Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-08-01
TRUE DEMOCRAT
STANDS STRICTLY FOR EQUAL
TY BEFORE THE LAW.
Opposition to All Taxes That Tend to
Foster Monopoly Is Cardinal Prin-
eIpIe Of the Disciple Of jefferson.

SeeNN "NbNfNaJ ih0 80
eIpIe Of the Disciple Of jefferson.
The dictionaries and Mr.. Bryan de-
fine a Democrat as one who adheres
to a government by the people. But
that is only a nominal definition-one
which explains only the meaning Of
the term defined without indicating
anything more Of the nature of the
thing signifed by it than is implied
by the term itself to everybody who
understands its meaning. 1t is equiva-
lent to saying that a Democrat Is a
Democrat.
What is needed at this time is not
a nominal but a real definition of the
word-one which will explain the ma
ture Of the thing defined by reference
to its origin and history in connection
with American politics. Such a def
milton would necessarily relate back
to the principles set forth by Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison in 1898
and 1899, when those men founded the
Democratic party Of the United States
those principles being embodied in
certain resolutions, and in a report
made by James Madison to the Vir-
ginia legislature, insisting upon a
strict construction of the language of
the federal constitution respecting the
powers granted to the general govern
ment and those reserved to the states.
A Democrat, then, is a strict-con'
structionist. That is his chief char
acteristic. He believes in the doctrine
of state rights, or local self-govern-
ment-that is, home rule-as opposed
to Capitalization and Imperialism. He
believes in equality before the law,
and therefore opposes the creation OF
vested rights or prerogatives and pri'
vate ~monopolies by legislation. He be.
lieves in taxation for revenue only,
and therefore opposes any and all
taxes that foster monopoly, as our
tariff laws do at this time. He be-
lieves in the right of trial by jury as
that right is guarded by the Consti-
tuition; and Is therefore opposed to
government by injunction. He be-
lieves in majority rule in every locali-
ty, but that a majority Of the people
in the whole country have the right to
rule the minority only SO long as 1t
rules in conformity with the COM
pact expressed in the Constitution;
whereby it is agreed that a majority
of the representatives Of the people
in one branch of congress, and a ma,
jority of senators representing sover
eign states in the other branch, shall
make general laws subject to a quail
fed veto by the president, and to
numerous restrictions imposed by the
terms of the constitutional compact.
A Democrat also associates himself
with the political party which, from
its birth in 1898, has always stood
pledged to carry out it's policies in
accordance with these general princi-
pies. He opposes those who seek to
evade or nullify constitutional provi.
sions by stretching and twisting such
provisions in applying them to cur
rent legislation or current judicial pro-
ceedings. He is plainly distinguish.
able from an Ochlocrat, on the one
hand, and from an imperialist on the
other. For ochlocracy Ia a form of
government in which the multitude
rule directly; whereas, in a democra-
cy like ours, they govern through
their representatives. And imperial
ism-even such as the imperial DEM
ocracy Of Athens-denies to its sub
jects the right of representation in its
legislative body and taxes them with
out their consent; whereas our democ-
racy, both in its origin and in its con
tinuing purpose, repudiates that sys-
TEN.
Perhaps 80 per cent. Of the people
o. this country honestly adhere to the
theory Of government by the people
and may, In that sense, be called
democrats. But many of them believe
in ochlocracy, and many others be-
lieve in imperial democracy. In party
nomenclature, however, only those
who believe in representative democ-
ratio government, and adhere to the
strict construction of the Constitution
are Democrats.
Ar IInfn.nafa PrAeidAnf