The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-05-28

confirmed by the legislatures of some of
| the states. Sometimes there were thus
put ont two or three candidates for pres
idcnt. and the voters in the states had to
vote for the candidates thus selected by
those urrsOus who were members of the
central government. 1t got to be looked
upon rs Il sort of governmental dlctatlOn,
| that tended to destroy the freedom OF
suffrage by the people. Hence the change
was made by the adoption of national
conventions by representatives of the
people. It was in these national
conventions. where there were two
| Democratic candidates for president. that
the twu-thirds rule was adopted, which
has continued 10 the present time, ana
has generally been adopted in the cleo
| tiou of governors and other executive
officers in the states by the Democratic
party. The Democratic party continued
| 10 ho upheld. both during and after the
war. and had influence enough By its
members in congress to oppose, ana
sometimes. successfully. measures OF the
| Republican party. that were of Il char
actcr to bc injurious to the rights and IN
| tcrcSts of the people n the states.
| The Democratic party alone was found
ed ON principle, which. when applied to
| the state. Aljoincd frugality, economy
and equality as far as practlcable Ill
the promotion of the rights and liberties
l'of the people. as had been indicated in the
establishment of the first state govern
mcntS. and long continued for their ben
eft: and when applied to the federal gov
crnmcnt it cnjOincd an adherence TO the
principle that the federal government
should hr confined in its action to its GER
/ AL 4, nd al
not TO uSurp the powers of the states or
10 iniIict injuries upon the rights and
interests of their people Improperly;
which principle had been crystalllzed
into definite form by the action of the
federal government under the long, pro-
tInctcd control Of the JclfcrsOnian Re
publican party, and its successor, the
Democratic party.
Should the federal government ever be-
come so fiXcdly natiOnalized, by its patcr-
nalism and class legislation, that the
Democratic party could no longer check
the aggrcssiOnS and usurpntiOnS Of power,
its principles would be the more neceS-
sary to be- applied To the administration
of the state governments to give thclf
people the most possible relief from the
oncrOus burdens of taxation, direct and
indirect. imposed upon them by the ac-
ton of the federal government.
All other parties have been founded
upon measures, one or more, only upon
the assumption that their adoption by the
federal government would accomplish
some general good. This was applicable
to the Wing party, to the Free Soil party,
TO the KnOw-Nothing, or American aprty,
10 the Republican party, to the Green
back party, to the Prohibition party, to
the ropulist party, to the American FRO
tcctiyc Association party and to the
Silver National party. For instance, II
high tariff gives an enhanced price 10
labor. National banks furnish safe
circulating medium of paper money.
Still the high tariff and banks constitute
sppcial benefits to particular classes OF
persons. The measures of the PopnIists
arc claimed ms benefits to classes of per-
sons. as mcritorious rs those upon whom
the government showers its fay0rs.
Whether the adoption OF the PopillSt
measures contained in their platform
would be constitutional and practical or
not. they are claimed by them to be as
much so MS other measures that nave
been adopted, and they would make an
equitable division of the government
bountics. with the common people ana
the millonaircs and other wealthy peO-
amass their immense fortunes.
Democracy, in application to govern
mcnt. means The rule of the people, or
the peoples power of control.
When Il party assumed that name,
what species of party government ny
their political organization as party did
they devise to secure the peoples rule i'll
the governments of this country, and to
pcrprtrntc its own existence rs Il politl-
cal party: They provided Democratic
national convention, composed OF deie-
gates from the different states of the
Mon. who represented the sentiments
of the Democratic voters i'll each one OF
the states and of each considerable
classes of such voters, where
there was Il difference of political
sentiments between them in each state,
who. when assembled together, would by
mutual and free consultation about any
such differences of sentiments, cndGaNOr
to harmonizc them, so rs to formulate
and publish II platform of the party,
enunciating the principles of the party
and setting forth such measures of gov
eminent to be advocated or opposed as
they might be- deemed in harmony with,
or in opposition to. the fundamental
principles of that party
And after Sucn PLATFORM hau pecl
formed they would proceed to nominate
candidates of the party for president ana
vice president to support that plat
form previously made; and where there
were more than one candidate for each
of the said offices presented 10 the con
vcntion they would determine the choice
between them by the two-thirds rule.
This rule does not enable Il third to die
tate who shall be chosen, but it tends to
make members of the whole body more
conciiatory and ii acts rs II heck upon
mere majority in the arbitrary diSrr-
gard of II respectable minority, which
majoritics. when they have the power,
are too apt to assume, to the discontinue
of II respectable minority. which would
weaken the force of the advocacy of the
nominee of the majority. if not produce
disorganizing division in the party. by
this rule Il nominee may he 'clccted least
Objectionable to the members of the
whole body, and the more available rs
candidate, because of the cordial sup
port of all of them. or at least of two
thirds of them, that agree To the choice.
Apart from such reasoning, this is party
government, and all governments founded
ON fundamental principles must have
checks and balances To secure their har-