The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-10-27
No Restoration Of the Democ.
f0Cy.

|
experience of the past to remind them how
dangerous it is to trife with the national life,
and to have kept their political craft from the
breakers whereupon they have been wrecked.
Stronger than any passion of life, ruling even
IN death, is the love of people for their
country and national unity. Parties are for
peace, and not for time of war The abstrac-
tions of political creed will receive considera-
ton when quiet reigns, but when strife comes
and the blows Of battle fall, then popular in
stincts and impulses override partizan logic
and parties become obnoxious SO surely
and truly as of heaven was signi6ed departing
empire by the handwriting upon the wall to
the eastern monarch; so surely and truly is
it written by the people that political suprem-
acy and power shall be taken from the party
that opposes the prosecution of war waged for
| the maintenance of the national honor, or for
the preservation of the national safety and
unity. There is truth in American political
philosophy as certain as though it were divine;
| a case in which our Democratic maxim is JUS
tilted, and rox popui is, indeed, ror del. Is
| the use Of approbrious epithets offensive and
reprehensible They are significant indexes
of popular feeling, and the bladed logic with
which an earnest and even intelligent people
combat their foes. Tory is areproach, it was
only applied to those that opposed the s,rug-
gle of the fathers for independence. ''Feder-
aiist is an approbrious epithet scarcely less
obnoxious than tory. 1t was given to those
who, fifty years ago, opposed a popular and
what was deemed necessary war. And that
opposition made the party odious, and effec
tually killed it. The Democracy have OPP
posed war waged to preserve, not only
the national honor, but its life and the
freedom of our people and the perpetuity
of our free institutions. That opposition has
made the party, by-word and a reproach
among Americans, and the scepter has depar-
ted from the party forever. At the recent
elections in Pennsylvania, in Ohio, in In
diana, in Iowa, have the loyal people crushed
the head of the serpent and forever displaced
from power, a party that has made itself
odious and dangerous in war and peace
So far does the Democracy even now feel
the disgrace which has come upon it, that in
the recent campaigns it sought success COW
ertly by repudiating its name and taking its
candidates from the ranks of the loyal party.
We take the following from Hdrper's Week
IL. When we remember that the Harpers
before the war were Democrats, it illustrates
the fact that we have not merely party strife
for power between the Republican party and
the Democracy, but it is the united loyal and
Union sentiment of the country, opposing
now the restoration to power of party that
was hostile to the Government during the
last four years:
"The Democratic leaders are receiving the
severest lesson of their lives. They thought
they could triae with the national safety, and
the people do not forget it. They thought
they conld oppose aud thwart war for the
national life, and when the indomitable pa
tence and power of the people conquered,
could turn round, throw up their hats. shout
victory, declare that they had been heart and
hand in the war. and so bamboozle the people
they had done their best to ruin.
DO they suppose the people have returned
from whipping rebels in the field to be fooled
by copperheads on PLATFORM Do they i'm
agine they can deceive the popular intelligence
by hiding behind a General? They might re-
member the experiment of last year. They
tried to hide the whole Chicago platform be-
hind General. But whether the platform
were too large or the General too small. the
cheat was plain enough, and was heartily and
contemptuously rejected.
Inc democratic party was opposed to the
War Itamnorofa hoId 10
broke with their party to go with their coun-
try but the party was ruled by Horatio Sey-
mour, Valandigham, the Woods, and men in
sympathy with them. Its votes in Congress,
its orators. its national convention pronounced
against the war. 1t was not only DESTROYED at
the election, it was despised, and now the
same old leaders ask the confidence of the
people.
"This year it makes a feeble show of sup
porting the President. We say feeble, be-
cause although in the state of New York it
declares for him unreservedly, and like des-
perate gamester John Van Buren, calls him
his candidate for the succession, yet in the
other States the support was conditional, and
in New York it is offered by Seymour, Green,
and his most malignant traducers of last year. |
1t is here. only transparent trick to come !
into power.
4 But the times are too serious for tricks |
Every voter asks himself what will these men
do if they come into power. He finds the an
swer in John Van Buren's speech. That gen.
tleman throws the blame of the war upon the |
North, upon the loyal States. He shows the |
same old trucking servihty to the late rebel |
chiefs that originally brought US into trouble. |
But Mr. Van Buren, aud all his associates upon |
the Chicago platform will learn that the plan |
tation whip has lost its terrors. IF the fate OF |
the party which opposed the war of 1912 has |
not instructed them, the elections of this au- |
tumn will teach them that the people of this |
country will not trust a party which played |
into the hands of the national enemy, until it |
has changed not merely its professions but |
the leaders who have inspired universal con- |
tempt and distrust."
The Copperheads are just beginning to dis |
cover, after forty years riding, that the nigger
question has run its course. 1t is clear tha. |
that the party cannot ride the black nag on |
the next Presidential campaign. They must
swap horses soon if they would have their
new nag trained for that campaign.
Whiskey answers good purpose for Lee
county, and some other counties in the State,
and will doubtless have its influence through |
out the country. But the party can't get along
with whiskey alone in national contest.
w hat then ahal1 take tho v,looo of tho ME