The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-06-07
MESSAGE TO
DEMOCRACY
WE STAND DIVIDED WE
FALL"

WAShlNGION, u u, May oVs n
message has just been delivered to the
Democracy that is worthy of the most
careful consideration OF the members
Of the party. The message is from
1 Senator Isidor Rayner. who represents
Maryland in the United States Senate.
AS Maryland is one of the states that
Il is necessary for the Democrats to
carry to win the next election, this
message of advice from her most dis
tinguished son Of the course the party
should pursue is the more worthy of
attention.
''Of course" said Senator Rayner,
1--WE will appreciate the fact that when
a new issue arises the Democratic
party must take it's stand upon one
side or the other, and as new issues
develop parties must enlarge and ex-
pand. No one desires to restrict the
Democratic party either to dead Is
sue or simply to those that existed
at the time of its formation.
Now. have we any principles?
think we have. Has the Republican
party stolen them? ! acquit them OF
| the charge. / think that they are en-
tirely innocent, and do not believe
that they have any felonious intent for
design whatever to appropriate them.
| Is the President a Democrat? | most
respectfully deny it.
Senator Rayner after showing the
lines that divide the two parties, said;
I'VE must not yield the slightest frac-
| ton of the supremacy of the States
over their own local and domestic
| concerns. This is our heritage, and
we must not barter it for wealth, for
progress or prosperity. Prosperity
may be only temporary, but the foun-
dations of the republic are perpetual.
'In the next place, we are opposed
to governmental paternalism. 1t is re-
proach to Jefferson to claim that If
he were living he would be in favor OF It..
I predict with great respect to others
who may differ with me, that the day
will never come when the Government
of the United States will own and
operate the railroads of the country.
Let us give the present Railroad
law fair test and trial, and If it does
not answer the purposes of its enact
ment let us extend its provisions and
supplement it's remedies so that 1t VIII
meet any emergency that may arise.
There is one proposition, however
that the Democratic party must con-
tend for in this connection, and that
| is it must demand complete obed'
fence to the existing statute. The rail-
road presidents and officers OF our
trunk lines must be made, once ana
forever. to realize that they are the
servants. and not the masters, OF the
people"
After suggesting a platform upon
which all Democrats could unite, Sen
ator Rayner closed by saying: II
1--WE advocate principles that are not
Democratic and be again defeated at
the polls. then 1t looks to me as If the
hour of disintegration was at hand;
because the only thing that has kept
us alive through all the strange viclssl-
tudes of our fortune is the fact that
we have never yet wholly abandoned
the historic traditions of our faith and
have never yet, upon all the pages OF
our history, sounded final retreat
'If the Democratic party will only
follow Jeffersonian precepts and AK
IONS without attempting revised edl-
ton that he would repudiate If he were
living; if it will only unite upon
essentials and not divide upon non
essentials; if it will only stand by the
old ritual and not attempt to alter II
IN suit every economic clique or
mongrel denomination that is willing
to array itself under its banners; II
If will only abandon the worship OF
temporary idols that are broken into
fragments with the close of every cam
paign. and return to the worship OF
those cardinal principles that Will re-
main immutable so long as the repuo-
lie lasts, regardless of the fact wheth7
err parties discard them or not-then
believe that our mission is by no
means ended, but that, emerging from
the apathy and lethargy that now en- /,
velops us, we shall be recalled to LIE
10 resume the activities Of our normal
existence and to the accomplishment