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

is synonymous with the country's good.
With them, party success justifies any
and every method by which party
success is attained.
Well ExempIified.
This is well exemplifed by what
Dumont says of Brissot:
He was one of those men in whom
party spirit was stronger than ali
morals. or, rather, saw no morals ex-
. cept in the party. He had more of the
monastic zeal than any one else. As
Capuchin, he would have loved his
yermin; as Dominican. he would have
burned heretics; as Roman, he would
not have shown himself unworthy OF
following Cato or Regulus; as French
republican, he was bent on destroying
monarchy, and neither disdained to
eliminate nor to prosecute, nor him
self to perish on the scaffold, so that
he obtained his object.s
Principles sntedate parties, which
are, or should be, organized to advo-
cate and enforce principles. The poll
cies of party should always be the
application of the fundamental princi-
Pies of the party to existing condi-
tons. Belief IN the same fundamental
principles unites men in the same
political party, and when She party de-
serts, betrays or abandons those fun
damental principles which are the
cause of its being, from expediency,
or to serve some selfish or unworthy
end. or when leaders actuated by
selfish ambitions or venal motives,
pledge the party to a course of con-
CuCt, or to policies antagonistic to. or
not in accord with, the fundamental
principles of the party, then, if devo-
ton to principle is stronger with the
rank and file than mere party name
and party association. there is defec-
ton, and defeat is quick and sure,
and unless there is a timely and en-
phatic recurrence TO fundamental
principles, the disintegration of the
party is inevitable.
Principles of Democracy.
The great party to which we be-
long. and in honor of one whose he
roes We assemble tonight, derives its
fundamental principles from the fun,
damental law of our country, and are
based upon the eternal truths enun-
ciated in the declaration of independ-
ence. Jefferson. who was the author
Of that declaration, and the founder
of our party, stands related to the con-
stitution of the United States as Aris-
tOtle does to the Iliad Homer wrote
the poem. but from the poem Aristotle
deduced the rules of poetry. Mason,
Madison and other sages made the
constitution, and from the constitu-
tion Jefferson distracted the doctrines
of federative representative repub-
lican government, and demonstrated
that they alone are adapted and suited
to the genius of a free and enlighten-
ed people Those distractions arel
the fundamental principles Of the
democratic party.
Strict Adherence Necessary.
1T is not my purpose to discussl
those principles. That belongs to al
different subject. / only intend al
limited aliusion as necessary to show
that principles should be the life
blood of political parties, and strict
adherence to principles should be nee
essary to their existence. ConcreteI
examples are more demonstrativel
than abstract discussions, and thel
democratic party has received twot
emphatic object lessons in the past
ten years, which teach that the demo-
cratic rank and file expect and de-
mand an adherence to democratic
principles. In 1892 the democratic
party won sweeping victory. Cleve-l
lands popular plurality was four hun
dred thousand; and when he was in.
augurated president of the United
States on the fourth day of March, |
1893, the senate was democratic, and
the party had ninety-two majority in
the house of representatives. For the
first time since the fourth of March,
1891. the executive and both houses
of congress were under democratic
control. But so shameless was the
betrayal and abandonment of 'thei
principles bf the party-so abjectlyI
were those principles surrendered toI
the enemies of democracy for sinister
ends by the so-called democratic ad-
ministration, that in the election of
1894 the democratic people admins
TO the leaders who had BETRAYED them
Regulated Cleveland.
In that year there was a congression-
al election throughout the United
States, and a state election in many
OF the states. The whole power oil
the administration was brought to,
bear. The cabinet officers were on
the stump Federal officials through
out the Union brought every influence
to work. Every nerve and every en-
ergy was exerted to secure an en-
dorsement at the polls, but all in vain.
An outraged and betrayed people arose
in the majesty of their might. No
state went democratic outside of the
South except California, and some of
the Southern states were found in
the republican column. Missouri and
Kentucky for the first time since the
war between the states, went against
the democratic party, The four hun.
dren thousand democratic plurality of
1892 was changed TO republican plu-
rality of Overcome million. Outside of
the South. only thirteen democrats
were returned to congress. The New
England states, together with New
York and New Jersey, returned only
six democratic REPRESENTATIVES to con-
gress. five from New York and one
from Massachusetts. The democratic
majority of 80 in the house of repre-.
sentatives was changed to a republi-
can majority OF one hundred and sixty
two Is Nan