People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-07-07

6IdI W 611dISS div oCCAA0 U1lC U4CSe4LlSS
of liberty to ourselves and our pos
terity."
We are the posterlty.
We are the legatees to whom they
bequeated "justice, domestic tran
guilty, general welfare and the bless
ings of liberty
Magnificent bequest!
Let us look into the treasure-chest
to-day let US make inventory Of our
political goods and Oh Isis, lanes
and tenements and soertain how
much of the estate VI still possess.
The executor was ever a good man
to watch let us see how much Of the
trust has been CONVEX d to his own
use rather than to ours.
Learned authors tell us that there
have never been more than three
kinds of government .9the Monarchy,
the Aristocracy, the Democracy.
Monarcy is the government of a
single ruler; and it may be absolute
or limited.
Aristooracy is the government of
a favored class, which exercises all
the power and gets all abe benefits,
and absorbs all the privilege.
Democracy is the rule of all the
people; it may be exercised by the
people themselves or by their agents.
In the latter case it is called Re
public.
In theory our Government is
founded upon the Principle that all
he people rule no monarch, no
aristocraoy, no privileged class. The
country being SO large that it is i'm
possible for the citizens to transact
their governmental affairs in person,
they adopted the plan of selecting
agents, or Representatives.
Thus ours is a Republic based
upon the idea that the people govern
themselves.
ENEMIES TO DEMOCRACY.
From the very foundation of the
Government, this Democratic princi-
pie has had its mortal enemies. Dur
ing the war of the Revolution, they
sought to neutrallze the efforts of
our armies, and to keep America in
subsection to the King and the Arts
tocraoy of England.
After our independence was es-
tablished, there wess those who
thought tho Easais.a s144l o. COY
eminent was best; and they exerted
every energy to have our Constitu-
ton modelled after limited Mon
archy, with its privileged class.
Although they failed, their failure
was far from complete. Our Senate
is really House of Lords, almost
entirely out of touch with the people:
while our Federal Judges are com.
pletely independent of the theoretical
sovereign of the land-the people.
AS soon AIS the Constitution was
adopted, over the strenuous obiec-
ton of some Of the ablest and purest
statesmen of the time, because
they considered it too centralizing
and undemocratic, the men who
had done so much to fetter it's demo-
cratic principles, at once began to
seek Congressional legislation which
would utterly transform our Govern
ment; legislation which would infuse
the spirit of monarchy, Of aristoc-
racy, of class rule, into the body pol
tito of the Republic,
The leader of these enemies of the
Democratic principles was Alexander
Hamilton. He laid down the law
for them then, and his ideas control
them now. Wherever special Privi-
leges are asked fol. favored industries,
Hamilton's Report on Manufactures
is ransacked for arguments. When
ever Legislation intended for the
building up of moneyed aristocracy
as a partner in the Government is
desired by capitalists, Hamilton's
plea for the National Bank is trotted
out. Whenever tho Spectator de-
mands the turning of the Paper
Money, which pays no interest, into
Bonds, which do pay interest, and
which form the basis of Bankers
money, (Which also fetches interest,)
Hamilton's ideas on Funding come
to the front.
THE APOSTLE OF DEMOCRACY.
The leader of the other side was
Thomas Jefferson.
From the beginning to the end of |
his career he was the chief Apostle |
of the common people. Though an
aristocrat by birth, and man of |
wealth, special Privilege aroused his
inveterate hatred. Glass distinctions |
were his abomination. The equality |
Of all men before the law: the right |
of every citizen to be secure from
tbs spoiation of unjust taxes: the |
absolute freedom of speech, of |
thought, and of action: the integrity |
of individual rights as against CEN
tralization in government, or monop-
oily in business, were the fundamen-
tai articles of his creed.
Entering the Virginia Legislature
at an early age, his first assault was
made upon the Land Monopoly which
there existed in the form OF Entailed |
Estates. Against the bitterest OPP
position upon the part of the arts
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