Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-07-23
Who is n Democrat?

l
fore voted with the Democratic party
now threaten TO leave it because, a
they say, it is no longer Democratic
and they still are so, it may be wei
to inquire what 1t is that constitute
Democracy? Democracy is govern
ment by the people; and Democra
is one who believes IN government b!
the people. As a popular govern
ment must be controlled by majori
ty of the people, a Democrat is on,
who believes In the government by 9
majority of the people.
Is it contended by the boilers o.
the Chicago convention that there
was any dishonesty in the manner o.
selecting the delegates to that con
vention? No such charge has beer
made. Is it contended that the ma
jority of the delegates was not for the
restoration of silver to an equality
with gold in our money system? Ii
it contended that the nominees oi
that convention were not fairly chos.
en-
None of these things are claimed.
On the other hand it is admitted that
the convention was called in the reg
ular way, met as usual, and was con-
Quoted without fraud, and that two
thirds OF the convention were for
both gold and silver as money of re-
demption. With what consistency
can it be claimed that Messrs. Bryan
and Sewall are not the legitimate
nominees of the Democratic party?
How can any candid person maintain
that the platform is not the official
utterance of the Democratic party?
Who is to determine the princi-
pies and platform of the national
Democracy? Can this be done in any
other way than by national conven-
tion of delegates chosen by Democrat
ic voters? That is the way it was
done. The advocates of the single
gold standard did all they could TO
elect the majority of the delegates to
that convention, and thereby control
its platform and nominate its candi-
dates. The advocates of both gold
and silver defeated them and elected
two-thirds of the delegates, and so
dictated both the platform and the
candidates. Therefore the platform
contains the principles of the Demo-
cratic party and the nominees of that
convention are the candidates of the
Democratic party. The Republican
platform and the Republican nomi-
nees are for the gold standard.
There is but one question in the
coming election and that is the coin
age question. The Democratic par
ty has declared that it is for both
gold and silver. The Republican par
ty has declared that it is for gold
alone. That makes the issue fair and
square. The voter who is for gold
and silver is q Democrat, while the
man who is for gold alone Is q Repub-
lican. 1t does not avail bolter from
the Democratic party to say that he
was once Democrat and would be
still if he could get the party to adopt
his views. The party, not the indi-
vldual, settles party principles.
For sixty years there has been no
such test as the present to try mems
principles. Every year during that
period our government has been more
aristocratic and less popular. Every
year since the days of Andrew Jack
son the wealth of the country has
been gaining power out of all proper
tion to it's just claims. Capital in all
its forms has rights which must be
protected by the government and re-
spected by the people. But the peo-
pie have rights also which capital
must protect as we'll as respect. The
man who is Democrat at heart will
this fall cast his vote for an enlarge
ment of popular rights, and restric-
tion of the gratutious privileges of
mere wealth. The man who votes
this fall for the gold standard votes
to enlarge the privileges of capital at
the expense of nine-tenths of the
people. Post.