The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-04-17
DEMOCRACY AND PRINCIPLE.

part of the Dem ocrary, says the Phia-
delphia Times, recently joined in an i'm
posing comm ,moration of Jefterson's
birthdly at the home and tomb of the
author of ID I'm Drracy, and several of
the III ost eminent orators of the nation
participated. While the elolnan,a Of
Russell, Daniel AMI others was heard
on the occasion, the uttaranra of Mr..
Black will naturally attract most at
tention, rs he is leader and practical
" tn, embo lin mt oftha J ,;f,rs IN idea
as taught by his society.
1t will somewhat startla many o! the
followers Of j Jefferson to find that Mr..
Black should 90 to the tomb and home
of Jefferson to make the announcement
that mere democracy is preferable to
principle, and that whatever financial
or other vagries may be worried or lob
bied through Congress by a Democrat
ic majority should he accepted by the
government regardless of the fixed
principles which have been maintained
10y leading parties since the organiza-
ton ofthe government. Certainly JEFF
terson never gave out such teaching.
nor is there anything in his lustrouS
example to warrant the adoption of the
most elastic rubber principles to guide
a great party in its conflicts for success.
What would Jefferson have thought
had it been proposed to him that if Il
majority Of his party declared in favor
o. titty-cent dollar he should bow to
it and give it his approval? He arbi-
trarily stopped the coinage of silver
dollars in 1906 because they did not
possess the full intrinsic value of the
gold dollar, and gold was thereby driv-
en- from circulation, leaving us practi-
cally on silver basis, not only during
the remainder Of his term. but not I'M
til near the close of .Jackson's admins
tration did any President or Congress
think of Issuing silver dollars on the
basis of II to that had been adopted
in 1892. The liver dollar was worth
only few cents less than gold dollar.
and for that reason the long line of
Democratic Presidents. commencing
with Jefferson AMI continuing through
Madison, Monroe and Jackson. refused
t. encoura re its circulation. Gold was
thus m Id. tn mon " ofthe p ,ople. and
the silver was rejected because it lack
Ell fraction Of til, intrinsic value of
the gold d,llar.
AMI how would Jackson hlve an
sw red sIcl pop Dsit.on: He was the
untiinchin : 10, OF dishonest or cheap
money in any and every form. and all
the party conventions that could have
been held and all the enactmants of
Congress that colll have been enacted
would not have swerved him from his
purposa. He was for an honest dollar
all the tima, and in his day the silver
dollar was restored to integrity by
making the standard Is to |. Soon
thereafter the increased value of silver
bullion made the silver dollar worth
more than the gold dollar. and it was
thus retired from circulation. The
government ceased to coin it. and it
was practically unknown in the cur
rency of the country for full genera
ton before the alleged characterization
of silver in 1873. Thus from the tomb
and home of Jefferson as well as from
the tomb and home of Jackson come
the most pointed admOnitions. alike in
precept and example, against the pros
tltntion OF great party to dishonest
money as political expelient.
Mr.. Black proposes to end all en-
barrassing issues 10y agreeing that the
Democratic President. ifelected. should
not interpose his veto to embarrass or
defeat any financial legislation that NAV
he enacted by Il majority of the Demo
cratic members of Congress. He adds
that he is opposed to the free coinage
of silver and that such policy would
be injurious to credit and business. but
if a majority of his party desire free
coinage, he is willing to accept it. His
most significant declaration is in this
sentence: There is more in Democracy
for me than in the money question"
This Is proposition pure and sim
pie to organize Il party without faith
or principle and permit any measure.
however dangerous to the Tranquility
OF business, to become a law if major
ity of the party could he manipulated
into its support. The naked PROPOSE
ton means that there is nothing i'm
Democracy but Democracy. and no
achievement but to win political power.
Such a party could not exist in this
enlightened age. and unless Mr.. Black
shall revise his Democratic profession
of faith the great mass OF intelligent
Democrats will turn back to the tombs
Of j etferson and jackson. and learn from
them that defeated party with honest
principles is vastly to be preferred to a
successful party without principles.
The Democracy of the nation cannot
success either this year or in
the future without adopting thorough
~ sound money platform at the coming
= Ctl1N tl1tlbli. 1t NDtlIl ne llltlcl
better for the party to make an honest
deliverance for public and private cred
1t and for honest money. with candi-
date mantnlly devoted to that faith,
even though he should not receive Il
single electoral vote, than to abandon
principle for the sake of success when
defeat would be quite as certain with
disgrace added. The Democrats are
not likely to win in the Presidential
contest of this year, but if in the evil
times which have fallen upon them. for
which they are not chiefly responsible,
they present an honest platform and
candidate, they would fall with their
flag respected by the country and the
W prld, and with Il promise of success
il future conflicts. TO declare Dem
ocracv without prin 'iple is to proclaim
that Dom cray is dad.