of Governor Herbert R. O'Conor 153

prompted him to a course of action quite in harmony with the highest
political philosophy. "

Death came to this begrizzled warrior at his home, the Hermitage, in 1845.
It can truly be said that his people, the plain people, could not find words ade-
quate to express their grief, but they mourned him only as England mourned
in Tennyson's lament:

"Oh good gray head, that all men knew;
Oh, iron nerve, to true occasion true;
Oh, fallen at length, that tower of strength,
That stood four-square to every wind that blew. "

Before he "crossed the bar" a most interesting occurrence took place with
General Sam Houston as one of the leading figures. Though facing death
"Old Hickory" was resolved that Texas would ratify the resolution of annexa-
tion passed by the Congress, and he waited anxiously for word from the mes-
sengers he sent to the Lone Star President. Finally, on May 26th, he was
elated to receive Houston's favorable decision. Furthermore, he was informed
that "Old Sam" was on the way to report in person to his former military
chief. At dusk on June 8th, some hours after Andrew Jackson had finally
entered into the great beyond, a coach rolled madly into the Hermitage grounds
and the towering figure of Sam Houston emerged, accompanied by a very small
boy. When led into the presence of the earthly remains of his one-time chief,
Houston broke down and sobbed and calling his son to his side he said: "My
son, try to remember always that you have looked on the face of Andrew
Jackson. "

But in the light of all this, what lesson does it bring to us? What sig-
nificance has it in the light of present day problems or of future emergencies?
The meaning of it and the causes for which Jackson and his co-founder Jefferson
lived and fought and died would be wasted if it did not command us to carry
on—now! Their Party, your Party, the Democratic Party, is the political
organization which has lasted throughout the history of the Country. It has
survived a Civil War, which temporarily disfranchised a majority of its mem-
bers. It has lived through the lean years of defeat and, what is more remark-
able, through long stretches of practically unopposed success. Doubtless there-
in lies the real reason for its long life. Primarily, it is because the Party was
built upon a rock—the never shifting principle that government belongs to the
people. And of no less importance, the Party has continued to exist because
of its response to progressive and liberal ideas.

Let us, on this day, re-dedicate ourselves to the ideals of Democracy as
symbolized by Jackson, by Jefferson and by Roosevelt. In recurring instances,
fraught with difficult conditions, the Democratic Party has striven to bring
about betterment for the great mass of people and to chart a course in keeping
with the time and conditions, for our national life and activities. Also the
underlying philosophy has been the same although the means necessarily was
different. But by adhering in the future to this same philosophy, by mani-
festing the courage of Jackson in fighting to retain the gains already won, we
will so strengthen our life that the dangers which come from further difficulties
will be mastered. The dangers which come from the importation of various
"isms'* will be dissipated through the application of this doctrine of a system
of government based upon the individual's inalienable rights. The dangers