Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-11-01

the spirit with which % . - political
contest Almost every voter ii u some In.
fluence, and lie should, link. - this n.
fiuence for al II i worth TO fszzf ~ she sue,
cess Of the party. There are 0ffars nxair
who at each election Cor some r1.z,sa IA NJ,
20 70 the polls, and II i - tbs 1rlsss TIA
the clubs should pay special a<fent1 81. Ey.
cry man should feel that upon is(individ.
ual exertions depends The success a. Ihecam
paign, and IL would be depl0r1hl& indeed
should we lose the fight thEo1ah AR own
apathy and indifference. Ihe hkstory q
the democratic party Is, a. you kn0Av' the
history of struggle for supremacy betdS eeu
the advocates Of Constitutional for3n q.
government and the advocates Of q sit oI
peculiar political ideas, tending 81 rcvdiu-
tionize cur present system ami % build tup
in its stead strong central power whid1h
would be constant menace % individual
liberty. This party has had % battle with
every opponent Of popular liberty and Gas
seen one after another rise and 20 down{be-
fore her. There have been times ind bed
when she has been apparently NIL bnr sti-
fed by the fury Of her assailants, but bach
time she has emerged from the ight sfrung-
er than before. might add, indekd, If i
may be pardoned, plagiarism - as she
has seen the rise of every po hi party
which has existed since we hag en- q ma
ton, there Ia no reason 20 bell that she
viii not see the end of them all; 4 this con-
tinued existence in the face Of s. many diff
ficulties would seem 70 be alynst absolute
proof that this is essentially fhe party of the
came the old Federal party, the founders Of
SghaI fase - tsl.3S ff.srsfr ie1
republic"-that is, theyl did not believe in
the competency OF the people TO govern
themselves, and were for snme figure of
royalty, or in default ofthat, for consolida-
ting all power in the han6%of .he general
government But with Is semi tnor agchical
ideas this parts -xas ont Qf &c Uer-
lean soil, and after desperate light, was
forced from the field by the growing popu-
larity Of the principles enunciated by the
father of Democracy. But although dead
as u party, the Federalists had lived long
enough 70 scatter their doctrines throughout
the land, and party after party arose embed
ying these theories In their platform, TO
greater or less degree, until at the adventof
Knownothingism, the Democratic party was
called upon TO enter life and death strug-
gle for the maintenance of our popular in
situations. Again she triumphed, and again
her enemies, assuming new name, that of
the Republican party, the depository of all
the insidious theories formulated by its pre-
decessors, prepared 70 renew the attack
But these old worn out theories were found
wanting in their holi upon the popular
mind, and there was needed some great
moral sentiment to captiyate the masses.
They were not, however, called upon 10
wait The Abolitionists were at this time
attracting attention throughout the land,
and adopting their war-cFy, the Republi-
can party gathered recruits from among
men of every shade of political opinion,
and through the breach made in Democrat
ic ranks, by internal dissentions, rode
rough shod in power, and intoxicated by
their unprecedented success, sent forth the
cry to every corner of the land, 20 one and
all, to friend and foe alike, to come-the
one to rejoice, the other 20 weep-at the
grave of dead and buried Democracy; and
indeed if you will consider the condition Of
the democratic party at that time, but more
especially at the close OF the civil war and
during the years Immediately succeeding
it, its representatives in our national legis-
lature brow-beaten and insulted, its friends
and advocates throughout the land, either
openly branded as traitorso or regarded with
secret suspicion and distrust, many OF them
completely ostracised and deprived of the
right of suffrage, its most earnest support
ers with hardly heart left to hope for what
the future would bring forth. Consider
these things, say, and you will admit that
its enemies might be pardoned the belief
that the sod had been laid forever upon the
breast of the grand old champion Of con-
stitutional liberty. But intoxicated by the
nv nd oh AZ M ls
blinded by the arrogance begotten Of sue
cess, these men ignored the fact that the
Democratic party contained life-giving
principle which is the heritege Of no other
political party which has come into exis
tence on the American continent, and this
principle which was the parent of its eXis-
tence, which was its sustenence in its dark
esthour oftrial, which has kept it alive when
opponent after opponent has gone down
before it, which changed that proclaimed
graveyard into nursery Of democratic pIin-
ciples, the outgrowth of which was such a
splendid victory four years ago, and of
which will on the 9th OF November, please
God see repetition, is its Gndying respect
for the Constitution, that written pledge Of
popular liberty, formulated by the ioun-
ders of our political system and indOrsed
by succeeding generation of voters. now
call upon the Democrats ofSt Mary s CONN
ty, in commemoration of all the struggles
and triumphs of our party and in the hope
and conviction Of the good she will accom-
plish for our country, to use their every
exertion to the end that when the votes are
counted on the 9th of November they will
register such a majority for both our eicc-
toral and congressional tickets as will per
manently. establish the supremacy Of the
party in County, State and National poll.
tics.
LUKE F. MATTHEWS,
President St. Mary's county