American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-03-30
Modern Democracy.

Modern Democracy.
The proceedings of the Democratic Con-
vention Of this county, which was held
in this place, on Monday, the 7th inst,
will be found in our paper of to-day. We
give it as found in their own organ, the
Herald.
As usual, all their spleen is wasted on
the Loyal Administration now struggling
for the life of the nation, while not a word
Of censure is uttered against Davis and
company. But after all, this is natural
enough, Davis and company are classed
among "their southern friends" They
complain bitterl y too of military arrests
made by our government allowing that
they have fallen exclusively upon Demo-
Gratis. To us however, it seems reasona-
bic that they should thus fall--certainly
this copperhead convention could not
have forgotten the fact that the Rebellion
(hell born and hell bound as it isl is a
Democratic measure. It was first concoct-
ed by that party while yet in power, but
conscious of the great change going on
in the popular mind by which it was to
be displaced. Davis himself, an active
rebel for at least eight years previous, was
one of their leading candidates for nomi-
nation for the Presidency, in 1860, and
was supported for that position by the vote
of the gentleman whom the convention,
which met here so lately, honored, or rather
disgraced, by placing him as chairman of
their committee on resolutions. Brecken-
ridge, another of their lavorites as also
their nominee for the Presidency in 1860,
is also in the rebel army, although citi-
zen of the loyal State of Kentucky
Add to this the names of Mason, Hunter,
Slidel, Hammond, Wise, Wigfall, and a
host of others in the South, with the
Seymours, Woods, Woodwards, Vallan-
dighams, and host of others in the North,
and VIC have the sum total of the men
who led that party on to victory, but who
have at last led it headlong to infamy-to
destruction-to political death.
Not only are the leaders disloyal, but
unfortunately for them, the rank and file
have too often given way under their in
hucnce and INDUCED in reasonable feel
ings and sometimes even actions, when
not intimidated by loyalinAuences around
them. A short time after the last elec-
ton we me t former citizen of this place
one who had been all through the Mex
lean war, who has also taken an active
part in the present struggle-he was a
life-hng Democrat, (and for anything, we
know is still a member of that party. y
He told me that he never had so much
trouble to make up his mind as to how he
should vote in all his life-said he was
strongly attached to the Democratic par
ty, but said he, {" was out in the six
months service, We were through Fayette,
Washington, and Greene counties, and
there we found the majority of the De-
mocracy openly secesh." He assured me
that with his prejudices in favor of De-
mocracy and Mcclellan on the one hand
and the unquestionable disloyalty of a
large portion of the party on the other,
he hardly knew what to do. But why re-
fer to testimony of this kind to prove a
fact known to the civilized world IF
loyal men found themselves thus in poll
teal alliance with treason, it is their mis-
fortune, but if they remain longer associ-
ated with them, we can not regard it 9TH
er than crime, unless it is possible that
they are blind to all that is transpiring
around them.
But when we observe the list of names
which figure as the representative men of
that convention, We are not much surpris-
ed at tho character of the resolutions
The gentleman who was called upon to
entertain them with speech-was the
same who, some time ago, had the misfor-
tune to thrust upon the public letter in