The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-07-04
Federalism and Democracy.


The Cincinnati Enquirer, one OF
the leading papers of the country,
gives us the following sensible
editorial:
It is a source of the greatest sat
isfactlon to the veterans of the
Democratic party who, for more
than a half century, have manfully
and courageously, in prosperity and
adversely, stood by the people, and
have retired from active service by
reason of age, to see the masses
rallying to the support of the doc
trines of Jefferson and Jackson.
From the time of the adoption of
the Federal Constitution to this
hour there have been two parties,
whose theories of government have
been very distinctly different.
Alexander Hamilton was the repre-
sentative Of one and Thomas Jeffer-
son of the other. The Hamilton
party had no faith in the ability of
the masses of the people TO govern
themselves; that there must be a
governing class clothed with power
to compel submission. Jefferson
believed in the capacity of the peo-
pie for self government and that It's
strength consisted In being intrench-
ed in the affections of the governed.
They might make mistakes, but
they would be prompt to correct
them, having In their hands a free
ballot. In no period in the history
of this Government have the lines
between the two parties been as dis
tinctly drawn as at the present.
The financial question furnishes an
occasion for testing the two theories.
The advocates of the single gold
standard consists of the rich, the
creditors, the holders of bonds and
mortgages, the money lenders, the
corporations, the bankers, boards of
trade, chambers of commerce, those
who are engaged not in creating
wealth, but in its absorption after 1t
has been created.
The Jeffersonian or the peoples
party consists of the great army OF
producers. According to the last
census there is fraction over 49,
900, 900 of our population engaged
in productive industry;.over 9,000,-
900 are farmers, cultivators of the
soil, which Is the basis OF source of
all our wealth. The Hamiltonians
are organized, and can bring their
combined influence to bear in the at
tainment Of any desired end. The
Jeffersonians have no organization,
no rallying cry to bling them to the
polls, until starvation and financial
ruin force them to act. The Hamil-
tonians are for single gold stand
ard, because they know that by con-
fering upon banking corporations
the function of supplying the cur
rency they can with greater ease
absorb the wealth created by labor
and pauperize the creators of that
wealth.
The Jeffersonians believe in
standing inflexibly by the constitu-
ton and maintaining its standards.
They realize that for thousands of
years silver has been the peoples
money, performing their exchanges
satisfactorily, and that for this rea-
son the farmers of the constitution
adopted it as a standard. They be-
lieve that the furnishing of sup
elemental money, paper currency,
is legitimate function of the Gov
eminent, that cannot be safely in
trusted to corporations. The Ham
iltonians distrust the ability of our
Government to maintain its own
standards, and would allow England
to dictate what our standards shall
be. The Jeffersonlans declare that
we are politically and financially in
dependent of all other nations.
The issue is distinctly made be-
tween the money power commanded
by the national banks and the peo-
pie. Those who have been fatter-
ing themselves that the silver craze
was dying out are astonished 20 see
the uprising of the people in every
part of the country. The people
are just beginning to understand the
nature Of the conflict, and are in no
mood to permit candidates to strad-
die the issue.
Some may deprecate the reorgani-
cation of parties consequent upon
this conflict between the hamilton
ians and Jeffersonians, but appeals
for fealty to party will not avail in
this struggle. There is no middle
ground, no halfway house, and we
pity the poor devil who expects to
win by any such cowardly subter-
luge as both parties resorted TO in
1892.
If this amt straight goods from
the Baton Rouge Advocate, we