The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-01-10

Wooster, o., Jan. 9.-One of the
most successful eighth of January cell
ebrations ever held in this city in
commemoration of Jackson's victory
at New Orleans, took place here to-
night For forty-nine years the occa-
sion has been a red letter in the cal
endar of Wayne county democracy,
and the meetings in past years have
been addressed by such men as Val
laudingham, Thurman, Pendleton,
Bryan, and other leading democrats,
and the speaking tonight adds fur.
Their luster to the already bright
galxy.
Hon. ]. S. Beard. of Pensacola, Fla,
was the principal speaker, whose sub
ject was Political Principles and
Parties" and for more than an hour
he held his audience in almost speech
less silence at is drank in the elo-
quence that poured from his lips.
The crowd was large and many
we're the words of praise heard on all
sides of the speech of the noted and
brilliant SOutherner. The evening ex-
ercises closed with a banquet and a
ball
Mr.. Boards address was, in part,
as follows:
Boards Address.
There never has existed a free
country actively developing constitu-
tional liberty. and feeling deeply in
terested in solving the great problems
of right and justice in which there
were not also political parties, though
the history of many free countries ex-
hibit brief periods in which common
and imminent danger or a universal
and pure enthusiasm produced by a
happy combination of circumstances
quiet all existing differences for the
time being. England furnishes an ex-
ample of the former at the time of
the restoration. McCauley says
the great danger of military des-
potism united for the time cavaliers
and roundheads, Episcopalians and
Presbyterians, in recalling Charles the
Second to his ancestral rights as the
only hope of restoring constitutional
government and averting threatened
military despotism.
The first term of President Mon
roes administration, known in Ameri-
can political history as the era OF
good feeling is an instance of the
latter. So completely was all party
feeling quoted during that period,
that Monroe was reelected with but
one electoral vote against him, and
that vote cast against him avowedly
because the honor of being unanimous
" elected president of the United
States should always be distinguished
as having been bestowed upon Wash
ington alone.
Parties Should Exist.
1T is desirable that political parties
should exist in every free country, IL
those parties nave their foundation in
pure principles. with worthy and great
objects which inspire lofty ideals of
patriotism, constitutional liberty, and
the welfare and betterment of the
masses of the citizens The great
danger of political parties is, that
>they cease to advocate the principles
which were the cause of their being,
and degenerate into a mere scramble
fer Office betweet the ms and outs.
Party spirit is mistaken for patriot
ism, and every consideration is made
subservient to party success. De-
then the government in turn is prosti-
signing and ambitious leaders prosti-
which. and an istrument by which, to
ride into high official position, and
then the government in turn is prosti-
tuted to subserve private ends or con-
tinued party supremacy, or men be-
come so blinded by party zeal that
they can see no good outside of the
party to which they belong, and no
bad within the party; they mistake
the tenets and views of the party, for
the tenets and views of the country