Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-11-28

10G S00Bn 66A1 6b8M0D FILTHY kOh ASO-N
cratic Principles
Talk of the breaking up of the solid
south is premature and unwarranted.
The south has never been solid in sup
port of democracy as a party name. The
solidity of the south against republic
anism has not been solidity of support
of democratic candidates, but OF demo-
cratic principles. The south never stood
as unit in support of Tilden or Ham
cock or Cleveland, because these men
were the nominees OF the democratic
party, but because the democratic party
itself stood for ideas in government
which appealed to the ruling majority
in the southern states as against antag-
onistic ideas of government to which
the republican party was committed.
In giving force and potency to demo-
cratic principles the south has elected
solid democratic delegations to con-
gress, not only because the men elected
were democrats, but because, being
democrats, they could be relied upon
to maintain democratic principles the
success of which the south considered
vital to her material prosperity and So
cial order.
That solidity continued during all
the years when the democratic party
was without schism or faction in the
assertion of the cardinal democratic
principle of local self-government
against the threatened destruction of
such government by concentrated fed
eral authority. It continued during
I'LL the years when the party was oppos-
ing the unconstitutional exercise of the
governments taxing power to enrich
great consolidated private industries.
Such opposition to republican party
principle and practice was the very es-
sence of the spirit of democracy, and in
the south, as in the north, there was no
difference of opinion among democrats
as to party or public duty. In the south.
particularly, there was no line of argu-
lnent among democrats as to the dam
ger and the necessity of meeting it with
concerted action. No man claimed the
right to deny his support to opposition
of force bills and protective tariffs while
still asserting himself a democrat. The
party faith was known of all men, and
in politics as in creed there is such
thing as heresy.
IL Ii llC pANl1CSC Va CSCAy dCAAoSAds
to propose new tenet of party faith.
More, it is the duty of any democrat
feeling that the declaration of new
principle is demanded by existing con-
ditions to insist that his party shall
give voice to what he conceives to be
a righteous expression. But no member
of party, and no faction of a party, can
exercise the powers of an ecumenical
council. The party itself must speak
before any partisan in it can be charged
with abandonment of party faith. No
where in the south has any state parted
company with the democratic party on
any democratic doctrine. In Kentucky
the issue was one of ratio and in Mary
land it was one of bossism. A vital
democratic principle was not involved
in either contest.
The south is still democratic. Support
of centralized government is part of
the inheritance of republicanism. In
sistance upon the right to exercise the
power of the government to tax the
many for the benefit of the few is an
other and equal part of that inheritance.
These questions will remain paramount
in the politics of this country. The time
will not come when, in one or another of
many varying phases, they will not mark
the lines of party division. If the DEM
ocratic party is to stand as the negative
force against them, the south cannot
cease to be solidly democratic.-St.
Louis Republic.