Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1925-04-11
OLDFIELD DISCUSSES
THE TWO PARTIES
Draws Interesting Contrast Between Democracy And Re
publicanism Thinks Very Little Difference Exists
Today And In The Time Of jefferson

delineated and defined by him are the
specific ones to the preservation of
which the great Democratic Party
stands forever committed. The men
and women of America who believe in
sound liberalism and who subscribe
to the doctrine of equal rights to all
and special privileges to none should
begin now to organize Jefferson clubs
throughout the country. Jefferson's
birthday should be celebrated on the
18th of April and his doctrines instill-
ed in the minds of the people.
These were the two theories of gov
eminent in the days of Hamilton and
IJeferson; and these are the two the
cries of government in this country
today; and the line of demarcation
between them is just as clear and dis
tinct today as it was in the days of
Alexander Hamilton and Thomas
Jefferson. The Republican party of
today is the maithful disciple of the
Hamiltonian idea; while the Demo
cratic party is the disciple of the JEFF
ersonian idea; and, in their last analy-
sis, the great contests of today be-
tween the Republican party and the
Democratic party are predicated upon
causes not dissimilar in the least to
those that divided Hamilton and JEFF
ferson.
1t was the spirit of democracy-of
an aroused democracy-that extorted
from King John, Of England, the
Magma Charta; that led Benjamin
Franklin to present in a written con-
stitution at Albany the principles of
which have been carried into every
State constitution as we'll as the Fed
eral Constitution; that brought about
the famous Virginia Bill of Rights
that went so far in the establishment
of the fundamental rights and priv
leges of each and every citizen; that
was the characterizing spirit of the
Declaration of Independence; that
made the issue with England that
precipitated the American Revolu-
ton; that was guarded and protected
by Jefferson and Madison and by
them woven into our Constitution;
that waged the fight against the alien
and sedition laws and drove them out
of our statutes; that defeated the OBJ
noxious United States bank PROPOSE
ton under the leadership of Andrew
Jackson; that characterized the very
warp and wool of the many enact
ments brought about under the ad-
ministration Of that great scholar
statesman, and patriot, Woodrow Will
son; enactments that were bitterly
contested by those of today who would
establish a government of class and
wealth with autocratic power, and
who in 1920 openly denounced and
condemnd virtually every act OF
that administration, and who, when
clothed with the power to do it, were
too cowardly to attempt the repeal OF
serious modification of single one of
these many enactments.
From the very hour that King John
yielded the Magma Charta to this good
hour the way of democracy has been
hard one. 1t was the realization of
this truth, no doubt, that caused that
great IRISH statesman, Curran, to ex-
claim, External vigilance is the price
of liberty" and that exclamation is
just as timely today as it was on the
day it was uttered in 1908; and the
way of democracy holds no promise
of future easier than the past. 1t
is one eternal fight, and an eternal
fight only, that will preserve to the
great body of the American people
the precious heritages that have been
gained for them by Franklin, Wash
ington, Jefferson, and Madison; by
Jackson and Lincoln-for Lincoln was
extremely democratic-and by Cleve-
land and Wilson, heritages now in
trusted to our keeping and of which
we must make account to the future.
From 1908 to 19O9-during the Fiji
ty-ninth, Sixtieth, and Sixty-irst Con-
gresses-it did seem that American
government by class and wealth and
autocratic power had reched it's zenith
and had expended it's force; and the
results of the general election of
1910 seemed to justify such an as
sumption. The general elections of
1910, 1912, 1914, and 1916 seemed to