The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-09-15
A DEFINITION OF DEMOCRACY


control of the st. Louis Republic, and
in doing so has set forth a platform
which the Trenton IN. J.) American,
Mr.. Woodrow Wilson's personal or
gan, says might we'll be accepted as a
statement of the fundamental princi-
pies of democracy.
These statements are the follow
ing:
Equal rights and equal opportuni-
ties" Correct.
Hatred of privilege and injustice,
bosses and corruptionists Correct
at would trust the whole body of
the people at any time with any re-
sponsibility voluntarily assumed rath-
er than yield control to one man or
to small group of men, no matter
how wise or how good Theoreti-
cally correct, but how often are ma
jOrities wrong of their own volition,
and how often are they led wrong
by designing and INSCRIPTIONS lead
ers? The majority in Arizona ia
vored the recall of judges" 4 DEM
Ocratic house of representatives at
the instance of the president, turned
them down
1T holds that the taxation of one
American for the benefit of another
American is not only robbery, but
tyranny. 1t believes that the extor-
| tionate tariff, falsely upheld by its
beneficiaries as profitable to all
Americans, is in fact VIGOROUSLY I'M
equal and oppressive"
Correct. But what are we to do
when We see Louisiana democrats up
| holding the tax on sugar; Alabama
congressman upholding the tax on
iron and steel; Florida democrats up
holding the tax on oranges, cotton
and pineapples?
1T is committed to the idea that
government as partisan of the few
must be taken out of business, and
that business as a self-seeker must
be taken out of government"
Well, how are we to do, under the
primary system? 1t costs money to
obtain office, at least in Florida 1t
costs forty thousand dollars and up
wards to go to the United States SEN
ate and upwards of twenty-five thous-
and dollars to occupy the gubernato-
rial office. What is the poor man
to do? If he permits his friends to
conduct the campaign for him he
will be under monetary obligations
10 them, and he will have strings at
tached to him, and when legislation
is enacted in which they are inter
ested how will he escape criticism
1T believes in personal liberty
that does not infringe upon the
rights of others"
That is an innocent looking plank,
but it brings up the question of pro-
hibition, Sunday observance. and a
great many others, upon which the
uCAOSA oliS PAL ~ ia lHIS SSCCIOu at
least is hopelessly divided.
1T sees no hope of prosperity and
progress except in obedience to the
constitution and the laws"
That is an innocent looking plank
also. But how are we to give obedi-
ence to the constitution? For in
stance, the constitution of the United
States says that 1.-The right to bear
arms shall never be infringed." But
it is infringed, and this infringement
is upheld by our courts of last re-
sort. In a recent letter to the New
| Yorw World, Mr.. R. F. Taylor, justice
of the supreme court of Florida, says
that if you will read the case of
Cruikshank VS. United States. in 90
L. S. S. c. reports you will see that
the federal supreme court has held
that the second amendment of the
federal constitution is a check solely
upon congress, and has no applica-
ton to the states or to their legisla-
lures In other words, this section of
the federal constitution applies only
to the congress of the United States,
and may at any time be made nuga-
! tory in all the states that form the
federal union, and if one constitution
al provision, why not all?
Finally, it is opposed to centrali-
cation. TO usurpation to Imperialism
TO all forms of extravaganza and
waste, to a constantly increasing Of
ficialism to secrecy in public affairs
TO irresponsible boards and commits
sions, TO standpatters of every stripe
TO lawless combinations in restraint
of trade and industry. and to monop
oily of all kinds, whether of money, OF
goods. of production or of com
| MERGE"
| Are not the state and interstate
commissions combinations, and do
they not stand in opposition to com,
petition" which is the very life OF
trade?"