The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-05-11
THE NAME WHICH CANNOT FADE.

''Party names fade" says John Nor
ley, forms of words grow hollow, the
letter kills; what was true in the spirit
lived on, for the worlds circumstance
needed and demanded it,"
This pity expression of political his
tory is almost literally true. The
names of most parties are hardly his
toric, while what was true and avail
able survived, as to spirit and princi-
pie. One party name, however, Demo-
crazy, seems destined to live as long as
language.
Democracy in the broadcast sense is a
term co-extensiye with history. 1t has
"a fundamental meaning. 1t is the
animating faith Of that liberalism which
has been behind universal development,
behird the growth of free institutions.
Democracy has come to be sort of
political religionAit stands in some de-
gree for the belief of every man of the
capacity for thought-upon the rela-
tionship of the individual to society.
1t represents conviction of growth and
progress in the destinies of mankind.
Still in another sense it stands for the
well-being of the social order.
Morley considers democracy as faith
in progress. To think of progress. he
says, as certainty of social destiny, as
the benignant outcome of some eternal
cosmic law, has been the most splendid
and animated of superstitions; one deep
ening into kind of fatalism, radiant,
confident and infinitely hopeful.
The idea of faith suggests striving,
faith we have what seems to be true
n "a off ba al ;,A,
upon the governing law of the human
the history of the French Republic.
through American independence and
English liberalism, democracy is found
to be just that, and it's remoter, more
varied and less emphatic history dis
closes the same-faith and effort in
social progress, moral progress in man
ners and institutions.
Out of democracy in the broader sense
has developed the Democracy of Amer
lea. 1t is a survival of what was true
in spirit and principle in the democracy
of preceding history.
Democracy, in the party. sense, is en-
lightened liberalism applied to modern
conditions. Its saving doctrines, vital
truths and quickening fundamentals,
looking ever to the preservation of the
balance between the utmost individual
liberty and the good of the body polite,
keeping apace with every growing con-
dition and develop new safeguards
against every threatened or attempted
deprivation. Democracy, because fund
amental, is elastic, or all-comprehensive.
Democracy, because of it's simplicity, is
universal in application, and therefore
must endure. Democracy is the protest
of individualism against inimical forces
or influences in whatever form, and the
conflicting tendencies of mankind must
ever continue to be individualism on
the one hand and collectivism on the
other. Nothing can replace the demo-
cratic principle, and nothing is liable to
supplant the name of the party in this
country, because of the names historic
natural and fundamental significance.
Democracy is, precisely as any other
party, susceptible of temporary perver.
sion, of sophistry, casuistry, cant, crook.
edness and every other species of lie
and error that human stupidity OF
human ingenuity may stumble into OF
devise: but no amount of mistake OF
misapprehension can destroy it's trutI
and no amount of misapplication car
affect its ultimate value to society.