The Portland daily press., 1866-11-26
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Monday Morning, November 2e, 1866.
A penetrate KaI,ying-point.

The masses of every party are honest
There is an element of truth in the creed Oh
every party which attains to any polltlcai IN
fuance, and to this fraction OF truth tle siea'
body OF its supporters attach themselves WIN
unyielding tenacity. The sound spot III 'iie
Democratic creed ever since it became an eA-
pressly pro-slavery party, has been lts Deiiet
in the binding force of the constitutional com
pact. Forgetting that it is the letter which
kills, the Democratic party has looked only to
the letter of the law, and rejecting all other
considerations has defended slavery, denied
the selfevident right of the nation to defend
itself against pro-slavery rebellion, opposed
emancipation even upou grounds of military
necessity, opposed the law defining and secur-
ing the civil rights of the blacks, insisted up
on the rights" Of conquered rebels, ana SET
itself infexibly against extension OF tne sur
faSe to negroes, all in the name Oh tne 'oii-
stitution. To such results may even ooi
rect principle lead, if misconceVed anu Ills
applied.
The great body of the Democratic patty IS
too sincere in its errors, to give them up at
orce No honest Democrat will swerve from
his devotion to the constitution as he under
stands it, His misunderstanding must be
corrected, before he can yield his assent to
doctrines which he has been accustomed to
regard as involving breach of faith. A host
OF preudices which have become inwoven
with his political belief must also be overcome.
He has been taught to believe that social and
political equality are Identical He regards the
question, would you like to have your
daughter marry a Niger as an argument
against impartial suffrage. He has been
taught by certain Psychologists to believe that
the negro is species of monkey and by sun
dry theologians to believe that divine curse
rests upon thera And yetcertain Democrat
ic journals, casting about for some rallying-cry
WHICH may call together their scattered forces
have pitched upon NEGRO Suffrage" as the
very thing They may call till they are
hoarse; the response will be fainter than th'
sound of growing grass The experiment o.
going over to the Republican platform wa;
attempted at Philadelphia with such success
as everybody now sees.
1t is not from shrewd politicians but from
men Of sincere though often mistaken con-
victlons, that great popular movements take
their rise The Democratic party has IRE
trievably become the party of reaction, the
Tory party OF this country. Mark its sympa-
thies See how the New York World assails
John Bright and upholds Governor Eyre, and
recently attacked Juarez and his patriotic
though ragged followers. The instincts OF the
party have ceased to be demOcratic 1t prefers
to be called conservative. 1t includes the al
istocratic, politically skeptical section OF thu
Wing party, the men who on theoretica
grounds always doubted the capacity OF thu
l,eople for self-eovernment. 1t includes thu
Democratic managers who always believed
in the people-as fit subjects ior politica
tricks and shalns. Its upper stories are worm
eaten with distrust OF the very form OF gov
eminent under which we live. The over
whelming defeat which it has just experienced
tends to difluse that distrust more widely
Men who have failed to carry their pet meas
ures are apt 10 look upon the government
which rejects their counsels as predestined te
destruction. The Argus talks about one
more effort to save the country from ruin
The Confederate Democrats are even NOR
gloomy, and do not hesitate to say that re
publicarism is already failure and we ar
drifting into mere anarchy If any homes
CONSERVATIVE, --h-- g ----a
that a popular election is farce, or like Gov
Humphreys of Mississippi, that our govern
ment has proved itself failure, will openI!
avow his belief ami mantully attack ou insti
buttons themselves, he will draw alter hin
more Democrats, in the present temper OF the
party. than can be collected by any 9th
er slogan. Such contest could have but on,
issue, for unquesttoi ably the great majorit!
Of our people believe in themselves and IL
the fortune al the kepublic. Yet it woult
not be without its ties 1t would do us NJ
harm but good, 10 be compelled to render &
reason for the faith within US. A man o.
John Bright's courage and ability, attacking
American institutions as feaTlessy as he as
sails what we consider English abuses, would
call out all that can be said for the republican
system, and 80 doing would render an inpor-
tant service to his generation. Is such man
tobe found in the Democratic ranks?