Sharp County record., 1890-05-01
REPLY TO ASH FLAT
QUERIES.
BY JUDGE W. G. MATHENY


questions asked by your Ash Flat cor
respondent and says he would like to read
answers to them from myself and others,
I will try to answer as briefly as l can to
make myself understood, and hope that
there are others that will answer who can
do so more intelligently than shall be
able to do.
prefer TO answer the second question
first, viz: What does a man do to make
him democrat?' p
"He must believe in the right Of the
people to govern themselves; that the
will of the majority on questions of all
Legitimate legislation should be the law
of the land; that the people should be
guaranteed the largest amount Of liber-
ties in pursuit of happiness, not conflict
ing with the rights of others nor the
building up of good society; that the
states should be allowed to control their
own interests and regulate their internal
affairs without restriction or interference
by the general government; that all pow
ers not delegated by the constitution to
the general government nor prohibited
10 the states, are reserved to the states
respectively, or the people," lie must
believe in the government, both state
aud national, adopting a basis for raising
revenue to pay the public debts and de
fray the current expenses of said govern
ment so as to make the burden OF
taxation bear equally upon all citizens
according to what they are worth, or their
ability to pay, or as near so as possible;
that he must believe in a free ballot and
fair count in elections, and be opposed to
parties in congress or state legislatures
unseating the lawfully elected Represent
atives of the people, simply because they
have the numerical strength to do so,
though it may be done under the forms
of law; that he must be opposed to the
policy of the present national admnistra'
ton and the republican party for the last
twenty five years, of imposing an oner-
Gus and burdensome taxation upon the
necessities of the people, so as to take
the hard earnings of the laboring class OF
our citizens to increase the wealth OF our
rich manufacturers, bond holders and
money corporations, and many other
things that might be mentioned II space
would permit, but the above are certainly
part of the tests by which we measure
democrats. Now as to the first question
IF a man claims to be a democrat and
votes the u. |. ticket for republicans, is he
a democrat? ~
1 will say first, that we are taught in
the Book of books, and by Him in whom
it is said there was no guile, that "a tree
is known by its fruits" There are two
great parties, the democratic and repub-
lican, divided upon we'll defined political
issues; and though there may be many
parties of smaller magnitude, there are
not but two sides to any political ques-
ton, and the democratic party occupies
and labors for the success of one set OF
principles and the republican party for
the opposite. So the man that claims to
be democrat and votes for republican
success certainly stultifes himself in his
political actions, but he will still be
known by his fruits.
Without repeating the third question l
will say that an agricultural wheeler, as
the organization was known in its origin
may be good democrat, or good repub
lican, as the organization was not to in
terfere with the politics of its members;
but it will certainly be the decision of all
intelligent people, that the wheeler that
votes and labors to defeat democratic
principles cannot consistently claim to be
a democrat. Men ought always to show
their faith by their works.
The above is written without any dis.
respect to our opponents. Honesty is to
be respected wherever found, among re.
publicans, wheelers or democrats, and
dishonesty is to oe condemned wherever