The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-01-26
COMMENT ON VARIOUS TOPICS.

tnqS Couhtiy Cau UN iOuuu tnoio aum
r rable statement of the principles of tn
: Democratic party than in the pnhic wr
tines and speeches OF SaMUEL j. TIL
DEN. 1t is ta'htulIy said of him thai
sin all he has said OF written, it will b
difficult TO fnd line or thought no
in harmony with the teachings of th
eminent statesmen who daring the frs
fifty years of our national history tracet
the limits and dt61ed tue functions O
constitutional democracy in America
Frou the very beginning of his career
In the days of General JACK son down tc
the present, there has been scarcely {
question Of public concern which he die
not carefully consider and publicly dis
cuss.
As party leader he had few equals
and no supeliors. "He alwa's relied fol
his il d1ence," says recent biographer
''upon ideas rather than upon pa ronage
or party machinery, while fully compre-
hending the limited efficacy Of both; be
studied rather to ea,,sfy universal than
individual needs, and to guide his party
hy general principles than by temporary
expedients."
As early as 1888, while vet in his
teens. in discussing question OF public
interest in his county newspaper, he
wrote. "Principlcs are eternal and IN
changing. He who acts from the delib.
crate convictions Of mature judgmen,
will seldom have occasion 20 alter hie
opinions. But he who adopts compre.
hensivs principles or extravagant doc
trines 10 suit temporary expedients or
from transient enthusiasm, must change
with every 6uc ualion OF circumstances
and with every caprice of passion.
The arguments employed by Mr. TIL
DEN in defense Of the policy OF Presi.
dent JACKSON In reference to the Uaited
Sla'es Bank, end, subse q1ently, In sup
port OF the measures recommended by
President VAN EuaEN, looking to the
separation of .he government from the
business of banking, are of peculiar in
terest at the present time. Here, for in
stanc,, is what be said, in 1888 of the
danger OF union of wealth and polit
ical power, which could we'll be applied
with even greater force to the pres ,nt
condition OF political affairs:
"The history of every nation which
has enjoved any portion Of freedom is q
record OF the incessant struggles of the
few to establish dominion over the many.
In the earlier ages and among the less
enlightened nation the spirit of arstoc
racy maintained its tendency by brute
force or through superstition As man.
kind advanced in intelligence aud poIit
zeal information, it assumed form more
adapted to the character Of the age
Binding together the rich by the strong
ligament OF mutual interest; arrayine
them in an organized class which acts in
phalanx and operates through all the
ramifcatie rs in society; concentrating
property by monopolies and perpetuitIss.
and binding to 1t political power,-it has
established an aris,ocracy more potent,
more permanent, ami more oppressive
than any other which has ever existed
Such Is the dynasty of associa ed and
privricypri -weat.isY- -..asfels- ss-etsis moment,
is practically the ruling power in nearly
every civilized nation"
"A tendency to a union Of political
and moneved power can be distinctly
recogniz, I'd in the politics OF this coun
try. 1t Ms character zad the entire pol
icy of one of the great parties which
have divided the Republic from is foun-
dation. In the conven ion which form
ed our present Constitution, this party
endpavored to give TO our government
an aristocratic bias Failing to accom-
plsh its object direc ly, it naturally
sought to impress that character upon
the practical administration Of the gov
ernment Its leader, Alexander Ham
ilton, who bad advocated in the cor.
vention q President and Senate for lie,
originated iunding system and ma
tional bank The obvions tendency o.
public debt to array the rich. whose
property is invested in II, In support O.
The government. was the origin of the
Federal heresy that "a national debt is q
national Blessing and mammoth bank
was nucleus around which ID concen-
trs,e and consolidate the money power
and an appropriate engine to WELD its
Influence"
THE speech delivered by Mr. Tides
in 1S4n, in which he so ably exposed the
pretensions OF the United States Bank to
regulate the currency, Contains many
things which might he urged against the
present National Bank system. The
evils OF a Auctuating and unstable cur
rency are thus referred to:
ats chief evil. however. is that It al
ters all contracts, by changing the s and.
ard with reference to which they were
made. II q man gave his note last year
for hundred dollars, and mean while the
whole amount Of the currency and the
prizes of commodities on the average
have doubled, he will paw but half the
value he agreed to pay--the same nun.
Der OF dollars having half the power in
the purchase of commodities Or ifthe
whole amount OF the currency and the
prices Of commodities on the average
have diminished one-half, be will give
twice ihe value he agreed 10 give =
The effect is as II our bushel measure
were necessarily flctuating in its siz >
and our yard measure in its length-ex.
cept that fluctuations in the measure o