The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-01-02
THE DEMOCRACY.

Colonel Patrick I:enrv Wiz. ston is
republican. but he is a',l., % weigh the
respective merits an3 demelits of the
two great parties with say and fair
ness. He says in his Weekly:
1t is frequently said that there is
no difference between the two pOlitl-
cal parties, and that we have had
both political parties in power, in the
last decade, and that the country pros
pers about as we'll under the one as
the other.
The student of political history
knows that while, at times, the two
great political parties have on political
and economical issues approached very
near to each other the radical differ
ence between them is that the demo-
cratic party i a party Of fixed govern
mental principles while the republican
party is what IS called in France, an
apportunist party.
This statement may cause some to
smile who nave been in the habit OF
disclosing of the democratic party with
the. jibe that it does nothing but oppose
and condemn. but the statement is
nevertheless true. The father of de-
mocracy was Thomas Jefferson, the
most consummate statesman ever pro-
duced in any country. He found the
affairs of the nation in chaos when
he came to the presidency, as the re-
suit of the latitudinarian views of gov
eminent which had prevailed before
the government into an elemosyonary
institution for the benefit of the old
soldiers of the revolutionary war. he
set his master mind to work to lay
down and define the true province of
free government and to set a limit to
the powers which might safely be eX-
ercised by it. These principles OF
government he left as a heritage to
the democratic party and that party
has ever since professed to be gov
erned by them. That it has not al
ways been faithful to them is beside
the point. 1t processes them and not
Withstanding its tergiVersatiOnS al
ways returns to them. ct followed
of Buchanan and with one or two
short intervals was retained by the
people in power because of that fact.
1t went off after slavery and aristOc
racy in 1860, both of which were anti
Jelfersonian. and gave its chance to the
republican party which had lately
been formed and was composed of the
remnants Of The old Whg party and q
heterogeneous mass of opposition, rep
resenting every shade of political opin
ion in opposition to the then domi
nant democratic party. Nevertheless
the republican party of that day had
great and patriotic leaders ana the
crisis of rebellion and war moulded
It's elements together and gave it
force and conference. 1t subserved a
great purpose and viii be remember
ed with gratitude h>o ali lovers of lib
erty. Its great leader was second to
none as 9 statesman and his principles
OF government We're modelled on those
of Jefferson.
But the party as q whole. neither
then nor since. had any fixed princj-
pies by which to measure government
tai policies. Claiming to be the party
of progress it has scanned the politi
cal horizon for what It called progress
siVe issues always, however, with an
eye to the applause of the people. and
in doing 50 it has treated the constitu
ton Of the country as if it We're writ
ten in wax. And it has successfully
turned the finger of ridcule at the
democratic party because that party
constantly objected, when the most
patriotic act that any party could per
form was to object and protest and to
keep objecting and protesting.
The democratic party objected to q
protective tariff on the ground, not
that it would not stimulate manufac-
lures, but that It would overestimate
them and in the end make hem the
masters of the people they were in
tended to serve, ana on the further
ground that the function of govern
meut was to protect life. liberty and
property and not to grant special priv
ileges 10 a few individuals, Our man
gfacturers might not have been as
far advanced if the democratic OBJ
lection had been needed, although
that is open to question, but it is GER
tain that We would not now be sub