The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1902-04-04
THE DUTY OF DEMOCRATS.


Cleveland given the democratic ticket
a strong, loyal aud enthusiastic support
in 1896 the party would have tri-
umphed at the polls.
The Spanish-American war follow
ing, which having been precipitated
under a democratic administration,
would have strongly intrenched that
party in power and it would be safe
to say that it would have administer
ed the reins of government for the
next thirty years.
But unfortunately for the country
the fates wiIled it otherwise.
President Cleveland was luke-warm
and his closest personal friends and
advisors made open assault upon the
democratic organization and used all
the influence at their command to de-
lcdl the ilChcl, anu SuCCCcuCu'
II is natural that Mr. Bryan and his
followers should feel somewhat sore.
But examinations and recriminations
will not bind up old wounds and can
be productive of harm and only harm.
While these wings of the democratic
party are warning against each other
the whole country is suffering, and
this is particularly true of the south
ern section of il.
If the Cleveland wing or the Bryan
wing of the party succeeds to power
and obtains control of the government
the south is the better off because
whether Cleveland or Bryan occupies
the White House, the federal offices
in the south Will be filled by demo-
Gratis, and as long as these factions
war against each other, and the re-
publican party is permitted to con-
troll the government, the federal offices
of the south will be filled by republic
cans, which must prove hurtful to it,
as with here and there al exception,
they are not the best men in the cOun-
try, and exercise and control a perni-
ciOus influence.
1t is the duty of democrats to "get
together"
Let "bygones be bygOnes;" don't
open old lsOres and have them fes-
tering to the hurt of the common
good.
To subordinate everything to prin-
ciple is excellent, but is an irridiscent
dream so far as bringing success,
for as long as men and parties
continue as they are, it cannot be
realized.
Politics must be fought out on prac-
ticalln by democrats, and after it
obtains to power, the idealism of its
leaders may have some chance of be-
coming realistic.
What we want just now, is to sue
coed.
It's motto should be "tOr the safety
of the republic the republican party
must be destroyed"
And to this end all factions must be
healed, all forces welded together, and
all weapons employed, the one pur-
pose being the destruction of the
enemy.
We must use the argument used by
Abraham Lincoln in his efforts to
save. the union, he said:
my paramount object is to save
the union and not either to save or
destroy slavery. If / could save
the union without freeing any slave,
would do it. If could save it by |
freeing all the slaves, would do it,
and if l could do it by freeing some |
and leaving others alone, l would do |
that"
The paramount object of the demo-
cratic party should be to save itself |
and destroy the republican party hip |
and thigh.
So far as the editor of this paper is
he would rather succeed
with Mr.. Bryan than with Mr.. Cleve-
land, but he had rather succeed with
Mr.. Cleveland than not succeed at all.
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