Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-11-17
SHALL THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY LIVE Or DIET
lFrOm the Chicago Times, Nov. lie. ]

from the chicago imes, NOV. IL. t#
49, --A -
The present is crisis in the democrat.
&c party which has no precedent in its
history, as il is crisis in the progress of
the country which is also without precs
ldent. Never before has the democratic
party encountered events so serious affect
ing its future vitality as n,w. Not that
il beholds itself diminished in the mag
nitude of It's numbers,-for it is num-
erically strong"r-tlian Sc has ever been
betnre, but that, having been beaten on
great national issue, as to which il he
Iieved Itself to be wholly right and the
opposition wholly wrong. and still so be-
leves. Vt must nevertheless abandon that
issue f.r the decision of it is final-and
either sit down in helpless aud decayiug
inactivity, or strike boldly out upon q
new line, selected with peculiar reference,
not to things as we would have them.
but TO things rs they actually are. and in
pursuing which line il shall cease To be
ahoidnack or conservative patty, and
become, what it was in the palmy DAYS,
progressive and an aggressive party -
These are the alternatives.
II will not sit down in bel pless and
deca wing inactivity.
" hat, thea. shall the new line be? Tn
the first place, must we not cut loose
from the administration of Andrew
Johnson, and leave that hybrid. concern
10 feat on the sen Of public contempt
iito which it some time since entered.
and from which no power can rescue il
Is not the late defeat attributable more
largely To this administration than to all
other causes Combined What - there
10 lis composition to command popular
coufdencs? Who. belonging TO it, is.
entitled, by reason Of his antecedents or
OF his statesmanslIip, to the confidence
Or respect Of the Democratic party p
Certainly IS not Andrew Johnson, nor
William IL. Seward, nor Edwin ii. Stan.
ton. True, this admin stratiun had q
right POI 'ce, and the Democratic party
in overlooking the CHIEF men comprising
it, and thinking only of tho rightfu'ness
Of the policy, displayed patriotism
whose purify was never exceled; but
the policy having failed, and having
failed. too, through the freblencss aud
folly aud ofienses against public propriely
of the admiuislrat;on,-why should not
the Democratic party abandon tho dead
holy, longer adherence 10 which is death
also to it,elt? ~
What Eext! Can the Deinoc ratio
pDity succeed until the negro question
shah be gotten out OF the way? 1t can
mt What n..vt2 Ia n..t ,,n4~,, s,,F
fage inevitable, and is not the quickes;
Nay to get the negro QUESTION out of the
way to at once conccde the suffrage,
making issue only on thedegree to which
it shall be conceded? We know that
many Democrats have not reached this
advanced view OF the case, and that such
still fe-l greatly inclined to revolt at the
proposition Of Legro suffrage in any de
gree; but lit us tell them th.t it is NJ
WAYS wise to accept the inevitable when
the inevitable comes Negro sutTragn,
wo say, is inevitable, AMI whether it shall
he qualified or universal. depends upon
the rromptness or otherwise with which
the Democratic party shall move with
reference to it. The South viii speedily
yield Qualified negro suffrage upon tho
mntiou Of the Democratic party; because
If fJr 90 other reason, she will soon see,
If y does not already see, that if she DO
not Weld it, she will ultimately lie COM
PEELED to accept universal negro suffrage.
Qualified negro suffrage yielded by the
southland by this VIC mean IMPARTIAL
SUFFRAGE, or suffrage dependent upon
the intelligence of tile m"m, irrespective
of color, as IS now tie rule iH NdSSa
chUSetts, THE NEGRO QUESTION WILL HAVE
BEEN DISPOSED OF, AND TIE OCCUPATION
OE THE NORTHERN REPUBLICAN RADICAL
PARTY WILL BE GONE FOREVER. Not
one inch of ground will it have to stand
upon aud the country can once more
turn to those material questions of public
policy the right disposition Of which is
so essential To the public prosperity. 1t
will he upon these questions that the
democratic party will triumph, anl it
will be hy this triumph that constitutional
government and our federal system viii
be preserved.
If the south be wise, it will not wait,
on this suffrage question. even for the
motion of the democratic party. If it
he wise, it will lose no time in putting
in motion the necessary machinery 10y
which it will at the same time save itself
rom humiliation, preserve its own self
respect, rid the country of the most vex
atiUus question that ever distracted any
country, kill the worst political party that
ever rxisted on the globe. and put the
union in Tie way of speedy restoration.
This machinery consists, of course, in
conventions TO revise the state institu-
tons.