The Butler weekly times., 1897-01-14

l
erly discuss the relation which
should exist between the democrats
who endorsed the Chicago platform
and the so called democrats who
aided in the election Of a republican
president The democrats who con-
trolled the Chicago convention
earned their right to the party or
eanizatlon and to the party name
by whatever right their claims may
be measured. A democracy is a
government in which the people rule.
In other words, it is a government
such IS Lincoln described: "A gov
ernment of the people, by the people
and for the people, and democrat
in the broadest sense is one who be-
lieves in this form of goverment-I
mean actual, sincere, heartfelt be-
lief, not formal and enforced sub
mission to that form of government.
Measured by this definition. those
who supported the Chicago platform
are democrats because they assert
the rights of the people to govern
| themselves, aud the right of the
American people to legislate for
themselves upon all questions, re-
gardless Of the wishes of those who
live in other lands In a technical
sense democracy is outlined and
defined by the democratic party.
The democratic party of the United
States in national convention, assem-
bled according to custom, adopted
a platform which received the sane,
ton of nearly two thirds of very
large proportion of the demo.
Gratis Of the nation. That con.
vention had a right to define
democracy in party sense, and we
have right to declare that those
who indorsed that platform are dem
ocrats, and that those who refused
to support the platform are not dem
ocrats. 1t is strange that there
should be any contest over this
point.
It is strange, too, that those who
secured for their candidates less
than l per cent of the popular vote
of the United States, should insist
that they were entitled to be called
the real democrats, and then urge
their claim to responsibility in num-
bers on the ground that the majori
ty of them voted for the republican
candidates. If the minority has a
right to give party definition of
democracy, then there may be as
many definitions as there are individ
uals. If those who bolted the Chi
cago nominees have right to call
themselves better democrats than
those who supported such nominees,
then the boiling democrats who
bolted the boiling ticket, and voted
for the republican nominees have a
right to call themselves better dem.
ocrats than the boilers who support.
ed the boiling ticket.
RIGHTS OF THE MAJORITY.
The right of the party organiza-
tion belongs to the majority. and the
right to the party must also belong
to the majority. There should be
no difficulty IN understanding the
relations which should exist between
the democrats who remained in the
party, and those persons who went
out of the party. A party is defined
as an association of persons who
agree upon an important question or
questions, and who unite to give eff
feet to their ideas. The money
question became the paramount is
sue of the day; the democrats in
convention took a position upon the
question, and made a gallant fight
in defense of the platform adopted
If the money question was now con-
sidered settled another issue could
be taken up and a new alignment
made.
But the money question is not
settled. The contest for the resto.
ration of the money of the constitu.
ton will go On with renewed vigor.
People who advocated free silver
before the election advocate it now.