Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-03-31
The Democratic Party.

When Mr.. Douglas appeared atthe last in
auguration ball as the next friend Of Mrs.
Lincoln, he took symbolically the position
which his party ought to have assumed, il it
hoped to retain any hold upon the American
people. He said in effect, 9" | am for Tie
Union and the Government Internationally.
He died, and left no successor. No leader OF
even tolcrable capacity has taken his place.
and the party OF which he was easily the
head has lwindlcd and dwiudled until it has
now virtually disappeared. There are, in
Congress and elsewhere, many faithful men
who cling to the names Democrat and Benz
ocratic but the disloyal men there and else
where assume the same name, and 1t Is
question which will finally sccur9 It.
Had Mr.. Douglas lived he would have been
the dictator of his party. His futile pretense
of suuatter sovereignty as solution OF our
troubles was but the transparent confession
that the old platform of his parry, the pro-
lection of slavery, was untenable, lie saw
that the only hope Of his party for the future
was in the extreme anti-slayery ground. How
to get it there was 4 tremendous, an impossl-
bic task at that time. He was frantic. lie
tried to ride TWO fhOrScs, each running fu-
riously in opposite directions. His fall was
inevitable and, like Webster, he fell and
died Yet could he have survived, the war
would have shown him the way TO future
power, and he would have dared to take it.
He would have done from policy what Mr..
Sumner in the Senate, and Mr.. Arnold in the
House. have done from principle, and have
called for all amendment to the Constitution
aboliShiug slavery.
The true men Of his party are coming T..
that position. They see that henceforth
emancipation is as much 4 fixed fact IN this
country as independence WAS after the ReNo-
luton. They know that hereafter such gen.
tlemen as Senator salisbury of Delaware,
Bishop Hopkins of Vermont, Mr.. Thomas
II. Seymour Of Connecticut, and Fallandig-.
ham Of Ohio, are as impossible leaders Of
any great popular party as Aaron Burr aitdr
the failure of his conspiracy. For such per-
sons as these comprehend neither men nor
principles, neither policy nor history. They
are the dry froth LEFT upon the sides Of ves-
sci from which the foaming wine has been
poured away.
The terrible logic of events has brought all
loyal citizens to the same platform. The at
tempt to pcrpetuate old names and lines has
resulted in the distinct division Of tie late
Democratic party into two wings, one OF
which practically suStalnS the rebellion, and
the other the Union. Whoever studies care
fully the votes in Congress will observe that
SuCn rcnrcScntatlNcS as AlallOTN, IoAI NldlIu-
Ter, and the Woods, work steadily against
the Union and the National Government;
while such as Odell and Griswold, with their
friends, support the Government, while they
try to maintain the appearance of party uni
ty with the first-namcd, under the pretense,
as we said last week, Of a constitutional
opposition"
why do these gentlemen pursue this
course: Why do they not see that their true
is the course reputation Of all such fellow
ship: They know that the self-imposed
mission Of Mr.. Fernando Wood is the de-
struction of the party with which he pro-
fesses to act; and the method he takes is the
position of measures which he knows will
disgust the country. So long as he is per-
mittcd to use the party name, 50 long as the
party name shares the odium Of his meas
urcs and the support Of his faction. Up
on his ground the restoration Of the party Is
impossible In his hands the infamy Of the
Democratic name is sure. The only hope Of
its honorable salvation is in the cordial CO.
operation Of those who value il with the pre-
dominant sentiment Of the country in the
hearty, open support Of the emancipation
policy aud the President who has adopted il.
The President is the representative OF all III
the country VINO believe that the question Is
simply Slavery or No-Slavery; the destruc-
ton of the Government or its salration.-
Hayper'S Weekly.