Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1908-05-01

A printed circular signed by fourteen
Democratic members Of the Legislature
and twelve others has been sent
throughout the State and copy has
been received by The Times. The right
of any individual or combination Of
individuals To memorabilia party or
even the people is undisputed. IL Is
only when the free expression of such
a party is sought to be strangled in adj
vance Of party convention that such
memorial or appeal becomes offensive.
1t cannot be denied that the Demo-
cratic party has always recognized the
right of petition and yielded TO the de-
mands Of the people for any legisia-
ton they sought when their wishes
were presented and understood by
those enirustiug with making The
laws, but it does not follow as neces-
sary eorollary that few men who
have been elected to the legislat ure
have thereby been authorized to inter
pref the popular demand and place the
ban of party disapprobation and party
ostracism upon every Democrat who
may dissent from them as to the course
the party should pursue in any given
case or upon any subject in which the
basic principles of Democracy are not
involved. The introducing clauses of
the circular will arouse no antagon-
ism, but when these twenty-six gem
tiemen as ume to demand that no one
shall be allowed to represent his party
in State or National convention un-
Less he is pledged to the prohibition
movement they are asking little
more than will be tamely submitted TO
in this meek o. woods.u III the dispo-
sition of the Democracy to accord the
utmost latitude of the opinion to l1di-
vidual members consistent with es-
tablished party views to be disturbed
by every little faction which may
have theory or an ism which it
wishes to promulgate, there will be an
end to party harmony and party or
ganization. The question of prohibition
is wholly one of individual opinion
within the Democratic party. 1t no
more assumes to control that opinion
than it does sto designate the church
affiliations of it's members. Any at
tempt therefore to carry the Demo-
cratic organization over into the pro-
hibitIon camp either in the State or
the Nation will meet with the firm
resistance of large and respectable
body of men who are unwilling to sur
render their views upon this subject
even to accomn odate themselves to
the opinion Of SO eminently wise body
of Democrats as the fourteen who rep
resented their respective counties in
the last legislature and their twelve
associates. The proposition made by
Mr.. Kenny and his fellow signers TO
disqualify all Democrats who do not
share their particular views on this
question from membership in Demo
cratic conventions is so undemocratic,
unwise and disturbing to party har-
mony as necessarily to invite harsh
criticism and stubborn opposition from
those who are not prepared to go
body and boots into the prohibition
party. No one will dispute the right of
any of these twenty-six gentlemen to
be delegate to Democratic conven-
tion because of his. prohibition views,
and the same right must be accorded
to all others, otherwise qualified, how
ever much they may differ from those
views. If some people were less busy
in seeking to set the Democratic sail
to catch every breeze of popularity, no
matter from what direction it may
blow, there would have been no neces-
sity for either the circular or this arti-
cIe.-Fairmont Times.
The above expresses our sentiments
exactly but we wish to say further
that the democratic party is not the
exclusive property of the liquor inter
ests and that they have no more right
to run the democratic party than the
prohebitionists.