Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-26
TARRiNr COUNTY DEMOCRACY.
Chairman Carriers Gall for q County Con-
vention Criticised.

Chairman Carriers Gall for q County Con-
vention Criticised.
| BEDrot d, Tax, April 9, 1SSS.
To the Editor of the Gazette.
1t would seem that there is gos1 num-
Der Of Democrats In this state who think
the Democratic household has become too
numerous. For instance, what could be
the effect Of the so.called "hesrt-of- OAK"
plsnk in the next platform but to drive 6
number OF Democrats cut OF the party I
Ii an adverse msj DIRTY Of 100, 600, can't
settle the prohibition question, do gentle
men suppose liquor plank in the Demo-
cratic platform, which cannot hope to get
in except by narrow margin at
best, could do SC? OF course
not. But the plsin truth is
that the George Clark crowd think that
they can sfford 10 DIVE out some 10000
or 40. 000 Democrats il by so doing they
can shelvs certain strong Democratic
leaders who stand IN the way of @ divis-
ION of The spoils exclusively among the
said Clark outfit. Men whe are thus
willing to jsopardize the supremacy Of
the Democracy in Texas merely in the
hope OF selfish gain, may call themselves
''heert OF oak" or any other fancy name
they may choose, but they are not good
Democrats. But while this effort to get
the state Democracy to adopt a proscrip-
tive policy is going boldly on
along the line indicated, 1t is charged
that Fort Worth poi icians are oili-
gently st work secretly to get the Democ-
racy OF Tarrant county to adopt pro-
scriptive policy along different line.
The programme, as it Is talked among
the country people, Is that convention
is to be called to nominate county officers.
That is all right. Certainly, If ever there
Is time when a convention is needed it
is when the party is demoral1zed and dis
organized. II the county election two
years sgo and the recent Fort Worth
municipal election mean ANYTHING at all,
they show the local Democ-
racy to be wellnigh in state
Of complete Decentralization, If
indeed, it is not actually ruptured. Ger
tsinly then, the demand for a convention
could not well De more obvious or more
urgent.
But, then, it is further said that all VINO
go into the primaries are to be required
to take solemn and formal pledge to
vote the ticket nominated by the conven-
ton.
Chairman Carriers call for county con-
vention to elect delegates to the state
convention is construed to mean this.
Upon thst call it may be remarked that
the chairman of the committee had no
authority to call the, convention,
fix the time and place, and de-
termine who should have 8
v dice in it, ell Of his own motion. 1 as-
sert that Chsirman Carter had no more
right to do so except upon order of the
COMMITTEES than had to do it. The lam
guage of the call is: GAN Democrats who
will support Democratic nominees, are
invited to participate" This is, ss l said,
construed to mean that ell will be re-
quired to take a formal pledge to support
the Democratic ticket before being per
mitted to participate. If this is intended,
it is clearly wrong. 1t is said thst the
object is to shut out these who voted the
dark lantern ticket two years ago. If this
is the object, it is also clearlyIwrong.
I lay down this proposition, broad and
fundamentals; that the carefully consti-
tuted authorities OF the Democratic party
should endeavor always so to conduct
the administration of party affairs as to
secure the cooperation of all who
believe In Democratic principles. No
method sho Id be adopted for doing any
thing which would cause single man
who believes in Democratic principles TO
refuse to go into the Democratic organ
ization. This is the grand, leading,
primary object of the party organization
and Of all party organizations,
and 1 maintain that the cali
for every Democratic convention should
be as broad as Democracy, and should in
vite everybody who believed in Demo-
cratic principles to participate in the pri-
maries. It is true, and the truth is
recognized by all men, that by taking
part in the primaries the voter places
himself under general obligation to
abide by the result, and support the ticket
put forward. But it is not Democratic
usage to require Democrats to take eny
such formal pledge before permitting them
to take part in the primaries, as 1t is al
legged is to be done under Chairman Car
ter's call. We hear nothing of 1t in
the call for the national convention. We
hear nothing Of it in the call for either of
the state conventions. It has no business
IN the call for the county convention.
know it may be urged in Chairman
Carter's defense that the convention
which he has Jailed is of comparatively
little importance. But know also the
force Of a precedent of this kind. And
when the committee meets to decide
upon "plan," the convention "plan"
will be ADOPTED, and when it comes to
ssk how the call shall read, of course 1t
will follow the one that has slready done
service.
know also that there are many men in
the country who supported the Dark
Lantern ticket in 1886 who believe in
Democratic principles and would be glsd
to return to he Democratic organic ,tion
and participate in the primaries, assum-
ing the obligation which the act would
imply, but WHO absolutely will not touch
formal pledge. believe that these
men should be encouraged to come back
and resume their places in the Demo
cratic organization instead of being
driven away by 5 proscriptive
policy. So far as an con-
cerned l never voted anything but
8 straight Democratic ticket in my life
and never expect to vote any other; so
am not'concerned for myself, but would
like to see the party In this county adopt
broad, wise, liberal, conservative plan
for the coming campaign and make an
earnest effort to induce the return of our