The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-28
WOOL HAT DEMOCRAT SEEKS
LIGHT.

1 we are III RECEIPT Ol II IttleF from q
| Democrat whose lifelong privilege it has
been to vote the ticket with only the
| good of his country in view We take
| the liberty of reproducing it, as folio VS.:
Editor Constitution: / have been a
wool hat Democrat from the dav that
hrst drew the breath of life. Have been
| an earnest student of politics all Of my
| NE, though never an office seeker AS
| far as / know of my ancestors have been
| Democrats; my grand father, Chas. e
| haynes, represented Georgia in the
united States Congress ten years. l have
| read much wherein it is stated that the
Chicago and Kansas City platforms are
not Democratic. and have the farmers
alliance principles therein. And now
comes Mr.. Cleveland. a traitor TO
Democracy, and says in 1896 and 1900 the
party went after strange gods, and must
come back to old Democratic principles.
What old Democratic principles ever ex-
listed that are not adhered to by the
! Democratic party? What principles are
announced in the Chicago or Kansas City
platforms that are not. and have not, al
ways been Democratic? What's in
either platform that is peculiarly Popu-
liStic? G. II. ANDREWS.
Milledgeville, Ca, December 20, 1900.
This appeal for light coming from "the
rank and file" and indicating the view
point from which certain unsolicited adj
vice is considered. is in line with many
other appeals daily coming in.
The Democratic party consists of or
ganized voters, banded together to carry
out certain traditions of government and
to meet the exigencies of the day in the
light of such traditions. The organiza-
ton is incidental to the existence of the
voters themselves. hence it is the latter
body which must be kept in view rather
than the wishes of some chance benef-
Charles of their favor. They are the best
judges as TO what constitute the basic
principles of the party, and to their de-
cision must be submitted every question
demanding an answer. They stand today
for every basic principle for which they
have ever stood heretofore. They have
had occasion, at time. to shake Off lead
ers whom they found to be false, but
their own position was never in doubt.
More voters were enrolled in support of
the Chicago platform than had been
counted to elect Mr.. Cleveland. and of
those who voted for Mr.. Cleveland not
five per cent. vert aStray into other par
ties. The frank and file" brought itself
together in 1868 to vote for Seymour andk
blair; it grew until it elected a President
in 1876; it enforced it's second success in
1884; it lost in 1888, won a third time in
1892; revolted from its unfaithful bene1-
carries in 1896. and in the two elections
since has purgcd itself Of uncongenjaI
elements and solidifed it's front for the
work of the future. While it has lost
the public offices, it has declared that
for all time % come the Democratic party
is the one in which the rank and file''
is to rule.
But, as indicated by our correspondent,
there are men voting for Republicanism
who claim the privilege of lecturing
Democracy. We can hot object to Tie lee
turing, while we must repudiate the garb.
When Mr. cleveland chose to vote Re-
publican ticket. he did it with all that
such action, implied. That is the purpose
| of the ballot in the United States. From
| that moment any advice of his would be
wasted, so far as it might be directed to-
| ward Democrats.
1t is well in this connection to recall
some trenchant facts. Mr.. Cleveland, in
| his anxiety to give the rank and file
| a chance declares that:
"The elimination of Democratic woes was
| reached when it's compact with these UNI
democratic forces was complete and when
our rank and file were summoned to do
battle under banners which bore strange
symbols and were held aloft in unfamiliar
| hands"
MIR. Cleveland was nominated for the
| Presidency by the National Democratic
| convention of 1892 upon a platform which
was the outgrowth of twenty years of
Democratic struggle. No sooner was he
elected than he allied himself with the
"undemocratic forces" known as mug
wumps, who for personal reasons voted
the Democratic ticket in the preceding
campaign 1.-The undemocratic" allies
were all-powerful jim the White House,
while the sincere Democrats" of life
time were left to cool their heels in the
antechamber. There were chosen for the
premiership of his Cabinet a Republican
who for twelve years had been a stand
ing candidate for his party nomination
for the Presidency. The 'undemocratic
mugwump and the ''undemocratic Repub-
lican had the right of way while this
compact with these undemocratic forces
kept out the rank and file by which the
campaign had been fought and won. Who
/ departed from the straight road when
Gresham was named for Secretary of
State; when Van Allen was named for
an honorable office as the return for
money spent; when the midnight deal
sacrificed the interests of the people to
the cupidity of the spectators; when the
platform was set aside for the private
within of one man dominated by Republi-
can influence?
If the nomination of Mr.. Gresham, the
Republican leader, as Secretary of State,
had been submitted to the convention by
which Mr. Cleveland had been chosen,
what does he suppose would have been
the result? The frank and file" revolted
against Mr.. Cleveland's party treachery
in 1896, and even if it did wabble from
an unauthorized alliance with 'undemo-
cratic forces" put upon it by the Presi-
dent to one which brought back to the
party many who had been lifelong Demo-
Gratis it was in its desperation to throw
off the primal cause of all the trouble
and to get back into the straight road
again.
Nevertheless, we must expect to see
the amusing controversy go on. When
force of 100000 voters stands ready