The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-08-20
The Democratic Tickef-A Damaging
RIOR.

AL
acquire no additional force from any comment
which might be made. 1t is staggering if
not a fatal blow to the democratic ticket. Or,
perhaps we should say rather fatal reUela
tion, exhibiting such detection as makes the
former dubious prospects of the ticket entire
Iy hopeless. We give it conspicuous place
that it may not fail to be perused. Under the
heading political and Personal" the editor
says:
In another part of the paper will be found
the ticket made up by the Democratic Con-
vention which met at Madison on Wednesday
of last week. We publish it as part of the
current news of the week. We shall not sup
port it.
We took pains to be present at that Con
vention in order to know personally Of its
composition and action, and not be dependant
III making up our decision, upon the repre-
one way or the other, Of others.
We went there with the sincere desire of sup
porting its conclusions and were determined
that no slight objections should stand in the
way of it. We hoped that the class Of the
Democratic party which is in favor Of sup
porting this war with vigor not diminished
nor qualified by conditions embarrassing the
authorities, would be represented i'll such
numbers as to tone down and make accepta-
BILE to the entire party the doctrines of our Ill
ira brethren. In this we were disappointed.
The Convention was i'll the hands of the rad
icalists. No consideration was shown to the
other side. The first act Of the Convention
was to inflict upon the platform, in all its of
fensiveness, the so-called Ryan Address, which
a large and respectable portion of the party
believes to be wrong, and which almost eve
nv man in the party believes to be at least
irnpolitic and uncalled for. The second step
was to endorse the resolutions of the Milwau
kee Convention, which were based upon the
obnoxious and questionable dogmas lately put
forth in Ohio and elsewhere, having no 10
cal or political application here and not call
ing for endorsement in this State
The next steps were the combining of sup
port of the existing war to certain bounds fix
ed according to mems ideas of its constitu-
tionality and the selection of candidates who
pledged themselves to this sort of loyalty.
The speeches made, the general tenor of in
side and outside talk, and the pervading at
mosphere Of the Convention, were of kind
which seemed to be intended and certainly
had the effect to convince men who are known
as War Democrats that they had no right
there. That is why we do not support the
ticket.
There will be men and newspapers i'll the
Democratic party who will charge that we
have left that party. That charge, if made
by any one familiar with the political history
of this State will be made in the knowledge
that it is false. The best years of our life
have been spent in the service in the Demo
cratic ranks. To-day the 18th day of August,
is the anniversary of the Green Bay Ad0oc0te.
1t has been published seventeen years. In
all that time it has never uttered a false note !;
its opinions have never been misunderstood
for want of frank expression; its course has
never been evasive. Through good report
and evil report it has immovably stood by
the Wisconsin Democracy, because, whatev-
er it's tickets have been, its platforms and
principles have been right The AdU0c0te
stands in the same place to-day, unchanged
in its Democracy, and mistaken in its allie
glance to the traditions Of the party. The
history of the Democratic party teaches 10y
atty to the country, and obedience TO the laws
and the legally constituted authorities. We
shall hold fast to those antecedents; and
if any or all of our old friends forget and de-
part from them, it will be they and not us
who have gone out from the lines of the brave
old organization.
We have no heart to comment on the posi-
ton which many Of our friends have taken.
Old associations are almost as strong as the
love of country. Good and intelligent men,
men whom we respect, and with whom we
have marched side by side through years OF
political service, are opposed to this war be-
cause they contend that illegalities and cor
ruptions have crept into its management, and
that the original purpose for which it is wag-
ed has been departed from. That may be
So That may not be so. For our own part
we are content to shut our ears to what we
may hear, and our eyes to what we may see,
and give support to the country with what
ever sincerity and ability we are endowed.
If the men in authority trifle with such sup
port, which not only we but myriads of 9th
ers are laying upon the national altar, and
pollute it to wrong uses, a just God will visit
the judgment where it belongs. The contest
which we are passing through is not now a
quarrel for the mastery ofparties it is a strug-
gle for the fate of nations We would no
more enter it clad in our old party harness
and maneuvering with our old party tactics,
than we would enter upon celestial streets COW
cred with the dust and fettered with the am
billions of earth.
Let the President go his way. While he
is the chief officer of this nation, our fealty,
our service, and our life are at his disposal.
If he betrays us, may he find mercy on this
side of the grave, for there will hardly be any
beyond.
The War Democrats Of Wisconsin have now
task to perform. In what way and how
soon it will be presented to them we cannot
now clearly see But this month must not
elapse without developing plan by which
they can vote to sustain the country and yet
not abandon their old organization. In the
meantime they will shot the guns and clear
the deck for action,
eg-It is wonderful what a hold party fealty has
on most men. 1t seems to be almost impos-
sible to, tear the real politician from old party
associations, even when he is convinced that
he ought to tear himself away, to save his
honor his patriotism and his manhood. We
are induced to make these remarks, in view
Of the examples we see around us.
The editor of the Racine Journal has been
a member Iof the Democratic party a long
time; away back to the time of ''Barstow and
the balance when democrats came as near
running and bankrupting the State as it could
and not do it. He stood all that without
fiinching, but when the democracy abandon
ed the Government and went over to the side
of armed rebels and traitors he thought he
could not go with it. He called himself
'|War Democrat" and wrote some brave bold
words i'll favor of sustaining the Government
and the country rather than party We know
of some Republicans who were SO taken with
his patriotic devotion to the Government and
disregard that they subscribed for his paper,
and one;of our subscribers carried his admira-
ton of the course of the Journal man SO far
that he discontinued our paper and took the
Journal as being more liberal and more dis
posed to unite with Union men of all parties
than we were. All that was before the State
Convention of the regular pro-slavery-Je
Davis-peace-Democracy, and I'VE actually