Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-10-19


And what a history Il wi} i3- Il .:jth- +
fully vrittepl Wha 81 expo uie of /
the corruption and treachsiy of rhe .
human heartl What an exhibition Of
false patriotism and interruptions dis +
regard Tor principlel What picture I
Of chameleon changefulBess aud Jesu-
itical seheming! OF course there will I
be some iutermingled virtue broush,
forth from the general turpitude. and +
it were truly unfortunate we're it oth- +
erwise. The party would have a record +
Iameutable beyoD0 all precedent had
I it never oceupi- I'd a higher political and
moral standing than at present. ItI
would be something for humanity to
blush ut. Better for it 10 be buried
in everlasting oblivion than to be ex
posed to the gaze Of mankind ou 5he
pages of history.
The time was when the party had
principles Whatever were their viz
t0es they we're nevertheless principles,
Il lad also many eminent and respect
able leaders 1t boasted of some great
names among the brightest in cur
eountry's history, and which the whole
nation now delights TO honor But
VIII - falling off there has been since
that time The mantle of a Thomas
J Jefferson has fallen upon the shou
ers of y Jefferson Davis, of an Andrew
Jackson upon an Andrew johnson, of
James Monroe upon James Bu-
chanan, of Stephen A. Douglas up
on an A. Fl. Stephens, of a Daniel S
Dickinson upon a Fernando Wood
aud of d William L. Marcy upon e C.
( L. Valiandighaml Ana with a change
Of lenders il Is not uufair TO say there
has been a corresponding change Of
/ political composition ,,.-t r9ui lir
/ to presume that the same difference ex-
lists between those who followed the
leadership Of Jefferson and those Rho
pow follow that of ValIandigham, as
unquestionably exists between those
\ leaders themselves
And why this difference? Why this
political degeneracy When the bis
torjan comes to investigate the matter
he will fiud, and sn write, thatit comes
Of tampering with rhose twin evils
slavery and rebellion. First, the Dem
ocratic party arrayed itself on the side
of slavery 1t apologised for it, advo-
Gated it. legislated in It's behalf
When e0oating power it hattered and
cozened the slavehoIdiBg element, in
order to get its votes, and when az pow
er it gave that same element twice its
share d public patronage. But all
this did not satisfy the proud cotton
lords of the South, and as soon as they
Thought they had the power they con
amded to establish a government Of
iheir own They made war on the
Union in behalf Of slavery, and waged
it until every resource was exhaus ted
and the weapons of rebellion were
wrenched from their bloody hands
The men that did this were Democrats.
1t is fact which all patriots who ever
belonged to the party must blush to
confess, that the rebellion sprapg full
grown from its womb. And it is
fact likewise humiliating that a Dem
ocratic President by his imbecility or
treachery paralyzed the arm Of the
Government until the opportunity had
passed for it to destroy at blow the
aeoursed bantliug. But this does not
end the infamy of Democracy. Tt has
gone to lower depths still While this
great nation was in the agony and
bloody sweat of a life-struggle, that
party, OF what was left of it after the
deduction Of all true patriots, was
found aiding and comforting the wick
ed serpent of secession. By the sym
pathy it gave the rebels the war was
prolonged at least a year, and tens Of
thousands of lives were sacrificed
In fact tits safe to say that but for the
4 Democratic party the war never would
have happened
But even this is not all After vain
i ly assisting the enemies of the repub-
lie to destroy It, this same party rush
ed to the help of those enemies in re
claiming political power. Itunited in
| close afiliation with rebels aud receiv-
ed them to its embrace. Not one Of
them had been so wicked or so treas
ouable as to be debarred from initia
ton as a worthy Democrat in good
standing. The meanest and bloodiest
could come in and was welcomed Reb-
els, Copperheads and renegades were
united in making up a great Democrat !
ic bread and butter brotherhood, for
admission to which treason was no
disqualification. Such IS the Demo
cratic party Of to-day.
These sketches make up a dark pic
ture which it is painful to contemplate.
But it is just such picture that the
faithful historian of our politics will
be obliged to paint. We do not envy
him his task, for aside from conscious
usefulness he VIII find but little pleas
ure to repay him for the necessary
burrowing amid political corruption
for his materials And there is one
incident of recent occurrence which
illustrates to what vile depths he will
have to go. He will be compelled to
penetrate the vile gambling dens Of
New York to hunt up the biography
of at least one Democratic champion
john Morrissey, the professional
gambler and prize fighter This noto-
rious character has been nominated
for Congress by the Democrats of the
Fifth New York District He has
money enough probably to secure his
election as be did his nomination. It
is said he cleared S15o0O0 in the
operations of his gambling hell at
Saratoga last summer Besides, being
q rernlnr-shnnlder hitfer he cnn rnnbn