The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-02-27
LOOKING BAckWADs-

tempOraries hare 50 much to say ii
opposition to present day demonstra-
cya and have such hankering to go
back 10 sold time democracy we have
taken the time to scan some Of the
pIanks contained IN the democratic
platforms Of former times to ascertain
Just what @oId time democracy" Is o.
was-wl1at principles ii embodied that
are not embodied in the party Of to
day.
In the platform Of 1910 we find the
following plank.
aResoIyed. That the constitution
does not confer upon the general gov
eminent the power to commence and
carry on system Of internal improve
ments.
That is a part Of the ~old time de-
mocracy." -
May We ask in all good nature do
our democratic daiIies Of our seaport
cities advocate returning to that poll
CT and place upon Florida the entire
burden Of improving her twelve hun
bred miles of seaccast-the deepening
Of her harbors and the strengthening
OF her rivers2
And do we spurn federal aid in the
building Of our hard surface roads?
{ Again
In the same platform ne find anoth-
er plank reads as follows:
"Resolved, That congress has no
power to charter United States
bank; that we believe such an fnsti-
tuition one OF deadly hostility to the
best interests OF the country, danger
GUS to our republican institutions and
the liberties of the people, and calcu-
lated to place the business of the
country within the control Of a con
centrated money power, and above
the laws and viii of the people"
/ Do we want to abolish our present
banking laws and establish the wild
cat system that was productive of SO
many panics and monetary failures?
| During the great war through which
our country has passed there have
been no money panics and every
species and form of money bearing
the stamp of the government has been
kept at par.
There is nothing approaching it In
any Of the nations throughout all
history.
Well, we found yet another plank
the beauty and glamour Of which has
been destroyed by very recent de
veIopments.
! That plank reads as follows:
Resolved, That the liberal princi
pies embodied by Jefferson in the dec
laration Of Independence, and sane
toned in the constitution, which max
es ours the land OF liberty and the
asylum OF the oppressed Of every ma
ton, have ever been the cardinal
PRINCIPLES in the democratic faith;
and every attempt to abridge the
present privilege Of becoming citizens.
and the owners OF the soil among us,
ought to be resisted with the same
spirit which swept the alien and sedi-
ton laws from our statute book.
That was before bOlshevism was so
rampant and the l. w. VS. became
such threatening menace to our in,
stitutions and before it became neces-
sary to deport the Alexander e~g
mans and the Emma GoldmaEs g Dis
tant shores.
/ Do we still want to offer the gnite5
States as an asylum for the Larsnes
and Trotzkys?
/ All those resolutions we're reafirn
ed in the platform of 1914 with an ad
ditional plank opposing giving any OF
the public lands to the states which
since were so helpful in building our
railroads and maintaining our schools
| The platforms of 184S and 1852
dealt largely in the questions grow
ing out Of the discussion of slavery
which led to the war between the
states and are now dead issues.
The platform of 1868 dealt mostly
lin matters growing out of the war and
endorsed the reconstruction policy Of
President Johnson.
/ The platform OF 1872 was merely
Reinforcement Of the liberal republi-
can convention which nominated Hor
ACE Greeley for president.
The platform Of 1876 was largely an
impeachment Of the extravaganza OF
the party in power and its policy
(which gave birth to so much section
alism.
The platform OF 1880 declared Ior
home rlue. honest money. gold, SILVER
land paper, convertible into coin on
demand; a tariff for revenue only,Stne
lsubordination of the military to the
civil power, and thorough reform Oh
the civil service.
| II seems to us that there should be