Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-11-28

unhesitatingly opposed It, as fraught with
evil and only evil for the Democratic party.
Our newspaper voice was uttered almost alone
and drowned In the vooiferous endorsements
of nearly the entire Democratic press. Poll
tieians more cunning than wise, more schem-
ing than honest, moro pettifogging than
principled, were all in raptures over it saw
in it an element of strength by which they
were to attain power, and effect combina-
ton of the Conservative, Union-loving,
Democratic masses which must assuredly tri-
umph over the forces of Radical Rspubli-
canism.
Animated by a warm love of country, de-
sirous of not appearing factious in our oppo-
sition, and hoping that, after all, good would
result and that we might be wrong in our
Judgment, while not endorsing or supporting
the movement we ceased to oppose, more
particularly adopting this course because We
wished to see and hear, once more, the men
of the South in true Convention of all the
States. But while refraining from commend
ing the Convention we looked with suspicion
upon it
Among those so-caIled independent jour-
mails which were most jealous in getting up
the Convention, and inducing the South to
come into it, were the New York Times and
the New York Herald This fact was point
ed out to us, and old gray headed politicians,
eloquently pictured and dilated to US of the
immense power of conservative numbersrep-
resented by them, and of the advisability of
leaguing with them, for temporary effect
And yet we still doubted
The Convention met. It was O hollow
sham, base delusion, a miserable mockery
Ia gathering of Office holders, ofice-seekers,
political hacks, and few Southern men
duped into participation in its proceedings
Many districts however, Of the country sent
representative men, patriotic, earnest, coun-
try-loving, and true Democrats
The first outrage was that offered to Hon.
G. i. Vallandigham, and through him to the
great, toiling, thinking, working masses of
the Democratic party-it was an insult which
has borne in the elections of October and
Novemben bitter fruit. Next, the people
of the South were most grossly and meanly
insulted in platform of principles and ad-
dress which has since met only their open
contempt or silent scorn.
The bargain was consummated We were
to affiliate as Democrats with Conservative
party-we were 70 combine our forces of
Democratic millions with an unknown
quantity" which we viii represent as in our
school-days, by X-we were to be very care
| full not to wound or offend the said unknown
quantity" by talking Democracy, or display
ing partisanship. We were no party to the
contract, but our Democratic brethren of the
press most faithfully agreed to the terms
The strange and wiered hocus- -pocus of Ray
mond was pronounced "good work, square
work, by master workmen of Democracy,
who at once, with vast expenditure of time
and words, undertook to prove to their read
ers what beautiful little family tea-party
the Philadelphia Convention had been, and
how delightful thing it was to lay Democ-
racy aside for the time being that We might
help this unknown quantity to save the
country
The masses listened, but there was no en-
thusiasm, no vin,, none of the ringing old
Democratic responses. They doubted; they
did not like their new comrades of the ''un-
known quantity ty"-they could not forget the
years of opposition, the days so recent, when
they had suffered Imprisonment, mobbing,a
thousand outrages at the hands of the men
who now came forward to claim brotherhood
and afiliation.
The Times and Herald soon threw off the
mask. The one in cowardly, sneaking,
characteristic Little Villain" style, went
over to his Radical friends, rejected his own
Philadelphia Convention patchwork-while
the Satanic Bennett with brazen audacity,
was found in the very forefront of the rab-
BILE of Rump disunionism, loudest in villify-
ing and abusing the supporters of the Presi
dent policy.
Here is sample of his opposition to the
Democratic and Conservative forces in New
York, printed just before the election in that
State
GA vote for the dead Democracy will be
utterly thrown away while vote for the
Republican platform laid down at Syracuse
will give the elector who casts it pre-emp-
ton claim on the party that will be likely to
control the government of the United States
| for the next quarter of century. 1t will
be seed sown in fertile soil and likely in sea-
son to bring forth pleasant fruits.
| The programme laid down by the Phila-
delphia Convention was faithfully carried out
| BY the Democratic managers and leaders in
the several States. The Conventions in near
| ly every one of the States which were to hold
elections this fall by resolutions, action, nom
nations, appealed not so much to the Dem
ocratic masses as to the Bread-and- Butter