The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-11-10
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICANS.
WHY they Should Return 10 the
Old Party.
Letter from Judge Edmonds, Of
New York.

We commend the following eXtractS rom
etter written by Hon. F.W. EDMosDs, of New
York. to every Democrat who has acted with
the Republican party during the war. The
reasons of Judge EDMONDs for leaving that
party are conclusive:
You now misunderstood, as you and the
Wing members of the Republican party al
ways have misunderstood. the motives
which impelled u old Democrats to unite
with you. -
% Nine years ago. when Fremont was nomina.
ted for the Proficiency, there were about one
hundred thousand of the old Democracy OF
this State who went with you. We were what
had been called Barnburners or Radical Demo.
Gratis. and Free Soil Democrats who supported
Van Buren, against Cass.
We united with You solely upon the ques.
ton Of slavery but we did not abandon, as
, you supposed, any of the other questions. on
% which we had for so long time differed Win
The union thus formed in 1856 resulted In
Z traneferripg this State to the Republicans, and
thew had q majority in the next Legislature.
Z Such however was tho conduct OF that Leg1s-
d Iature. that the next year most OF those one
, hundred thousand Free Soil Democrats stayed
away from the polls, and the state went back
to the Democratic party. But from that time
an to the breaking out of the rebellion, at ev-
ery election which could at all affect the ques-
ton of slavery, that union was at work and
was triumphant, and after the rebellion began
it has been uniformly so.
That rebellion, involving as ii did the aboli.
ton of slavery and the preservation of our
Constitution the Union and nationality, made
stronger the bond of union among us. But In
the meantime you Wings in the Republican
ranks, who obtained the power, compelled
Us Democrats to submit to many things
which conficted with our notions of what
was right
tended found it entirely under the control of
one irresponsible individual, not a member,
who disposed of candidates and carried his
domination 80 far as even to appoint the COM
mit:ees. had attended good many Demo
cratic Conventions, but had never witnessed
anything like that and came away resolved
never again to attend Republican Conven-
ton, and never have. -
have again since then witnessed the same
autOeratic power in conventions and the legis-
hture, and / have reyOlted at it.
So, too, the General Government has, since
our success in 1860. assumed to itself power al.
WAYS before denied To 1t, and has made mon
strous strides towards Capitalization of pow
er, against which the Democracy has struggled
for more than fifty years.
Thus it usurped and now holds almost ex.
elusive control over the currency of the nation,
when, by the Constitution, its authority is con-
fined to coin aud coinage alone So, while tho
offering the militia with the avOwed and
manifest purpose of Withholding from the
General Government the exclusive control of
the military power by the device OF the vOlun.
teering system, 10 has usurped the power of
appointing the generals, leaving to the States
the subordinate officers only.
And 80, too, it has invaded personal liberty
by the extraordinary and unusual habit of COM
hitting man to prison by telegraphic dis.
patch or an official mandate, without any as
signment Of the cause of offence.
It was no time to complain of these things
plant then might be infinitely injurious. 1t
was the part of true patriotism to bear and for
bear until the time Tor redress should come.
That time mas now come. Shall we now do
nothing TO prevent those things which dire
emergency excused, from obtaining the force
of precedents!
submission to the exercise of powers to which
they would not submit, and which, if persisted
in by mOnarchical governments. would lead to
revolution. But they overlooked . fact OF
which we were conscious. and which conscious.
ness caused our submissiOn-that We had 1t In
our power to correct the evil ut pleasure. Ev-
every four years our Executive, and thus cor
rect any such evil and prevent it being fastened
upon Us. And now when the time has come
when we can apply the corrective, what shall
we do? Shall We apply it3 Or shall We oy
our neglect allow the evils to become engrafr-
ed On our institutions and become permanent
part of our system Of government For my
part answer, correct them at once and can
find the means of doing SO only in that party
whose cardinal principles for over half CEN
tury have been at war with these usurpatiOns.
Pray tell me, then, why should any longer
continue with the Republican party. left the
democratic party, not 80 much because slave
~ eYietPd as hpcANsA that marty AOAtained IL
and return to the party, not so much because
slavery is dead, as because that party has
ceased to regard its support as obligatory upon
them j. w. EDNONDS