interfering in the
orderly self march Of society only to see
that there is no interference. 1t is this,
as opposed to the Republican tendency
to make government interference the
rule of progress and government con-
straint the essential condition of pro-
gress, which has more than all else
made Democracy grow since 1865 as no
party ever grew, and under adverse con-
Observation-Disclosures News-JOurnal.