Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-05
Democrattc Consistencr.

more surely proclaim himself fool thai
to declare at sixty that he believes all h
believed at twenty and nothing more
Wise men revise their creeds as they grow
wiser, and pay no attention 10 the cIarg
that they are inconsistent. 1t would b
difficult for apublie man 10 devise an!
method Of pending his later years NOR
foolish than to devote them to defendin!
the consistency Of his course. But at tn
same time The public has a right to de
mand ofany man or party that attempt
10 guide public sentiment what is general
" termed. consistency This does not i'm
I ply an eternal adhesion to the same policy
but it does imply such adhesion unles
there be good and sufficient reasons for tn,
contrary course. While a constant persist
ence in a given course sometimes arguet
folly, constant change argues irresolutior
and fcklcnes5 never to be tolerated in pub
lie guides.
The Gubernatorial election is drawing
near, and we ask the attention Of our read.
ers to a few facts in the recent history OF
the Democratic party, considered with
reference to the above test. As is well
known, the rebellion was born of and fos.
tered by the National Democratic party
hundreds Of leading Democrats South 60
ing with the Confederacy, other hun dred,
North apologising for it in advance of its
birth, and then doing all in their
power to. prolong lis life After the
attack on Sumter the North with great
unanimity said the rebellion must be put
down, Democrats, for II time, uniting
with men of other parties in the atlirma-
ton Most Democratic journals admitted
that the only course for the nation to pur-
sue was TO take up the wager of battle
thrown down by the South. The Cinciu-
Ilati-Es'4siner said so; the Cleveland
Plan Dealcr said -zo--4 Indeed, the
latter paper went to the extreme Of
caricaturing one of its subsequent
candidates, Mr.. Vallandigham. The
facts are these: Mr. v in company with
four others inthe House of Representatives,
voted against the bills granting men and
money for the war; and the Plain Dealer,
in its ardor forputting down the Southern
traitors, came out with wood cut called
the Secession Kite'-the four gentlemen
referred TO above forming tho body and Mr..
Vallandigham the tail of said kite. The
block from which said curicature was
struck is probably now among the great
collection of fro.,-ter5 and negroes belong
ing 10 that establishment.
But as the war progressed and it be-
came evident that we had big job on our
hands, Democratic zeal began to cool.
There was never yet time that tried
mems souls when the souls of all men
,tood the trial, and 50 it proved in this in
stance. The Ohio resolutions passed in
he Autumn of 81 gave cold comfort to
he Union cause, and those of 'G2 colder
till. With all the tergiyersation manifes-
ed in the course of the Democracy for the
,ast five years, we cannot justly accuse the
,arty Of doing anything in favor Of the
var after the war was well inaugurated.
It's true That in 'G2 the great State of New
/ oTk wa carried for Seymour against the
amcntcd Wadsworth upon the plea that
he war was tagging and that the Democ-
acy must take hold Of it in order to its
lore vigorous prosecution. But what
oes this little inconsistency matter so
ong as Seymour and his followers wanted |
ower and We're determined ut any price
0 have it? The following year the Dem
Gratis of Ohio put in nomination, with |
reat enthusiasm, Vallandigham, who had /
gvvI rrr.s,ti Il III;In or Il dollar III congress
II the war, and the Plain Dealer sup
orted the former tail to its secession
ite' for Chief Magistrate of Ohio. In
lie platform on which this arch-traitor
.ood was resolve to the effect that the
hio Democracy cherished Ohio soldiers,
.ould remember them while living, build
lonuments to them dead, and then care
II their widows and children-than which
more shameful piece of political hypoc-
sy has not been enacted in our day.
The matiss-tir.rt prompted this rczoIrr--
on is seen when we remember that the
lllot was now in the soldiers hands-a
rant the party always opposed, precisely
it opposes giving it to the negro now.
Te now refer to the doings of the Chicago
only to contrast its declara-
on that the war was failure with the
solves of conventions this year wherein
ley laud the soldiers who have success
lily ended it-afirming, as in Ohio, that
Ieir ''valor and fortitude have never been
rpassed.7 For four years the Demccra-
have beratod Andrew johnson, and they
Nv berate the party of which he is the
sad, but they have suddenly discovered
at for him personally they have only the
ndest yearnings. In Ohio the party
vors taxing the National Bonds; in
ew York it fayors nothing of the sort-a
lriation to be explained on the hypothe-
; that it is thought Ohio cannot but be
rried on the Ohio platform and New
ork on the New York platform. Be
les it must be confessed that whatever !
ance the party has of carrying the latter
ate is owing to the undeniable fact that
e New York leaders, who controlled the !
lieago Convention, have since that time
tircly changed their base. l
If these facts do not betray ficklencss
d Inconsistency unparalleled in the his
ry of political parties, we would thank
y one for the parallel; if they do not t
eve beyond question that the Democrat i
party has no settled policy save to OBJ {
'uct and embarrase the true friends of
c country, VIII some one tell by what ,
It's any position can be proved? L
POLITICAL. c
Gen George T. Shepley, lately in COM t
and at Norfolk, has been elected TO the 0
ate Legislature of Maine
Secretary WelIes lately told the editor !,
I