The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-03-06
PRESS.
PORTLAND.
wednesday Morning, March 6. 1867,


una The
Parties can no more long outlive tbo;r ,,so
fumess than individuals. As a eener,1 -
when nation, party or an individual zoos
es to grow, and the vital circulation beco,nos
stagnant, decay commences, and death is al.
most sure to follow speedily. True, for a lono
time mere existence may be prolonged, as in
an efiete nation, bed-ridden individuals, or
political parties that have ceased TO subserve
any other purpose than that of beacons to
warn the living tide against backward tenden-
cies and cast-off issues. The old Whig party,
which enrolled on its books such brilliant
names as those of Clay, Writ and Everett, and
names of such ponderous weight as those of
Adams, Webster and Evans, came to its death
by having no further mission to accomplish
1t had its day, performed its work, and like a
filled up scroll had to be rolled up and filed
away among the things of the past, nor could
the skill Of all the constitutional and legal
doctors in the universe have continued its life
or essentially varied its destiny. .r
The Democratic party is going the same
way. 1t has outlived all that ever gave it vi
tality except its name. 1t no longer repre-
sents living, breathing, feeling men, or a pro-
gressive age, nor is it the guardian of human
equal rights, but it has become the merest
drag upon the car of progress, the barnacle
upon the bottom of the ship of State, the
milestone upon the nations neck, and to
death and dusty oblivion it must descend. 1t
has become hollow, senseless, lifeless and Of
fensive, and every popular election only DEM
onstrates this fact, the returns of the con-
stantly diminishing party vote reminding one
Of the first dirt thrown upon the newly de-
posted coffin. The Southern men, to whom
the Northern Democracy now look for recip-
rocation of the aid and comfort which was so
generally extended to them in their late ex-
tremity, regard the Democracy of to-day as
we have represented it in the above remarks,
and one of them, Gov. Brown of Georgia. has
seen fit to remind them that the party which
crosses nations war path must go to the
wall. In recent speech he said:
The Democratic Party is not sustained by
the people of the North, and is not gaining
ground. As Is always the case after a success
iui Wdi, tic party III Tile government winch is
set down as opposed to the war, is unpopular
The reconstruction policy of the President is
not sustained by the popular sentiment of the
Northern people. 'a .5-l
Of the dominant party at the North--the
party OF vitality, of living issues-the same
gentleman truthfully remarked, in the speech
quoted from above: 1Yi
The party usually designated the aRadical
Party is sustained by the majority of the peo-
pie OF the North. The Congressman of that
party are generally representative men. I
This Gov. Brown is one of the men who,
under the newly passed reconstruction bill,
are disfranchised, and yet with more patriot
ism and less haughtiness than has been or
now is usual in the South, he urges his peo-
pie to accept the situation, and to lose no time
in closing in with the overtures for peace and
settlement which that bill holds out to them.
After reading the following extract from the
Governor, one almost feels to commiserate his
situation, and to regret that he must fall be-
meath the retributive act which will make of
him political nonentity. That man of such
spirit, laboring to confer benefits upon his
people from which he must be excluded, will
long remain among the disfranchised, we do
not believe. In recent speech he said
see thspb g pbtst s in i5nraH5Y naturally presents it
with thine adversary quickly" We are pros
trate and powerless. We can offer no further
resistance. The conquerors dictate their own
terms, which are heightened in severity by the
delay of the conquered to accept them. Be-
cause we have lost immensely, is it wise stub
boInly to sacrifice the little that is left to us?-
The decree has gone forth that some of us, my
self among others, who were called to lead our
people and direct public affairs during the late
unhappy struggle, shall be disfranchised, and
at least politically sacrificed. If the sympa-
thies of those whom we represented were not
with us, they would be less than human But
is it best that they cling to us till they have
made beggars of their wives and children, and
plunged themselves into irretrievable ruin,
when their fidelity can do us no good? I think
not. Justice to their wives and children re-
quires that we do not encourage them in this
course. And above all, if peace, quiet and re-
turning prosperity can be restored to our un-
happy country by the sacrifice, we should
make it without further hesitation or dalav