Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-06-19
,Me..nse to pemocracx.


MessaRe to Democracy.
United we stand, divided we fall
This message has been delivered to the
Democracy that is worthy of the most
careful consideration of the members
of the party. The message is from
Senator Isidor Rayner, who represents
Maryland in the United States Senate
AS Maryland is one Of the states that
1t Is necessary for the Democrats to
carry to win the next election, thi.
message Of advice from her most dis.
t!ngulshed son on the course the party
should pursue Is the more worthy OF
attention.
"Of course" said Senator Rayner,
I'VE all appreciate the fact that when
new Issue arises the Democratic par.
ty must take Its stand upon one side OF
the other, and as new Issues develop
parties must enlarge and expand. No
one desires to restrict the Democratic
party either to a dead issue or simply
to those that existed at the time of Its
formation.
Now. have we any principles?
think we have. Has the Republican
parry stolen them? I acquit them of
the charge. think that they are en-
tirely innocent, and I do not believe
that they have any felonious intent or
design whatever to appropriate them.
Is the President Democrat? l most
respectfully deny it."
Senator Rayner, after showing the
lines that divide the two parties, said I:
I'VE must not. yield the slightest frac.
ton Of the supremacy of the States
over their own local and domestic con-
Germs. This Is our heritage, and we
must not barter it for wealth, for prog.
ress or prosperity. Prosperity may be
only temporary, but the foundations OF
the republic are perpetual.
I'm the next place, we are opposed
to governmental paternalsm. 1t is a
reproach to Jefferson to claim that IL
he were living he would be In favor
Of it. 1 predict, with great respect to
others who may differ with me, that the
day will never come when the govern.
ment 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 II 1t does not
answer the purposes of Its enactment
let us extend its provisions and sup
plement Its remedies SO that 1t will
meet any emergency that may arise.
There Is one proposition, however, that
the Democratic party must contend for
In this connection, and that is 1t must
demand complete obedience to the
existing statute. The railroad presI-
dents and officers Of our trunk lines
Must be made, once and forever, to real
lie that they are the servants, and not
the masters, Of the people,"
After suggesting platform upon
which all Democrats could mite, Sena.
tor Rayner closed by saying: IF we
advocate principles that are not Dem
ocratlc and be again defeated at the
polls, theR it looks to me as If the hour
of dlslntegration was at hand, because
the only thing that has kept up alive
through all the strange vicIssitudes Of
our fortune is the fact that we have
never yet wholly abandoned the his
toric 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 repuidate If he
were living; If it will only unite upon
essentials and not divide upon non
essentials; If 1t will only stand by the
old ritual and ont attempt to alter it
to suit every economic clique or mon
grel denomination that Is willing to
array Itself under Its banners: If it
will only abandon the worship of tenn
porary idols that are broken into frag-
ments with the close of every CAM
paign, and return to the worship of
those cardinal principles that will re-
main lmmutable SO long as the republic
lasts, regardless of the fact whether
parties discard them or not-then I be-
lieve that our mission is by no means
ended, but that, emerging from the
apathy and lethargy that now enyel-
ops us, we shall be recalled to life to
resume the activities of our normal ex-
istence and to the accomplishment OF