The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1914-02-06
| February
T HE DUTY THAT ALL DEMO
GRATIS OWE TO THEIR
PARTY.

The administration Of the government
is by parties. We have been under
party government since the formation of
The republic.
The first parties in existence after the
formation of this government was the
Democratic party, which was at first
called the Republican party, and the op
position party was called the Federalist
party. The Democratic party was led
by Thomas Jefferson and the Federalist
party was led by Alexander Hamilton
and his school.
Mr.. Jefferson became President in
eighteen hundred and was reelected in
eighteen hundred and four The Dem
oeratie party under Jefferson adopted
the principle Of the equal rights of the
people, and special privileges to none,
and it has been a cardinal principle of
the Democratic party ever since, and it
never was more sacredly regarded and
maintained than now, under the Demo
cratic administration of President Will
son and Democratic Congress, as is
clearly shown by all that it has done,
and by all it promises and intends to do.
And it has received in what it has done
the support and applause of the people,
and it will continue to have the support
of the people if it remains true to the
Democratic principles and policies.
But if it weakens or fails in the cour.
age of its principles and convictions it
will lose, and it will deserve to lose, the
support of the people,
If a party has no distinct principles
and no settled policy, it cannot either
maintain its organization or the support
Of the people.
The two great parties have con-
trolled the government for sixty years,
and during that time the Republican
party has been in power four ffths of that
time, but it has lost its hold, and is now
only broken and shattered wreck, and
is laundering on the shoals The rea-
81 n at the bottom of its defeat is that it
never had a settled and distinct set of
principles. 1t was sectional and pref
udiced organization, and its policies have
been those of greed and gain, and
special privileges to the few and injus-
tice and oppression of the many. 1t
was only question Of how long before
the people opened their eyes to its cor
ruption and injustice before disaster and
overwhelming defeat overlook it.
1t will be long time before, if ever,
it can regain the confidence of the peo-
pie, provided, of course, that the Dem
ocratic party is true to its principles and
the rights and prosperity of the people.
1t follows from this that, if the princi-
pies and policies of a party are sound,
and the party is true to itself, every
Democrat owes duty to his party.
A party is combination Of all the
people who believe in certain well UNDER
stood principles and policies In other
words, it is like church which has a
creed. All of its members must believe
in the creed and be true to it-other.
wise they are traitors.
So every member Of party must be
true to his party, and if not true he is
at once condemned by his party. Par
ties must have organization. 1t is an
absolute necessity. To that end it has
its committees and acts through and by
them. IF the party ticket is elected then
it has to appoint the minor officials to
carry on the business Of the country.
1t has to have leader or leaders. A