Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1900-08-23
Democratic Candidate for Govern
orWas at His Best at SedaIia,
on Tuesday, August q.
Mastery and Logical Presentation Of Dem.
ouatic Principles at the Big Meeting
Openins the State Campaisn-.-Wha
Economic Democratic Government Has
Accomplished in Missouri. History Of
Republican Misrule in This State. full
Text Of the Speech,

Subjoined will be found the full
text of the speech made by Hon. A..
NJ. Dockery, democratic nominee for
Governor. at the opening of the State
campaign at Sedalia, August 2lst.
This speech WAS delivered at the
Fair Grounds, at Sedalia, before one
of the largest crowds that ever as
sembled in Missouri to listen to n
political address. Beside Mr.. Dock
cry there were a number of other dis
tinguished gentlemen present, who
made speeches, including Hon. Adlai
L. Stevenson, of Illinois, candidate
for Vice-President; Hon. Webster
Davis, of Kansas City; Hon. David
O,ermeyer, and Hon. John III. At
wood, of Kansas, and others. Mr..
Dockery said:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Fellow
Citizens: ! congratulate you that we
assemble to-day in this beautiful ely,
under auspices which assure an old
time democratic majority in Missouri,
and the election to the presidency
of that intrepid friend of the people,
William Jennings Bryan. The Missou-
ri democracy are also to be congratu-
lated upon the presence of our hon.
ored guest, that distinguished demo
crat of Illinois, who has served his
party and his country with conspicu
Gus ability and fidelity, and who will
again preside over the deliberations of
the American senate-the next vice
president of the United States, AdIai
Z. Stevenson.
This contest Will determine wheth
er the Jeffersonian theory of govern
ment, under which this young repub
lie has grown TO be the greatest and
most powerful nation of the earth, is
to be supplanted by the Hamiltonian
theory IL will determine the mo-
mentous issue. whether the great
fundamental doctrines of republican
government are to be subverted, and
give place to governmental theories
resting upon n distrust of the capacity
of the people for self-government. 1t
will determine whether we are to
build up a strong central national
government in disregard of constitu-
tional limitations, and thus practical
" surrender the control of local af-
fairs heretofore exercised by the
state. 1t will determine whether the
government of the British empire is
preferable to the government of the
Republic. The conflicting Hamilton
ian and Jeffersonian theories strug-
gled for supremacy under these great
leaders at the time our government
was founded. Thomas jefferson was
the very incarnation of faith in the
integrity, capacity and patriotism OF
the people. Alexander Hamilton dis
trusted the capacity OF the people
for self-governmeHt,a and declared that
"the British government forms the
best model tie world ever produced"
In that tremendous contest Jefferson
was the victor. Our more than a cen
fury growth under the inspiration of
the principles of the declaration of
independence, as crystallized in the
Constitution, has witnessed the es-
tablishment and development of the
most wonderful republic of all time.
The achievements of the American
people under free institutions consti-
tute the romance of history. During
our national life political parties
have arisen, played their parts upon
the stage of national politics and
passed away. Differences upon pure
Ia dop,aS+;c ouaSfinns have anDaaraJ
at almost every period of our history.
Questions of finance, taxation and
other great issues have aligned our
people from time to time under OPP
posing political standards, but from
the days of Hamilton. until the pres
ent Republican administration, no po-
litical party has ever dared to propose
a colonial system fashioned after the
empire of Great Britain. This is the
issue rendered by President Mckinley
and the leaders of the Republican par
ty. under the gauzy subterfuge of
manifest destiny" 1t was unneces-
sa,y that the Kansas City platform
should declare it to be the para
mount issue" for il is an obvious
fact.
Internal policies may be changed at
any time. Not so with this issue. Ii
will he settled irrevocably at the COM
ing election. If the American people
should decide to surrender the repub-
lie and establish the English colonial
system they will be powerless to I'M
do that crime against liberty. En-
pires once founded are never over
thrown except by revolution.
In the great contest between JEFF
ferson and Hamilton. the people were
triumphant. In this supreme crisis of
our beloved country. may the God of
fathers be with us and give us victory,
as He gave IL TO jefferson and the
people at the birth of our republic.
Lei us make the high resolve. in the
language of Abraham Lincoln. that
''the government of the people shall
not perish from the face of the
earth"
Fellow-citizcus. the platforms of
both the national and state democ-
racy have been formulated. our lead
ers have been chosen, and the great
jury of the people must try the issues
presented. | most heartily indorse
our party platforms. and will briefly
review some of the issues involved in
this campaign,