Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1866-11-21
IFroz the Chicago Times, Nov. 1z,h.
Shall the Democratic Party Die
or Live.

The present Is a crisis in the Dem,
acratic party which has no precedent
IN It's history, as i Is a crisis IN the
progress Of the country which Is also
without precedent. Never before has
the Democratic party encountered
events so seriously eGectinE its future
vitality as now. Not that it beho.Gs
itself diminished IN the magnitude Of
its numbers-f0r i is numerically
stronger than II has ever been before.
but that, having been beaten en- great
national Issue. as 70 which il believed
Itself 10 be wholly right and the op.
position wholly wrong, and still so be-
Heves, It must nevertheless abandon
that lssae-tor the decision of It is
tinal-and neither sit down iuhelrIezs
and decaying inactivity, or strike out
upon new issue. selected with pecu-
liar reference, not TO things as we
would nave them, but 10 things as thev
actually are, and in pursuing which
line 1t shall cease To be hold-back or
'' conservative party, and become,
what It was IN It's palmy DAYS. a pro-
gressIve and an aggressive party.
These are the alternatives
1t will not sit down IN helpless and
decaying inactivity.
What next Can the democratic
party succeed until the negro question
shall be gotten out Of the wayI It
cannot What next? Is not negro
suffrage inevitable, and Is not the
quickest way to get the negro CUES
tion out Of the way TO at once con
cede the suffrage, making issues only
on the degree to which 1t shall be con
ceeded ? We know that many demo
Gratis have not reached this advanced
view Of the case, and that sacL still
feel greatly inclined to revolt st the
proposition Of negro suffrage IN any
degree but let rs tell them that it is
always wise to accept the inevitable
when the inevitable comes. Negro
suffrage, we say, Is Inevitable, and
whether it shall be qualified or univers-
al depends uponthe promptness or 9th
erwise with which the democratic par
ty shall move with reference to it.
The South viii speedy yield qualif.
ed negro suffrage upon the motion Of
the democratic party because, if for
no other reason, she will soon see, if
She does not already see, that if she
does not yield i, she VIII ultimately
be com PEELED TO accept universal ne
gro suffrage.
Qualified negro suffrage welded bv
the S0uth-aud by this We mean IN
partial safrage, or suffrage dependent
upon the intelligence Of the man, ir-
respective Of color, as now the rule in
Massachusette-He negro question 1riU
hare been disposed Of, and the occupation Of
the N7tlern Republican radical par1g
1cllj be gone forerer. Not one inch Of
ground viii 1t have TO stand upon,and
the country can once more turn to
those material questions of public
policy, the right opposition Of which
Is so essential 10 the public prosneri-
tv. 1t viii be upon these question.
that the Democratic party viii tri-
umpA. and it VIII be hv this triumph
that constitutional government aud
our federal system wsli be preserved.
II the South be wise, it VIII not
wait. on this suffrage question. even
for the motion Of the Democratic par
tv. il it be wise. it VIII lose no time
IN putting to motion the necessary
machinery by which it viii at the
same time save itself from humila-
ton. preserve Ifs own self respect rid
the country Of the most -exatious
question that ever distracted auv