Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-09-15
From the y. Y. Tines
The Reformed Democrats Mt Albany
An Untimely Boast.

Men who mean reform don't boast over pas
folles The fellow who should quit his Wild ost
I with a hurrah would get credit for nothing bu
| impu ience. The Democratic party Of this Stat
I VISA 10 have IL understood that they are tryin;
/ TO MAKE . new character They have lust be
/ gun Their political year with what would hsv
been some very good resolutions, but for . sill
/ boast 10 the beginning. IL - declared that 18th,
I past history Of the Democratic party is to b.
I found IN the prUuiest records Of the country
and that it is ready to meet the great question.
VI the future with the patriotism, fidelity tC
principle, and practical wisdom. that have char.
acttrized its long and suspicious Identification
with the history OF the nation" II Is Impossi-
be 10 reconcile such language with any sincsri-
y IA the promises which follow.
here Is no fact in history further beyond dis
pute than that the great majority OF the leaders
VI the Democratic parry, a. 1t existed IN 1860,
went into the rebellion Of 1861. The Vice Pres
ldeut elected BY il became . Major-Gensrsl Of
the rrbelli, q, as did also it's Secretary Of the
lTrAsury, lie Secretary Of War, and its SecretA-
~ Il the Interior. or lite thirty-egbt Senators.
trezfy-four II them left their seats to enter into
the reOellion-one Of them to become its chief,
three CT them to become Its heads Of depart
ments, two Of them TO serve as its foreign CON-
missiouers IN England and France, and several
others 10 take commissions in its armies or to be
elected 10 Its Congress. OF its hundred mem
bers in the House Of Representatives, at least
sixty personally joined their fortunes 10 the re-
bellion. OF ITS nfteen Governors, twelve recog-
mixed snd co-opersted with the JEFF Davis gov
ernmeut Of the sixteen States which voted
against Ab aham Lincoln, thirteen vent into
the Confederscy. From the beginning Of the
rebellion 10 its close, hardly . man exercised
power in it. either civil or military, Who had
not been Democrat. The brains aad back
boas Of the Democratic party made the rebel
lion. and thea became its brains and backbone.
IL is hardly 8 strain Of speech to say that the
D,mocrauc party irGs the rebellion, and that
the rebellion ,cds the Democratic party. In re-
spect 10 ell the controlling organs and vital
parts, there WAS an absolute identity. IL is no;
enough TO say that the Southern rebels were on
y advanced Democrats, as We might say that
the Radicals Of England are only advanced
Whgs, or that the Jscobins Of France we're only
advanced Grondins. That, IN ITSELF would be
hard reprosch. But the rebels never went
hey or out Of the Democratic party. They
took the Democratic party with them, or. rather,
they ireTe the Democratic party. only operating
in military, instead Of political field. What
was left Of II here in the North was only the
rump of the party. disabled from going out Of
the political field by the force Of circumstances
But even il the Albany Convention could
have rightly dent minated this rump the Demo
cratic party, IT was sudscity to clam credit for
it. The larger portion Of this Northern segment
of the party has sympsthiIed with the rebellion,
AMI sought to obstruct the war. Ii is needless
TO 60 into any SPECIAL proofs Of that. The proof
lies broadly in the Chicago platforms that he
who runs may read. That platform was unaui-
mOusly adopted as the accredited exposition Of