The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1920-04-22
REPUBLICAN PARTY's
PRINCIPLES EXPLAINED
BY JUDGE CHARLES KERR.
Continued from Page Four)

forms as late as 1856. The sentiments
expressed in these Resolutions lead
inevitably to the Civil War. They
could lead no where else. When Chief
Justice Marshall decided that the Su
preme Court was the final arbiter of
all constitutional questions, and not
the states, the issue became so acute
that Jefferson began a series of at
taoks on the judiciary, and, had he
succeeded in breaking down that
branch of government, by having Mar
shall and other of its members i'm
peached, as he sought to do, the Union
would have been destroyed before it
had hardly begun.
National Finances.
Another fundamental difference
arose out of the position taken by
Hamilton with reference to the ma
tional finances. Jefferson carried his
state exclusiveness into this branch of
domestic order with the same tenacity
of purpose he had exhibited with ref
erence to the subject of states rights,
Hamilton sought to build up a sound
financial system, based on a unifarm
currency. The Democratic adherents
were always averse to a National
Banking system, and in consequence
there was much confusion and finan-
cial distress growing out of the state
issues through local institutions. A
moi
states, came to be almost as disas-
trous as the present rates Of exchange |
between this country and the Euro
pean states.
The Tariff.
The tariff was another early point
of difference. This, too, originated
with Hamilton. AS the North gradual
ly became a manufacturing commun-
ity, and the South an agricultural sec
ton, the question of tariff, as against
free trade, became a vital issue, and
out of this grew the Notification Act
of South Carolina, when, strange
enough, Jackson took decided stand
against the Nullifiers. Free Trade, or
the nearest approach thereto, a tariff
for revenue only, has been one of the
cardinal tenets of the Democratic
party, except when they had an OPP
portunity to enforce it.
Internal Improvements.
Another divisive issue was that of
Internal Improvements. AS late as
1880, when Hancock was nominated by
the Democrats, their platforms carried
plank to the effect that there was no
provision of the Constitution which
warranted the government in carrying
on system of internal improvements.
Under President Monroe and again I'M
der President Jackson the entire sys-
TEN of internal improvements was dis
supted, only to find the Democrats four
score years and more later passing
the largest internal improvement bud
get that had been passed by any party
up to that date.
Slavery was more a sectional than a {
party issue, though many of the issues
involving the question of the rights of ,
eminent were used in the slavery de-
bates.
Democrats Have Failed. {
These, In brief, are among the most t
distinguishing points of difference to I
be found in the fundamental policies t
of the two great parties. Reviewing
these one is warranted in asserting /
that not since the foundation of the
government has the Democratic party G
initiated or fostered any great Con- t
question that it has not t
failed or resulted in disaster. This is {
a matter of historic rtuh. The history S
Of the two parties demonstrate it. a
The Democratic party of today Il
would not risk its integrity today upon L
an affirmation of the Kentucky Resolu- "
tons, as it did in 1856. On that issue f.
hey failed. e
AS opponents of a National bank Il
ng system, as destructive of the vital a
principles of government, because of r
is tendency to centralize the money is
If the country, they not only failed, n
put now claim to be the author of o.
system that is the most centralizing 81
hat has yet been devised. g,
AS tariff reformers they have been a Of
failure. j
Opposition to internal improvements W
lied with Hancock. o
Slavery as constitutional right has pi
passed into history. C
The championship of states rights
las been transferred to the Republican pl
,arty
Democratic AutOcracy. st
Government ownership is directly u
opposed to the Jeffersonian theory al
hat the National Government could OF
lot even own stock in any kind of a Ell
public service company, such as 81
canals, turnpikes, and the like. ii
The League of Nations stands out in it
bold opposition to every theory of for m
,ign ENHANCEMENT and international OIL
advocated by Jefferson N
md Madison. bt
From having been opposed to CEN OF
in every form, we have &c
'een grow up under seven years of to
Democratic rule the most pernicious m
md dangerous advancements toward A
autocracy that has been ex- OF
libited in the whole history OF the Re d.
'ublic. We have seen grow up a sys- tn
EN- OF bureaucratic liberalization that by
las approached the danger point in pa
he administration OF national affairs. A.
IL 1. L. l.