Ellsworth American., 1866-11-23
Signs of Life.

The C,.icamo Times the leading Demo-
cratic. paper in the North West. has in its
i~>l,e of tic 18th a remarkable political ar
ticlc with the significant heading SHALL
THE DEMoCRATIc PARTY DIE OR LIVE.
We give the article entire as being ore of
the sisns of the Times. and III evidence tha
the wurlI moves, and that there are Dem
ocratic politicians who are not fixed stars.
quite. We DO not expect to see the advice
of the Times needed or made the basis Of
party action until the prcScIt race OF par
" leaders die out; nevertheless We cannot
help re>ue..,iny one ofthesc old grey boards
whose voice has beca heard on hundred
political haiile-lcids, and who will die in
the fuli belief that there is no political sal
Walton out of thar ancient church. such
niei have cyts but they see not; they
have ears but they hear not: nor will they
while tarrving on this mundane sphere
B,it We are keeping onr readers too long
from the limcs article. Donot fail to read
il:
suAIL TIE DEMOCRATIC PARTY DIE
OR LIVE?
Tho present is crisis in the Democratic par
~ wt.h has no precedent in its history. aS it
j.. Il crisis i'll the progress the country which
is also without precedent. Never before has
the UcmoeraIic party encountered events so Sc
riuu>iy affecting it, future vitality now. Not
that il b hold, itself diminished in the marui-
t,r ofiis number,-ioT ii Is numerically stron-
ger tilaa IL hrs ever been 'fnrr-but that h1N-
lag been beaten on great national Issue. rs 10
which il believed Itself ~ h. wholly right and
the opposition wholly wrong. and still so be-
leve, 1t must g@vcrihelcss abandon that i,suc-i
tr tn. decision oft i iinai-.iu.l either sit down
in helpless all | d.sayng Inactivity, or strike
h,ttttY ont uIon uaw line, selected with pc
cl!iisF ference, not To thing. a We would have
them, but to thing rs the actually are. anti IN
pursuing which line it shall cease to be Il ho!'t-
back or "con>ervatife" party. ani become what
it WAS in it p,lmf days. progressive aud ag-
gtessisc parry. These are the alternatives.
Ii VIII not sit down IN helpless and decaying
inactivity.
Wf..t then. shall the new line be: In the
first place III td re nat cH loose fiDm the A.
ADMINISTRATION of .Htttrefr Johasaa. dad tedre
that h3bfid cpncert t. Mat an He sea ri pab-
lie coHteatia iatU irhich Il sometime siaco en-
tered. oad fiom trhich M p1,rer ea" resene IT.
Il not the late defeat attributable more largely
to tlli, Administration than I" all other ca,i>,-
combined. What i there in il composition to
command popular confidence: Who. belonging
10 it. i. entitled. bf reason Of his aniccrdht> or
of his state-man>hip. to the coBiiinc ar the
respect of the Democrat: party: Certainly l.
not Andrew Johnson. nor Wm IL. seward. nor
Edwin VI. Stanton. True, this Administration
had i right policy. and the Democratic party.
in overlooking the chief m-n comprl>in. 1t. anI
thinking only of the righifulnes. Of the policy,
displayed patriotism whosc purify was never
eXtelicd: but the policy having faett-a,t
having failed too. through the fecblcness aud
folly and ofenscs against public propriety OF
the tAdministritioa-rbgsb sbDHtd not tie D18I-
cratic lufty d6dnd1a the dead 60dg 6agef
aghegr taef u Ftirh is 3eaA diS9 t. useif?
Ths,tn ~ AN Ia ID am
cecd until the Negro question shall be gotten
OFT Of the WY? l. c;uinlt. What next: Is npt
Negro srfrdJ~ j,t~rita5fe. aad is MT the
gqirkrt ray 10 get He Negro 4Pe3,pn ont n
fbe ,ruy {, M onrr c4ac..ejs tds sHtraye mtk-
ira i,Sue 0Rly m Me DC PRE- L trh(ch Il MtW
bee inceiel. We know that many Democrats
have not rna:,!cd this advanced view OF the
c;ise and that >u,h still feel greatly inclined to
revolt at the proposition of Negro suffrage III
any degree; hat let Us tell them THAI 1t i al
wiy.s wise II accept the inevitable when the
inevitable comes. Negro suilfr@e, We say, l.
inevitable. and whether it shah he qualified or
universal depends Upon the promptnc>> or
otherwise with which the Democratic party
shall move with reference to IT, The south
will speedily yield qualified N2gro suffrage up
on the motion ofthc Democratic party: because
if for no ether rcason. >hc will soon see. if she
does not already sec, that if she does not yield
l. she will uli na-ely be comp eiltd to accept
Il ItEcr>al negro suffrage.
Qualified negro Suilrags yield by the South
or suffrage dependent upon the Intelligence of
thr man. irrn .,cuiive of color, uS i a"te the
yu}e in ctHScUS-rlIE NEGRO QC EsTIoN
WILL HAVE BEEN DI>PDsi.D or, AND THE o.
ti-PArR,N oF THE NORrIE.kN HtDlCA. FAIRLY
WILL RE GONE Fo,:fNi.R Not on" tnrh OF
grDuAl viii it have 10 ,iani upon; and The
COUNTRY rsti ono more iu.n 10 those hliterliii
qucsii IN. of public poll =, tli' ri~tf disposition
Of which is so essential 10 th" putc prosperity.
Il viii he upon these question, that the Demo-
cratic party w.l triumph. and it will b. by ,hi-
TRIUMPH that Con ,titutional Government ami
our Federal system will be preserved.
If the South he wise, it will not waf, on this
suffrage question, even for the motion OF the
Dem 1crarhc party. If it be wi,r, it will lose
no time in putting in motion the necessary ma
chinery BY which it will al the same time save
Itself from humiliation. preserve its own self
<uges,ect, rid the couatry of the most NeNatious
p .stioi that ever di'tfa'.el .lny country, kill
tn. worst political party that ever existed on
III. ploba, and pu the Union in the way oi
speedy restoration. This machinery consists. ul
course. in conventions to revise tiIc State con-
stitutons.