The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-04-14

have spoken as Il jefferson sere
| with rs. DO Wc not feel his rre.-
/ euce and hear his voice. Let ID, SUM
mon him to our council board to teach.
unite and lead us as we go forth 10
/ battle. What should we say to him of
: the present, its parties, it's issues and
the questions before the people2 Speak
ing broadly, we could trBthfulIr sar
/ that present issues involve the old con-
/ test over the proper power and fune-
uons OF government. the old issue be-
tween the Use of that power foy public
/ purposes and it's use for class or seq
| tional, or private interests. and chat
! the great party he founded has need to
assert the principles he proclaimed.
/ 1t finds as it's opponent party which
| was born Of q great agitation for
| worthy mission now long ACCOMPLISH
| Ell; that since, that party has been
| drifting with no fixed principles or pur-
/ pose, but the prey Of selfish interests
/ which demand in return for their SUPP
! port legislation for their benefit: thai
| firmly established I'm power it. Yielded
| to corruption which In successive re-
/ volts drove from it it's old leaders and
] much Of its conscience vote: that for
/ nearly generation it has sought sue
! cess through stirring up sectional pre-
/ JudIce and hatred among q people ne,
united in love and loyalty; that it fos-
6ers now within its ranks faction
/ who would divide us on race and reli-
/ 9lous lines and substitute for freedom
I or conscience prOScriDtiya biv9+ry.
! that it has used the nations uoyva- ID,
/ invade the rights of the States and its
/ appropriations to supplant their du-
/ tIes' that repudiating it's early profee-
/ slons, 1T has maintained and increased
+ war taxation of the people, and not
! lor revenue, but for special selfish i'm
/ teFests that 1T has won elections
/ through their support and then paid
/ for them with bounties and protective
| taxes out OF the peoples pockets: that
/ now within it's ranks IL is discusSfug
/ the question whether such barpain i
! corrupt in determining its candidate
/ and yet honorable in aiding his cleo
! ton; that it is now c1nsideriDo,
! the union of two special interests-sii
/ yer and Professionalism If success
/ Tui means impairment Of the nations
+ credit and greater burden on her
! people; that its recent policy in power.
! since twice repudiated by an indignant
/ and injured people, has squandered a
/ great surplus, instituted an era of wild
/ extravaganza and set a precedent for
! national profligacy; that throughout
| It's career it has made spOils of the pub
lie service, using both the peoples
offices and their laws to further parti-
I san success rather than for public pur-
! poses. And now that party on the
/ most important question of the dav
/ finds its leaders hating, silent, drift
/ ing, not guiding, waiting for the
chance breeze to move them onward
and not ready to take the helm and
i set their party ship upon a course.
Who doubts where Jefferson would
/ stand in contest with such a party
+ over present issues?
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
He would find that the Democratic
/ party, true to his teaching, was still
1 the broad, national, peoples party.
mat 1T knew no South or North or
East or West, but only the whole ma
I ton, whose States it has protected in
their rights, and whose people TT has
i bound together in "a more perfect I'M
ion;" that it has upheld freedom of
i conscience and personal liberty, and
/ has fought every proscriptiye move
! ment OF class, of race or of religion:
I that through a long agitation and
/ struggle within its ranks, it has as
I serted that taxation is to be only for
+ revenue and public purposes. To this
: end, upon the emphatic demand Of the
i country, it has reversed her war tariff
policy. This it has done conservative
! ly, and on the broad lines of first
, cheapening the necessaries Of life and
and freeing the raw materials of in
I dustries, 1t has not sought to reach
/ the goal by one effort, but step by step,
1 with all the aid experience can give.
1t now demands a fair test Of its law
+ 1t vigorously opposes any reaction or
return to a tariff policy defeated and
discarded, and recognizes the right Of
business interests to q period of rest.
1t firmly believes in the separation of
government and taxation from the con-
troll of private interests and selfish in
fiuenees, and confidently expects that
The history OF 1916 and 1851 will be re-
peated, and, through discussion and
education, we shall, with the hearty
/ approval OF the country, return TO the
sound principles and tariff policy of
the days before the war. Yes. and to
the principles declared by jefferson in
his first message agriculture, man
ufactures, commerce and navigation,
the four pillars of our prosperity, are
the most thriving when left most free
/ to individual enterprise"
Jefferson if with tbs would find also
to his satisfaction that his party,
, through the work of a courageous and
patriotic administration, had lifted the
Civil Service above partisanshfp, had
made its officers servants of the people, !
not political combatants, and by a
practical and wholesome reform had
placed it upon a broad and just basis. |
What is more democratic than to break
down the barrier which excludes from
public service half Of the people be- /
cause of honest political convictions, |
and to open that service to anyone who /
can meet the tests he prescribed: us |
he honest? Is he capable? Is he faith |
full to the Constitution"