The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1864-04-07
The shivering Democracy.


stands shivering just as strongly as it did
when the people kicked Buchanan out of
Office, in 1860, and left itwithout covering,
in March 1861 At each election since
it has essayed to crawl in somewhere, sol
as to secure little of the warmth inner
eutin political power and patronage, but to
no purpose. The people have had enough
of it, and seem determined to have no
more.
Quite recently, not more than week
or two ago, a gathering of the chiefs a
mong the shiverers, was held at Philadel-
phia for the purpose of pow-wowing, in
hopes that consultation might beget some
thing that would give encouragement for
the future. A great deal was said and
done, but nothing that gave much room
for hope. 1t was designed to have the
convention operate as galvanic battery,
Of capacity SO great as to infuse new life
into the dying democracy, and place it on
its "taps" again, with a sufficient strength
to enable it to struggle through the ap-
preaching Presidential campaign success
fully. But it was failure. The end
revealed the fact that in the formation Of
the battery, decidedly too much "copper""
had been used. Indeed it was built Of
copper and nothing else. and the result
of its workings was, that after the ad
| lournment of the Convention, the democ
racy shivered worse than ever. The
Squire in his last Democrat attempted to
raise huzza over its proceedings, but
the poor fellows teeth chattered so badly,
that he could not force his enthusiasm
up to the sticking point.
The perusal of the account Of the do
ings of the convention, Will convince any
one, that it was the intention of the
chiefs to secure for it abroad the rcputa-
tion Of its having been marvellously har-
monious and unanimous in its delibera-
tions; and yet every step in its proceed
ings exhibited barefaced evidence of
suspicious watchfulness among its mem
bers, of want Of confidence in each other,
and Of the utter absence of that harmo-
nious spirit which characteristics assem-
blages gathered in Just and holly cause.
And how could it be otherwise, with
Frank Hughes, j. Clancy Jones, Charles
j. Riddlc, Wm. II. Witte, William Big
Ter, and such like, as its moving spirits.
| Its first move was to create censorship
over its own proceedings, and no resolve
was permitted to come up for its consid-
GRAFTON until it had received the sanction
thereof. Its second move, was to forgo
| that peculiar characteristic Of Democratic
Conventions, the building of platform,
composed of "glittering generalities, for
the sake Of wheedling those who are
drawn more by sound than by substance.
This was not done because Democratic
love for such things had deteriorated
but because it was discovered that the o.
pinions as to what should constitute the
platform were so diversified, and so tho
roughly antagonistic, that any attempt to
doyetail them together would end in a
most damaging rupture. For this reason,
and good reason it was too, the build
ing of platform was indefinitely post
poned. For the same reason it was
deemed best not to attempt to settle upon
a choice Of the Convention for the Presi-
dency. The choice of the vehement
MEMBERSHIP Hughes, the Joness, the
Whites, the Biddles and the Biglers-I
had undoubtedly settled upon Mcclellan
but there was still, small voice in the
Convention, potent because of its rcti-
cense, that admonished these worthies
that if they would avoid a. disgraceful
outbreak they must be content with a |
compliment to their idol; and content
they were. They managed well, and in
the end because complete masters of the
notwithstanding majority of the
delegates to the Chicago Convention, al
majority of the electoral ticket, major
ity of the State Central Committee, and,
withall, the undoubted privilege of shiv-
ering in the cold until the end of time.
But it must not be supposed that all
this was gained and granted in a spirit of
love and forbearance for it was not
There were chickering's, and heart burn
ings, and out-spoken denunciations sufi-
cient to have turned Paradise into pan
demonium; and rupture would certain
ly have ensued had not the Pennsylvania
Club of Philadelphia, precisely at the
right moment, as per agreement 10 doubt,
IL ~