Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-02-04
The Democratic Party-What it has
done for the Country.


The Democratic Party-what it has
done for the Country.
1t was claimed by the friends of the Little
Corsican that the prosperity of France, un-
der bis reign, was witbouta parallel in The
history Of nationss And while capricious
fortune kept his star in the eascendsnt, every
breeze waited the echoes Of rive "a Froncei
uire Ia Emperewi But the uubounded
ambition OF Napoleon Bonaparte ultimately
we'll nigh ruined France, and Waterloo and
ST. Helena will ever bo viewed as cemeteries
containing the remains of brilliant yet
destructive meteor, that fora time made all
Europe tremble with the thIoes Of convul
sion.
In our own country we have been accus-
toned to hear the boast of political dema.
gogues, that up to the present rebellion the
nation enjoyed unbounded prosperity" and
that "most Of the time it was under Demo
cratic rule" II is an undoubted truth that
our prosperity has no parallel in the history
of nations. But that prosperity has been
caused, not by the Democratic party, but
in spite of it, by the irrepressible energy and
activity Of the people of the Free States. -
The Democratic party is no more entitled to
credit on account Of the prosperity Of the
\ Republic, than II is to the curses of man
kind for the destruction Of life caused by
I the cholera or yellow fever. A giant may
bo weighed down by an enormous load, and
yet continue to more, but the load is not
entitled to credit because the giant does
move. So with the Democratic party. It
has been an incubus to the nation, yet the
nation carried the load, and prospcred in
spite Of the party, ......-
The doctrines and teachings Of the Dem
ocratic party, have plunged the nation into
civil war. That is what it has done for the
country. And all to foster and build up
and perpetuate slave obligarchy, whose
ambition could not be satisfied with anything
short of ruling the nation, and degrading
! the masses. ,..- ..f., ...r...
The Hancock Jeffersonian very truthfully
, says, that the institution Of slavery is pc.
culiarly Democratic institution. Demo.
r cracy has taken it under its wings, has been
: its guardian angel-has fostered and pro
/ tected it-has been its nurse and cham pion.
Wherever this Democratic institution has
existed and fourished there has been nc
prosperity and wherever il has not been
protected, there has been such prosperity as
the world never saw. -....
. The Southern States were emphaticaly
> Democratic. For years they owned ant
controlled that party shaped its policy
and made its principles. The New England
> States, on the other hand, we're anti-slavery
> aud consequently anti-Democratic. LooL
at the condition of the two sections New
I England has prospered beyond all precedent
j Her soil is barren and steriIe-her climat,
i. rigorous-she is without mineras-she pos
sesses comparatively few Of the elements ol
wealth or greatness,yet New England, under
the influence Of free institutions, possesse,
{ more wealth. has more of the elements ol
power and greatness than all the slave State,
combined. Massachusetts, shows a regular
increase from year to year; while Virginia
/. once the greatest OF the sisterhood of States
is now almost the least. So much for th,
! effect of purely Democratic institutions.
: The rule of the Calhoun Democracy coult
: not impede tho growth and prosperity o
. the Northern States but wherever it pre-
!, dominated it blasted. 1t kept the Soutl
q behind it kept the slave States in stat
: of semi-barbarism.
But Democracy not only retarded the pro
gress Of the South, but it materially affected
o the interests of the North. 1t fastened
! upon the couatry a long and expensive wa
with the Indians Of Florida, to protect it,
, pet institution. 1t brought on bloody wal
! with Mexico, that it might, by conquest
/, make up the ground it had lost in the race
with the free States; and, finally, when al
II these expedients for ruling the nation bat
u failed, and the power it had so long uset
I, and abused was wrested from his hands by
0 an indignant and outraged people, it rose il
rebellion against tho Government, and in
volved the country in d terrible war--tht
end Of which is not yet.
To-day the Democratic States Of the I'm
|, ion, and the Democratic States alone, are
in rebellion against their Government. To
day armies are in the field with the avoweC
purpose of destroying the Government; al
most every man Of whom, from the Com
mander-in- Chief to the humblest private
was and is q Democrat. The rebellion j.
purely, entirely and solely Democratic. II
was plotted by Democrats-the defeat oI
the Democratic party was its pretext; and
the extension of Democratic institution its
object 1t was commenced under Demo
cratic Administrations aided in it's in
cipent stages by Democratic President and
Cabinet--and to day almost every Demo
cratic State is in rebellion, and the intensity
Of their treason is in exact proportion to the
unanimity Of their Democracy.
Il When the accounts are made up it will be
found that the country owes the Democrat
ic party nothing but curses. 1t has hung
} like millstone on the neck Of the country,
and the progress it has made must be at
tributed to its strength and resources
4 Now, that the country is rid of the Dem
ocratic party, now that it's institution has
committed suicide, we shall see real pros
perity and progress. The boy of ten will
live to gee Kentucky as great a State as
Ohio-will see South Carolina riyaIling
Massachusetts--will see New Orleans vieing
with Now York--will live to see the beauti-
ful plains of the South covered with free
homes; he will see the church, the school
house, the factory dottng those wastes he