Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-01-15

their purity and integrity they accord with
the attachment of our people for their
government and their country. A creed
based upon such principles is by no means
discredited because illusions and perver-
sions temporarily prevent their popular
acceptance, any more than il can be ire
trieyably shipwrccked by mistakes made
in its name or by its prostitution to ignoble
purposes. When Illusions are dispelled
when misconceptions are reetified, and
when those who guide are consecrated to
truth and duty, the ark of the peoples
safety will still be discerned in the keeping
of those who hold fast to the principles Of
true Democracy.
These principles are not uncertain nor
doubtful. The illustrious founder of our
party has plainly announced them. They
have been reasserted and followed by a
long line of great political leaders, and
they are quite familiar. They comprise :
Equal and exact justice to all mem peace,
commerce and honest friendship with all
nations-entangling alliance with none
the support of the state governments in all
their rights; the preservation of the gem
eral government in its whole constitutional
vigor; jealous care of the right of cleo
ton by the people; absolute acquiescence
in the decisions of the majority; the SUI
premacy of the civil over the military
authority economy in the public ex-
penses; the honest payment of our debts
and sacred preservation of the public faith;
the encouragement of agriculture, and
commerce as its handmade, and freedom
OF religion, freedom of the press and free
dom of the person.
JACKSON AND POPULAR RIGHTS.
The great President and intrepid Demo-
cratic leader whom we especially honor to-
night, who never relaxed his strict adj
herence to the Democratic faith nor fall
tered i'll his defence of the rights of the
people against all corners, found his in
spiration and guidance in these principles.
On entering upon the Presidency he de
clared his loyalty to them; in his long and
useful incnmbency of that great office he
gloriously illustrated their value and suffi-
cheney; and his obedience to the doctrines
of true Democracy at all times during his
public career permitted him on his retire
mcnt to find satisfaction in the declara-
ton AT the moment when ! surrender
my last public trust / leave this great
people prosperous and happy and in the
honored and respected by every nation of
the world.n
THE DUTIES OF THE PARTY.
Democratic steadfastness and enthu-
siasm, and the satisfaction arising from
our party history and traditions, certainly
ought not to be discouraged But it Is
hardly safe for us because we profess the
true faith, and can boast of distinguished
political ancestry, to reply upon these
things as guarantees Of our present useful
ness as party organization, or to regard
their glorification as surely making the
way easy to the accomplishment of our
political mission.
The Democratic party, by an intelligent
study of present conditions must be pre-
pared to meet all the wants of the people
as they arise, and to furnish remedy for
every threatening evil. We may well be
proud of our party membership; but we
cannot escape the duty which such mem
hership imposes upon us, to urge con-
stantly upon our fellow-citizens of this day
and generation the sutficiency of the priIl-
ciples of true Democracy for the protection
of their rights and the promotion of their
welfare and happiness in all their present
diverse conditions and surroundings.
There should, of course, be no sugges-
ton that departure from the time-hon-
ored principles of our party is necessary
to the attainment of these objects. on
the contrary, we should constantly CON
gratuate ourselves that our party creed
is broad enough to meet any emergency
that can arise in the life of free nation
Thus when we see the functions of gov
ernment used to enrich a favored few at
the expense of the many, and see also its
inevitable result in the pinching privation
OF the poor and the profuse extravaganza
of the rich; and when we see in operation
an unjust tariff which banishes from many
humble homes the comforts of life in
order that in the palaces of wealth luxury
may more abound, we turn to our creed
and find that it enioins equal and exact
justice to all men," Then II we are we'll
grounded in our political faith we will
not be deceived, nor will we permit Others
to be deceived, by any plausible pretext or
smooth sophistry eAcnsing the situation.
For our answer to them all we will point
to the words which condemn such inc
quality and injustice as we prepare for the
encounter with wrong, armed with the
weapons Of true Democracy
THE WRONGS or THE FARMERS.
When we see our farmer. in distress, and
know that they are not paying the penalty
of slothfulness and mismanagement when
we see their long hours of toll so poorly
requited that the money-lender eats out
their substance, while for everything they
need they pay tribute TO the favortes of
governmental care, we know that all this
is far removed from the encouragement
of agriculture which our creed com
mands. We will not violate our political
duty by forgetting how well entitled our
farmers are to our best efforts for their
restoration to theindependence of former
time and to the rewards of better days.
When we see the extravaganza of public
reckless waste, and the undeserved dstri-
button of public money debauehing its
recipients, and by pernicious example
threatening the destruction of the love of
frugality among the people, we will re-
member that ECONOMY in the public ex-
pehsG IS an important article in the
true Democratic faith.
When we see uur political adyersaries
bent upon the passage of Federal law,
with the scarcely denied purpose of per-
petlntlng partisan supremacy, which in
yades the states with election machinery
designed to promote Federal interference
with the rights of the people in the locali-
ties concerned, discredting their honesty
and fairness, and Justly arousing their
jealousy Of centralized power, we will stub
bornly resist such dangerous and reyolri-
tiOnary scheme, in obedience to our pledge
for the support Of the state governments
i'll all their rights"
Under anti-Democratic encouragement
we have seen constantly increasing sell
lishncss attach to our political affairs A
departure from the sound and safe theory
that the people should support the govern
ment for the sake of the benefit resulting
to all has bred Il sentiment, manifesting
itself with astounding boldness, that the
government may be enlisted in the
furtherance and advantage of private
interests, through their willing agents in
public places. such an abandonment of
the idea of patriotic political action on the
part of these interests has naturally led to
an estimate of the peoples franchise so de-
grading that il has been openly and palpa-
bly, debauched for the promotion of selfish
schemes. Money is invested in the pur-
chase of votes with the deliberate calcula-
ton that it will yield profitable return in
results advantageous to the investor.
Another crime akin to this in motive and
design is the intimidation by employers of
the. voters dependent upon them for work
and bread.
THE LESSON OF THE ELECTIONS.
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