The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-12-31
De NJ M0CRACY.
Charles H. Winfield's Ad-
mlrable Address Be-
fore the Hudson
Society.
AN APPEAL TO HISTORY.
The Tendency Of Alexander
Hamilton's Teachings to
Capitalization and
Monarchy. 4
AN APPEAL TO HISTORY.
Jcfrerson's Party Represents the
Empire of Laws Founded On
Justice, in Which All Citizens
Have an Equal Voice, and
Which All obey Absolutely.


Which All obey Absolutely.
The address of Prosecutor Charles H.
Winfield on Democracy" before the
Hudson Democratic Society last evening
was one Of the abIest expositions of the
principles of Jefferson as compared with
the monarchial tendencies of Harnilton's 8
teachings ever delivered in this city. A
number of gentlemen or both political
parties followed Mr.. Winfield closely
throughout the entire address, and at its
close warmly congratulated him upon his
effort.
Ex-Judge Garretson introduced Mr..
Winfield as one of the ablest exponents
in the State of those principles for the
PRONUNCIATION of which the society was
formed. After the applause which greeted
Mr.. Winfield had suosided, he began:-
sIt would be unseemly In this prese nee
TO multiply words and waste time in de-
fining what is Democracy in cant Ian
guage of the stump. Men who shout
themselves hoarse about Democracy and
in proclaiming themselves 20 be Demo-
fcrats are usually quite innocent OF hay-
Dpg the slightest understanding or the
ne or the duties which devolve on the
her At all times their highest and
host comprehensive notion is, that as
Democracy is that sort of government in
which the people rule, and as they are OF
the people and do good deal of the rul-
ing therefor they are Democrats.
s.But there have been governments
which the devil did bite at their birth
aud so they went mad. A Democracy
thus bitten becomes anarchy, In which
the people still rule. The man who bases
his claim to be Democrat on the sole
ground that he believes in the people rul-
ing is as likely to be an anarchist AS any
thing else. An important element IS
absent from his definition OF this subject.
WHAT CONSTITUTES DEMOCRACY.
ssI beg you TO follow ME tonight in my
attempt to explain, first, what Democracy
is when applied to form OF government,
= and second which of the two parties IN
this country is most truly Democratic or
in its organization and practice best cal
culated TO subserve and conserve our
Democratic form OF government. First.
What is Democracys On this subject 1
shall be brief. Aristotle defines it TO be
The empire OF laws and not oil men,
Livy, In passing from the government
of the Roman Kings TO that of the COM
monwealth said. i come now into the
empire OF laws more powerful than that
OF men,.
.sDr. Priestly argued that if all the
citizens have an equal vote In making
then it is Democracy But for full
definition another element must be added.
Plato in his Republic or concerning
what is just has placed justice as the
central power of his philosophical dream
of social and political perfection. His
notion was that the form of gov
ernment is an image OF the
character of the citizen: that
whatever may be said Of Democracy
applies as strictly to Democrat; that
there are as many shapes or species OF
poiity as there are types or varieties OF
the human soul; that as the most perfect
commonwealth is only public virtue en-
bodied in the institutions OF country,
so every vice generates some abuse or
corruption in the State. some pernicious
disorder. some lawless power incompat-
ibie with national liberty.
$50 then we reach this dehnition:-A
Democracy is the empire of laws founded
upon justice in which all citizens have an
equal voice and to which each must
render absolute obedience, Under such
a government the laws, like the sur
rounding atmosphere bear upon all
alike, no favoritisnI, no i'll will, no friends
to reward, no enemies to punish. They
are supreme over all else, not to be
evoked, not 10 be defied. Under such a
government and such laws home rule
reaches its perfection. The people yield
to laws of their own enactment, and will
ingiy listen to those who leg ally enforce
them. As the ancient Germans, jealous
of their liberties, would obey none but
their gods. SO Democrats in the true sense
of the word obey the laws which preserve
their liberty and need no Force Bilp ro
coerce them.
TREASON AGAINST DEMOCRACY.
ssFrom the definition have given 1t Is
manifest that any machination to silence
the equal voice OF the citizen In the gov
ernment either first by deprivfng him OF
his votes. except for prescribed causes. Oh
second by neutrallzing his vote by illegal
means, Is treason against Democracy. Ii
is q great mistake to conclude that where
there is not desnotic sovereign
the people free .fslr Irom ind,,,ga .aa' theme ne
selves in greater liberty. As in
no form of government is a perfect sub
lection TO the laws more necessary than
in Il Democracy. so In none should the
rights of all and of each be more jealous
ly guarded and preserved in their equal
ity. The moment this equality is dis
trusted the harmony OF the empire
becomes discordant and the government
placed in jeopardy.
s.Montesquieu wisely observed, When
the laws cease TO be executed in a Repub-
lie all Is lost. The manner of working
I Democracy largely rests in the will
of the majority. This Is q tremendous
power. To obey 1t is both duty and q
necessity, for It's alternative would be
ruin.
aAs Jefferson expressed it:-.Abso
lutte acquiescence in the decisions
of the majority il the vital principle OF
republics from which there is no appeal
but to force. the vital principle and i'm
mediate parent OF despotism-' What
gives the will of the majority such
power is the conviction among the
masses that the majority is right and
that its Will has been honestly ascer-
tanned ! Know there Is sometimes great
difficulty in ascertaining correctly what
is the will of the majority.
Z '.The machinery has not yet been de-
yised to secure an honest record of the
results OF voting. Perhaps 1t will never be-
Where the issues are weighty. involving
immense interests of individual men OF
groups OF men, the danger OF bribery OF
For = srolua i. every form Hoods Sarsapa