Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-05-24

| once aud ultimately triumphant. For myself,
under no circumstances, will 1 consent that
the Democratic organization be dissolved, go
long as il shall have vitality enough TO hold
together The masses of the party will never
agree 10 the surrender, whatever 'the leaders,
so called, might attempt
The fundamental principles of the Demo
cratic party, Of course also, must remain un
changed so long as our Federal system or
even any form Of democraticrepubca gov.
ernmont shall survive and especially its
true STATE.RlGHTs DoCTuSE-not NulliGca.
ton, not Secession, but the theory Of our sys-
tenn laid down in the Virginia aud Kentucky
! Resolutions Of 1898, as interpreted by their
authors the one by Madison in his Report in
Il799 and the ether by Jefferson in his sol.
emn official Inaugural oil 1901. Thus inter-
preted they were, and, | doubt not, still are
tho constitutional doctrines of the new Presi.
dent. So long as these constitute the accept
ed theory and the practice under our sysem,
there can be no consolidated government, eth.
er Repubhc or Monarchy, in the States which
now make D the American Union. The 9th.
er general principles OF the Democratic party
are but variations or ampllications of the
maxims, ''the greatest good to the greatest
number, the interests of the masses, "the
rights OF the many against the exactions Of
the few'-anxioms which, though the dema.
pogue may misuse or abnse them, lie, never
| thelesss, at the foundation OF all democratca
government
But true ms all this is it would be the ex.
treme of folly not to comprehend and recog
nize that as to men and policies, the eyedts
of the past four years, and especially Of the
! last five weeks, have wrought a radical
change. Old things have passed away all
things become new. New books, as Mr.
Webster said upon an occasion OF far less
significance, are now TO be opeued. A new
epoch in the American era has been reached;
| aud he who cannot now realize, or is not
willing to accept this great fact, would do
we'll to retire to his closet and coniine him
| self to iuuebral medtations over the history
of the dead past, or Hiry speculal'ons upon the
| impossible future He may become sn in
stvuctor but is not fit to be An actor in the
stirring scenes which are before US. The
| time will, indeed, come, and may not be far
distant, when it will be Justitlble and may
| be necessary to inquire into the causes OF the
civil war Just now apparently ut an end, and
to institute scrutiny into the measure OF
guilt Of those who are responsible for 1t, as
we'll North as South and it is fortunate that
we have a President who, upon neither side, is
among it's auihors--unless, indeed, his sup
port Of General Breckenridge for the Preslden.
cy ia 1860 be reckoned up against him In
all else, at least, whatever may have been his
position during the war, or shall be his course
now, he is guiltless. Upon the other hand, by
our political foes, the line of conduct OF those
who opposed the war, demanded conclistion,
and insisted that the pathof peace was the shor
test easiest cheapest road to the Union,and OF
those who, marching in the same direction
but along the rugged and bloody highway Of
war, denounced only the policies of the late
Administration, will be called in question
For myself am ready to answer, and by the
record to be adjudged, II | erred it was in
the glorious company of the patriot founders
| of our peculiar system OF government. And
now, accepting the new order OF things, yet
enter upon no defence for adherlng to the
last moment, to the policies Of those great
men, adopted and sanctioned as these policies
we're, by the second generation OF American
statesmen. So far from it, | wonld conform
yet, as far as possible, TO their teachings and
practice We may not, indeed, be ready to
follow the enthusiast who had rather err with
| Plato than be right with other men yet
neither are we far enough corrupted, trust, to
be obliged 10 apologize Tor accepting Wash
ington. jefferson, Sherman, Hamilton Web
ster, Clay and Jackson, as exemplars worthy
of study aud imitation, But they were wise
| in their day and generation. Let us be wise
in ours .Whether ,thelrs vas not the true
wisdom Tor us asoIh tie Nhg>run, remains to
| be seen for the enfis not yet And be that
as il may, for any man to have erred as to the
advent, progress, duration or final issue ora
civil war which has Knocked, so far, the pre-
&c La al aa W. ha
| Old World as the New, is no disparagement of
any Judgment or intellect less than divine. In
any event, | beg that it be announced that up
on all questions of vaticinaton up to this point,
am "paired Of" with the Secretary OF State,
Mr. Seward. But as to the present and future,
and the new and stupendous questions which
every day will now be developed, public
mans position must be determined, not by
his mistakes where all have erred, bu, by his
capacity, his integrity and hi' patriotism.
The day has passed when the party epithets
upon either side, which we're without iustifca.
ton, almost without excuse, even amid the
rancOr of civil war and the heat of partlzan
discussion, ought any longer to be tolerated.
No man in the Democratic party ia the North
or West, cf responsible or recognized position,
WAS for diauuion O. separation for Its own
sake. But if any such there was, false to the
government of the Union, be was false also
to the Southern Confederaey else his place
would have been in the ranks of her armies
Some, indeed, not many, of the ablest and
most sincere and honest among ns-men
who, today, changing their opinions are the
worthiest OF trust, and | speak strongly as
one not OF their convction-believed that
only through temporary recognition of South
ern independence, could the Federal Union