The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-21

How Can There He Party without Com
mon Principles Holding 1t Together"

How Can There he n Party without Conn
mon Principles Holding 1t Together"
To THE EDITOR OF The SUS-Sir: When
man draws himself UP and says, Il am Dem
ocrat" what does he mean? When he is
worsted In q political argument and can only
repeat, Il am a Democrat" what does he
mean?
Now. what is n Democrat? 1t may be an
swsred. "a member of the Democratic party"
But what is the Democratic party? 1t may be
said that it is a national political party OF
the United States; but what Ia a politica party?
Is It not body of citizens banded together In
a common belief in certain policies regarding
the progress Of the nation and the conduct OF
the National Government? A political party.
then. is a party which has certain beliefs;
Furthermore. IL exists only by reason OF those
beliefs Take away the policies or the beliefs.
and we have nothing left for It TO exist upon.
and therefore no political party.
Political parties originated In this country
when Thomas Jefferson ranged himself
! against Alexander Hamilton and against
Hamiltons idsas OF taxation and CEN
traiZation Of power. Jefferson's great
mind drew together a concourse Of citizens
who united in his beliefs as to States rights,
low tariff and decentralization OF power.
Their unanimity in these beliefs constituted
these citizens the first political party-the party
which was once called Republican and after
ward Democratic. Accordingly there was once
Democratic party Enthusiastically. 1t be-
lieved in States rights: II declared the war a
failure; it pinned its faith to free trade or
tariff for revenue only. In former days whom a
man said II am Democrat" it meant some
thing.
But what do we see in this year OF grace
1880? One man says Il am Democrat" and.
when questioned. announces that he shouts for
free trade and a gold standard. Another calls
himself q Democrat though he denounces the
gold standard as criminal and proclaims his
belief in free silver and high tariff. Another is
| for free silver and ant-imperialism. Still an
| other Is for the gold standard and imperialism.
What does all this astounding and incongruous
/ tumble Of principles mean?
In order for any man to be q Democrat there
must be first a Democratic party. There was
| once such party hut is there now? Is there
| any political party in the United States to-day.
| other than the Republican. and perhaps the
Populst having fixed policies as to the prog
| ress of this nation and the conduct OF its gov
| ernment2 No. Most decidedly, no. Then there
| Is no such thing as Democratic party in exist
! ence. And II there 10 no such thing as Dem
| ocratc party. then there is no such thing as a
| Democrat.
A man can no more say that he 10 a Demo-
| crat because he once voted ticket put up by
the former Democratic party than Moham-
medan can saw that he is Christian because
| he once belonged to a Christian church. IL
there was any political party to-day besides
the Republican and the Populist which had any
| fixed policies or even any one policy OF govern
ment. it would be recognizable at the first
glance. 1t would pin its belief to low tariff or
to free silver. or to antrim perasm or to any
two or three OF these combined. Having the
policy you would have the party But the DEM
CORA tic party is dead. 1t died when the fallacy
| Of its last cry tariff for revenue only-was
demonstrated by its failure in Cleveland's sec
ond term. And there is no existing political
party to-day called by that name.
When a man says, l am Democrat" he ID
declaimng that he 10 political nonentity. He
Ia emitting words that have no meaning. He
is vaporing as idly as summer breeze about Q
willow tree,
| There is no such thing as a Democrat.
| EGERToN R. WILLIAMS. JR.
ROCHESTER. n. y. Oct. 1S