The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-01-09
'.MARsE HENRY" AND THE DEMO
CRATIC PARTY

| Colonel j. Fred DeBerry's paper
The Florida Cracker-now printed in
Jacksonville and which essays to be
| the official organ Of the, republican
party of Florida. quotes Colonel Henry
| Watterson, late editor of the Louis.
Vile Courier-Journal, as follows:
With such men as Col. Henry Wat
terson, than whom there is none bet
ter in American journalism, and who
stood for the Democratic party as long
las there was anything to stand for
that meant democracy, predicting "the
Republicans will sweep the country in
1920" and expressing belief that
we would carry several of what are
called the Southern states"-is it not
ia waste of time and money for the
democrats to hold a nationl conven-
'tion next summer"
The genial ex-editor may be cor
rectly quoted, but we are inclined to
the belief that the statement is some.
what distorted.
Colonel Watterson has sung the re-
QUEEN of the democratic party afore.
time.
So far as we have seen his latest
utterance of the demise of this great
party is as follows:
Historic democracy is dead. This
is not to say that democratic party
organization has ceased to exist. Nor
does 1t mean that there are no more
democrats and that the democratic
party is dead in the sense that the
federalist party is dead or the whig
party is dead, or the greenback party
is dead, or the populist party is dead.
THAT which has died is the democratic
party OF Jefferson and Jackson and
Tilden. The principles of government
which they laid down and advocated
have been for the part obliterated.
What slavery and secession were I'M
able to accomplish has been brought
about by Matchmaking sumptuary laws
and suffrage.
"The death blow to kJeffersonian de-
mocracy was delivered by the demo.
cratic senators and representatives
from the south and west who carried
through the prohibition amendment.
1.-THE coup de grace was administered
by resident of the United States
elected as democrat when he approx
ed the federal suffrage amendment to
the constitution"
But the amiable colonel does not
permit the republican party to gloat
over the death of it's old time adycr.
,sary. He magnanimoIsly puts u to
sleep alongside of it almost Ia the
ssme grove.
Here is what he says, Colonel Fred:
| Historic republicanism is likewise
dead, as dead as historic democracy,
only in both cases the labels surviv-
ing" ~
The kindly old gentleman likewise
in the same breath tells us of the
death of the populist party, the green.
back party, and Colonel Andersen's
late bull moose" party
The democratic party, historic"
and otherwise. nor it's leaders, some
now or other, have never exactly set
we'll with the Kentucky colonel He
rs been one of its persistent and
pitiless critics.
Some how or other tho democratic
party could never reach ap to his
high altitude.
While processing great admiration
for Mr.. Samuel ]. Tilden. that peer
less statesman was the object of his
criticism because he did not place
himself at the head of an imposing
host, march boldly on to Washington
and take the office to which he was
elected nolens volens.
Those of us who have read his let
tiers entitled; Looking Backward"
will have discovered that he was no
more pleased with the administrations
of Grover Cleveland than he is with
the administrations of Woodrow Wi
son, and it will be remembered that
when William Jennings BRYAN was
nominated in 1896 the colonel flew the
coop entirely and became the stall
wart supporter of the Palmer and
Buckner aggregation.
Actions speak louder than words.
so Couonel Watterson ESad not be
told that he has never really been
democrat at heart-he has only
worn its label
AS to his political prophesies it will
hardly do him any injustice to say
that they are about on par with the
weather predictions of the eminent
Professor Porta.