The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1866-05-18
From the 81. Mary's Gazette.
Who Shall Have the Flag2

w HO onall nave the Rag
AS the time is approaching when the
conservative masses of the country will be
called upon to unite under some party or
ganization in order to make their power
effective at the ballot-box, an interesting
inquiry arises, whether they shall avail
themselves of the present Democratic Or
ganizatlon or invoke other agencies to sys.
tematize their strength. In other words,
the inquiry is, who Shall have the Flag q?
Shall it be borne by the Democratic party
or shall another organization be called
into existence and intrusted with the colors
OF the great conservative army T?
Apart from the welfare of this army and
Its efficiency against the enemy, we have,
ourselves, no feeling in this matter. 1t
Is immaterial to us whether an old or new
organization shall lead, provided it leads
to success. Our supreme object is to up
hold our ancient Constitution and to save
the country from anarchy. TO effect this
we are prepared to abandon any party OF
to JON any party. The only question
with ourselves is, what party or organi.
cation can be made most available to ac-
complish this end. We have endeavored
to solve this question with an eye single
to success, aud the solution at which we
have arrived is, that the Democratic
party should have the Flag.
Iu the first place, this party has an
historic name and carries with it all the
authority which is derivable from pre-
scription. 1t is party powerful in num-
bers, thoroughly drilled and already in
the field. In fact, since the accession of
President johnson to the Presidency, it is
the only party that has seen service
against the radicals. In its contest with
these, if it has not always achieved sue
cess, as in the late Connecticut election,
it has always commanded respect from the
vigor and skillfulness of its blows and
from the general power it has manifested.
Nor should the strength shown by this
party in the late Presidential election be
overlooked. Under the most unfavorable
circumstances, it polled in the Free States
alone eighteen hundred thousand votes
and came within thirty.four thousand
votes of electing its candidates 1t not
only still retains this strength, but the
recent elections show that it has added to
it. To disband powerful army like this.
flushed with recent victories and already
drilled and equipped for service, and to
dlstand 1t to make experiment with new
and untried political machinery is, in our
best Judgment, to run a great risk and
certainly to iucur very grave RESPONSE
bIlity. At least, the oaus is with the
friends of this experiment to show, and to
show clearly, thai the Democratic party
can be transferred from its own to anoth-
er organization without detrimcDt to its
strength, and it is also with them to show
achy it should be transferred and merged
into an organization which at present has
not even an existence and which is certain
TO be relatively weaker that itself. As
we have observed above, it is immaterial
to US what party shall lead or what shall
follow, provided the conservative force of
the country can be modified and directed
as unit against the common enemy
AS this cannot be done without consulta-
ton aid debate, and as it is important
that it should be done at once, and as
we'll that it should be done here as else
where, we hope soon to see a movement
iuaugurated in Maryland to marshal the
whole conservative force of the State
under one common banner.