The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-10-22
DEMOCRACY,
ORGANIZATION AND
RINGS.


The Vtrqinaan is a Democratic newspaper from
1t believes in the rule of the people
through the constitutional forms of government
adopted by our fathers. 1t believes that any
body or organization which in any way prevents.
the rule of the people through the accepted meth
cd is an enemy to the State. The Vtr9n,dn
opposes Republicanism because it has minimized
the principle of local selfgovernment, has re-
moved authority as far possible from the
people and has favored and passed such legis-
lation as has resulted in the formation of great
known as trusts, which have Tor
many wears controlled the Government OF the
country, and have passed laws which have rob-
bed the many for the be6t of the few. More
over locally speaking in the South the Repub-
liean party has been largely dependent upon
the negro vote, and when the Republican party
has been in power in any Southern State, The
difficulties besettng the practical every day lite
of the two races living side by side have been
greatly increased 1t has been found by practical
experience that the time has not yet come when
the South can live peaceably and properously I'M
der Republican rule.
The great question before us to-day is, "Does
our Government exist for the protection and ag
the benefit of the people of the countryl" The
Democratic party declares that all government
exists for the benefit of all the people, that the
best government is that which secures to the
people all their rights to life, liberty and prop
erty, with the least possible restriction, consis
tent with the public welfare that public Of
fee is public trust" and that in the selection
of public officers the people should be guaranteed
free ballot and a fair count, so that the will Of
the majority may rule.
OF necessity the Democratic party must be
organized to accomplish its purposes. If it is
organized it must have leadership. If it has
leadership the leaders must lead. 1t is folly to
raise cry against organization, and to call all
organization ring and machine Organ
zation becomes ring, only when it exists to
accomplish the selfish purposes of the men who
are leaders, and when in order to do this it de-
prives the rank and file of the party of free
ballot and fair count and thus overrides the
will of the people.
There will always be warfare in the ranks of
parties between the "lns" and the Outs.
Some people prefer certain men for leaders and
will work for them and praise them. Other men
prefer other men as leaders and will work for
them and praise them And this fact will cause
the formation of factions or parties within the
party, and fortunately or unfortunately the
partisans of both factions will criticize and
sometimes denounce each other. So long as the
different factions and the different leaders come
before the people and fight out their differences
in the open, and the people are given full OPP
portunity to express themselves, and the choice
of leaders is determined by the Free fair vote
of the, people the defeated party has no right to
complain, and can only comfort itself by the
soothing reflection of the short-sighted folly of
the people who voted ON the other side.
The Virqnian is not concerned to-day by any
question as to whether this faction or that shall
ocratic voters. But it is greatly concerned that
the Democratic voters of the State shall decide
for themselves which faction and which leaders
shall lead the party. The Vsryinidn may be-
lieve that certain men have greater ability to
serve the people than have some other men, and
that the Democratic party will be more success
full in the accomplishment Of its great mission
under certain leadership. But the most Inn
portant matter for all Democrats is the positive
assurance that whoever leads, and whoever is
nominated for Office in any section or sub-di-
vision of the State shall have received majority
Of the qualified voters OF the Democratic party
voting in the primary. The election machinery
must not be manipulated by those in charge, in
the interests Of special candidate to defeat
the will of the Democratic people. The regis
tration books must not be padded, absent and
dead men must not be voted. and the count mus.
not be made to correspond to the need to over
come majorities in other precincts. Such con-
duct defeats the basal principle of Democracy,
that the will of the people shall rule.
All of these violations Of the rights of the
people were perpetrated in the August Primary
in the Second Congressional District. The most
glaring frauds were discovered. The purpose
Of these frauds was to prevent the will of the
people from being carried out and to perpetuate
the rule of a "ring" Of selfish politicians The
men who perpctrated them and who connived
at them were not Democrats, they we're enemies
of the Democratic party, for they were traitors
10 the HIGHEST principles Of Democracy. the right