Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-24
DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES


ALL Democratic voters, but espe-
a cially the younger men, should
IA understand clearly that the prln-
ciples on the Democratic party are pre-
eiselv what they were in Jefferson's
time. and later, in Jackson's time. We
cannot lay too much stress on the vital
;mnortance of knowledge of the first
principles of Americanism in sane
and reliable consideration of the poll
ties of the day. Many writer's and
other guides on subjects of timely in
terest are utterly unreliable. Their
feelings would be hurt if this accusa-
tion were preferred against them di-
rectly and they might retort they were
talking or teaching according 10
their conscientious convictions. I'm
fortunately, they cannot distinguish
between conscientious convictions
and "preiudices." In order to rid him.
self of prejudice and form sound and
conscientious opinions the voter must
study the questions of the present in
relation to their historical antecedents,
or if this task should be beyond him.
must be prepared to give acquiescent
consent to the conclusions of men who
can convince him they have worked
their way to those conclusions along
the constructive and deductive lines of
a study of events in their relations TO
each other, to the mass of events and
the consequences of events, and have
not merely jumped at them. The stu
dent today will be a Democrat If he
apply to the task of choosing political
belief the same discriminative rules of
elimination and retention which he ap-
plies to other subjects on which he
must reach a permanent judicial atti-
tude, questions on which, in plain Eng
lish, he must make up his mind. Many
Americans who have grown to man
hood since the war of the rebellion
look on what happened in the time of
Washington, Jefferson and Hamilton as
ancient history, out of date and with |
reference to present problems as re-
mote as that of events in the early |
history of England. This mental atti- /
tude is deplorable and we hope to do !
our part in producing that reform |
which is desirable from the point of |
good Democracy. The principles and |
policies of Jefferson and Jackson are |
as vital today as they were three gen.
erations ago. They are at the founda-
ton of our federal, state and municipal |
systems of government. They were es-
sential to the formative period of the I
republic and the subsequent era of re-
markable national growth. They pre-
served American institutions through
out the grave crisis of the war of the
rebellion. jefferson had taught: I'VE |
shall never give up our Union, the last |
anchor of our hope" Jackson had |
taught: "At every hazard and by every !
sacrifice this Union must be pre-
served" Hence common sense not only
suggests but dictates that for the So
luton of every present day problem,
be it municipal reform, railway regu-
lation, tariff reform, currency reform, !
trust reform or publicity for campaign |
expenses, we need simply to ascertain
Democratic precedents and then pro-
pose and apply Democratic measures |
We believe sincerely that no student |
can possibly study present conditions
in relation to past events and future
prospects without receiving the con-
scientious impression that continu-
ance in power of the Republican party
with its devotion to interests rather
than to principles will be a misfortune
for the American nation.