Evening capital., 1899-08-19
WHAT IS DEMOCRACY !?
Its Principles As Defined BY Washing
ton And Jefferson.
From the Annapolis Record E. $ Riley
Editor

ton Auo JeucfSOn.
Prom the Annapolis Record, E. S. Riley.
Editor.
An enemy of democracy has de-
fined it as. An organized appetite
for Office" For enemies we shall
not GO for the true meaning OF
democracy. A better definition OF
democracy is given in this concise
statement:-"Democracy, form of
government in which the supreme
power is directly or indirectly lodg-
ed in the hands of the people; the
principles of the democratic party
of the United States" For the
principles of the Democratic Party
of Anne Arundel, in an analytical
inquiry into its sentiments, as there is
no platform and no enunciation of
doctrine, we must look TO its
practice.
There is an historic American
democracy. 1t began with the
Declaration of independence, writ
ten by the founder of the American
democracy. That democracy emerg-
ed from its cradle of liberty, in the
latter part of Washington's second
administration, under the leadership
of Thomas Jefferson, and plant ed
itself on the principles of a strict
construction of the Constitution and
the reserved rights of the States. Ii
showed its patriotism and foresight
in the Louisiana purchase that en-
larged the public domain beyond its
original area; it stood by American
rights and for them fought the
second war with Great Britain;
under Andrew Jackson it placed
itself upon the side of the
Constitution and an indissoluble
Union of States; in the admins
tration of Polk it carried
American arms in.o "the enemy's
country" and secured the freedom of
Texas, and by it increased the
public territory; in the war between
the States, while the individual
members of the party poured out
their blood and gave up their lives
in defence of the Federal Union, the
party, in its platform and organiza-
ton, opposed the cruel and arbitrary
policy of the administration, and
fought to the last hope the vicious
and illegally engrafted amendments
to the Constitution that changed the
form of government of the Ameri-
can Republic. In all these years its
policy has been NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
for the people, the Constitution and
the best interests of the country. Ii
made the tariff laws consistent with
the needs of government and the
equality of all the people, and kept
the money power in check by hold
ing on to the right of the govern
ment to dictate the character and
quantity of the national money.
Today, its principles, exemplifed by
that magnificent American, William
Jennings Bryan, and planted irrevo-
cocably upon the Chicago platform
of 1896, its spirit breathing hope and
life to the nation and its principles
reiterating every patriotic impulse
of Jefferson, Jackson and Polk, the
great national democratic party of
the United States is worthy of and
has the devoted support Of every
true democrat.
If its national history is patrio.
tic, its equity is equally magnificent.
1t ever believes in the rule of
the majority, a majority obtained by
an appeal to the highest principles
of heart and patriotism, unbought by
bribes, unstained by unholy combi-
nations, untarnished by dureSs,
threat, or any other device to thwart
an honest, impartial verdict of the
party. 1t is for a fair and un-
fettered concensus of the opinion
of the Democracy. 1t is for equal
rights to all and exclusive privileges
to none within the party; it is for
the greatest good to the greatest
number. 1t is for the selection, as its
representative in Office, of the best
men. 1t is for the nomination. OF
capable, faithful and honest men
for public positions; it knows
no power but that which comes
from the democracy at large,
and is for a fair and just dis
tribution of public offices, and places
of honor, trust and emolument
amongst all the party, and opposed,
in spirit and principle, to any set OF
men, by meretricious measures, OBJ
tanning control of the means of ascer-
tanning the will of the people and by
those means putting all power,
and honor, and Offices into the
hands of themselves; and, by the
use of their powers of machinery,
the money in salaries and spoils
they draw from the people,
the purchase of votes, and
the fear, by voters, of their ill-gotten
power, forcing men to support their
claims, in building up an oligarchy
of office-holders, directed by one
supreme head
In the State of Maryland, for
thirty wears the Democracy has