Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-07-01
DEMOCRATIC HARMONY.

sat down to the banquet gwen IN the
spacious dining room. Flags, potted plants
and flowers enhanced the beauty Of the af-
fair and general spirit OF good fellowship
prevailed Gold Democrats sat among
silver Democrats and the break of last fall
was cemented together
Senator William D. DAILY, of Hudson
county, was the orator of the evening. He
received an ovation when he arose to speak
ON the last legislature, and it was some time
before he could proceed.
SENATOR DALY'S SPEECH.
The spirit and purpose of this occasion, he
said, combine to make this gathering an en-
couraging omen for the future success Of
the grand old Democratic party.
There was never greater need that the
principles of our party should control 10 the
administration than at the present time. 10
state and nation the Republican party has
spread its protecting wings over the inter-
ests of trusts and combined capital, SEEM
ingly content that the privileged few
should thrive while the many are in dis
tress. Past differences can well be waived
in the contest that is to come, for there is a
duty before MS, common duty, which ap-
peals to every Democrat, to recover this
state from the misrule to which it has been
subjected for the past four years.
For the coming campaign let the watch
word be coalition in c0ntradistinctiOn to
compromise. Neavly year has past, and
the trend of events is so significant that
every Democrat who cast his vote for the
Republican candidate must now review his
action with regret. You remember that
some of them supported the candidates of
our opponents with as great enthusiasm as
they ever supported Democrat, and were
most fervid in declaring that that the re-
suit of the election alone would bring about
a return of prosperous times. We are still
hoping that the blight of depression may be
lifted, but we do not believe that the forces
that dominate the Republican party now
are working with the interests of the masses
in view. They never have been the friends
of the people and the people have little to
expect from them now.
am very confident that the Democrats
of New Jersey are ready and eager to pre-
sent united front in the elections that are
soon to come. have yet to learn of man
in the party, with the true principles OF
Democracy at heart, who is opposed to a
united Democracy. Who are they that
charge the regular Democratic organization
with being opposed to unity? Who are
they who charge it upon those who fought
for the national ticket with being opposed
to reconciliation You do not find them in
our party. It is the Republican press,
always eager to exaggerate discord in our
be hot 30 OFT IN cnrood dio.
sension among us. The attempts of these
newspapers to work division in the Demo
cratic party is as ludicrous as it will be
futile. They well know that they can not
dwell upon the record of their own party
and win, and they have every thing to fear
from united Democracy. You would
imagine to see the amount of anxiety dis
played by the Republican papers that they
were really heartbroken at the prospect of
continued division in our party. Let me
say to those Republican leaders who are
anxious as to our future, that it would be
we'll for them ito pluck the beam out of
their own eyes," and then the mote will
not appear so large in the eyes of their OPP
ponents. The special session of the Iegis-
lature fully demonstrated that their party
machinery needs new gearing.
Every department in their control, every
Office and almost every legislator, has been
absolutely subject to the dictation of the
bosses.
The Republicans pledged their party to
judicial reform by constitutional amend
ment. They attempted the scheme, and as
had occasion to say in an interview lately,
"a sorry failure indeed they made of the
attempt. showing their utter incompetency
to deal with such an important question.
Some of the leading spirits of the party
wanted to gain the reputation of constitu-
ton makers. They cared not for the con-
stitution itself. 1t was reputation they
wanted, and the sacred instrument was
kicked around the legislature for two
months. Orators of fame and no fame at all
talked constitution. A railroad lobby did
not like it, and lawyer lobby did like it.
Finally the whole proceedings wound up
by the railroad lobby defeating the amend
ment introduced by Mr.. Voorhees,. The
Democrats voted against any charge what
ever, believing in the principle of letting
well enough alone.
They promised that the constitution
would be amended by providing for the
election of members of assembly by dis
tAAOtc. AAo 10 q ACAOAA bunb 10 0DoOlutCly
necessary. 1t protects the rights of the
minority; in gives some opportunity for
close touch with the people. But in dis
regard of their promises the constitution
remains the same, and the people are in a
position worse than in the days of gerry
mander.
At such times as the country has been
passing through, it is well for the State to
practice that economy which the prudent
business men is compelled to practise. Yet
the Republican legislatures for the past four
years threw wide open the gates for the in
creasing of municipal Indebtedness, making
it possible for municipalities to bond them
selves for enormous amounts, and placing
heavier burdens upon the patient taxpay ers,
with no thought of prov sion for the fund
ing of this debt
From debt of about forty million dol
lars as shown by the census of 1890, the
amount has about doubled at the present
time, and the increase has been especially
marked during the past four Republican
legislatures. There has been no absolute
necessity for this lavish increase, and we
must hold the Republican legislatures re-
sponsible for it,
They criticized the Democrats for in
fringing upon the right of the people to
direct their own local self government, but
we never attempted anything SO extremely
partisan as the extension act passed by the
last legislature. By that act they tried to
take away from Newark and Jersey City
the right to elect their officers independent
of the confusion attending the joining of
local and national elections. They saw
that the neOnle nf these munieinalitiao
were ready to drive them from power, and
they were successful, with the aid of their
legislative tools, in passing that act dis
tranchisiDg the voters of those cities, there
by violating principle as old as the
government in which we live
The people had right to expect much
from the newly-elected executive. He
went into Office on tidal wave of reform.
His speeches during the campaign were a
severe arraignment of our party for its al
legged extreme partisan acts and its vicious
legislation. In his inaugural he renewed
his promises made before the people, and
invoked the favor of the Almighty to aid
him in the work of reformation.
He has violated every pledge he made
Part of the pure and high government he
gave was his bowling the knee to the bosses
in the rejection of the demands of the
honest people of his party for the appoint
ment of Mr.. Stokes as Secretary of
State and the appointment of the chief
lobbyist of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company-Mr Bettle-as commissioner OF
banking.
So extremely partisan has he been that
he has appointed in every instance Repub-
iican Judges and prosecutors in all courts