Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-03-20
The Democracy; a Choice must be
made.
From the Chicago Post, (war Democrat.)

The Democracy; Choice must be
made.
From the Chicago Post. (war Democracy
There is no doubt but within the great
Democratic party at this time there is differ
ence Of opinion as to the proper policy to be
pursued respecting the further prosecution of
the war. This does not arise from any lack of
patriotism, or devotion to the Union; but is
the result of the mad and reckless teachings
of a few desperate political leaders and news
papers, who, seeking notoriety, prefer even
that thesmost disreputable to the quiet selfap-
proval which all men feel they merit in doing
their duty to their country. The interference
and vind'ctiveness the Republican press has
helped these demagogues extremely.
The Democratic masses are loval to the
hearts core; there may be executions. hut
they are outnumbered ten to one by individ.
uals who are traitors at heart, yet in full com
munion and holding offics in the Republican
party. The Democratic party has been the
war party of this nation from the foundation
of the republic, and cannot be anything else,
without first repudiat.ng every honest princi-
pie for which Democrats have struggled, and
embracing every dishonest principle of every
dishonest party that has raised its leprous head
since the adoption of the Constitution.
There is a newspaper in this city called the
Chicago Times, which holds itself forth to the
country as the authorized organ of the views
and sentiments of the Democratic party. For
one year past, the paper of which we speak,
mas been laboring with all its industry and
means to educate the Democratic masses into
rank rebellion against the principles of their
party and against the great principles of
American constitutional liberty. How far it
has succeeded, supported as 1t has been by
some half dozen sheets in Ohio, one in Mich
igan, and three or four others scattered over
the northwest, is fully understood by the
public We have been Democrat always;
we nave done some service in the party, and
though we may not have the power to correct
the evil, or avert its results, we have deter
mined at least to enter our protest against
having the Democratic party converted into a
mere tribe of jayha"kers, acknowledging no
allegiance to constitution and laws, but SUBJ
ject at cut-throat's order to make war on
friend or foe.
We haye seen little, ve:y little in Mr. Lin
caln's administration to approve or endorse.
We think his military and civil administration
have been gross failures but that is no rea-
son why we should join the enemy. During
Mr.. Madison's administration, owing to the
imbecility Of the Secretary of War, the in.
efficiency of the commanding general and the
general know-nothlngness Of the administra.
ton, handful of British infantry by slow
and easy marches, entered the Federal CAPT.
tai, put the President and his cabinet to fight,
took possession of all the public buildings,
and after burning all that they could not take
away, leizurely marched out and let the
frightened Administration return to the Fed
eral city. Could there have been more ap-
palling degradation than that-the result of
administrative stupidity, ignorance or treach-
cry? Yet, we may search the records of the
country in vain to find q Democratic meeting,
a Democratic convention, or Democratic
newspaper, that proposed as remedy for the
evil either cessation of hostilities, an armis-
tice, or commissioners to treat with the ene-
my. From one end Of the Union to the 9TH
er, the disaster invoked from the Democratic
people of the nation, patriotic, honorable and
Democratic expressions of devotion to the
government. The very weakness of gov.
ernment is the strongest reason why Demo-
crat should give it his whole support This is
the history of the Democratic party in times
gone by, and in it there is nothing of which
a man ought to be ashamed. If there were
men at the North and at the South in those
days who desired peace and an armistic., or
sympathized with or aided the British, these
men have no descendants who boast of the
conduct of their ancestors.
One Of the favorte and most taking soph-
isms, by which these enemies of the Demo-
cratic party and teachers Of false doctrine
seek to mislead, is, that the enemy against
which the Union is now contending is not an
ordinary enemy. He is, say they, of our own
flesh and blood, and it is infamous to protract
war; and cause the further effus;on of the
blood of our kindred. We have no unkird
feeling towards the people of the rebel States,
personally. We will admit that while they
formed part of the common political family,
they were flesh of our flesh; but from the day
when Cain slew Abel, the crime of homicide
has always been rendered tenfo!d more horri-
BILE when it was parracdal or fratricidal. Who
raised the parracidal hand that has since de-
luged this land with the test blood of the ma
ton? Who commenced the fratricidal war,
which sparing nothing, has left the bones of
the young men Of the nation to whiten upon
countless fields of blood? If these rebels are
| flesh of orr flesh and bone of our bone, let US
also remember that they causelessly, wantonly,
de6an'ly, commenced the fratricidal war, and
let 1t also be remembered that the Almighty,
Selling the first fartricide, set mark upon
him. The fact that these men are part of a COM
mon family, and that they, having full politi-
cal power in tho Union to ask for and insist
upon constitutional means of redress for all
wrongs, preferred war and that to this day
they hurl defiance and spit upon all PROPOSE
tons Of Cancellation and Union, in our judge
ment, only renders them, as enemies, more
Objectionable and repulsive than if they were
some foreign power, that had never enjoyed
the peaceful prosperity of the American
Union.
But our object at this time Is to point out
to the Democracy of the northwest necessity
which is fast coming upon us. Shall the
Democratic party be unit, or shall it be torn
into thousand fragments.
In New York, Pennsylvania, and in every
State east of the Alleghanies, the Democratic
party under the cool, sagacious and states
manlike lead Of lIo:atio Seyr our, have re.
solved to stand firmly by its past glorious and
honorable history, and to sustain to the last
extremity the Federal Government in all con.
stitutional means to support and upheld the
Union.
Scattered here and there over the North.
west, are petty politicians, who have enrolled
ham. These men have, as we have said, .
Democracy, in this city. The hour for choos-
racy of Illinois stand by their brethren of New
York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey? Will
they follow Seymour, and. under his guidance
and craftsmanship. sustain their country or
will they abandon him, abandon Constitution,
country, Union, nationally, everything, by
enlisting under the fanciful banner of Vallan-
digham? Fellow Democrats, the hour is at
hand when you must choose one of these al
ternatives. Will you allow Seymour to save