American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-10-02
Mistellaneous.
THE DUTY OF THE HOUR.


hailed by all the enemies of the Amer
lean Government and the American
principles as their victory. If that par
ty could now return to power the real
result of the war would be indefinitely
postponed, and our politics would con-.
tinue to be a contest to settle the civil
equality of all citizens The old lead
ers, trained in the school of slavery
would renew the old debate upon the
old policies which sprang from that
fruitful root of iniquity. Even now
their only cry is "Nigger equality 7" In
a country of more than thirty millions
of people, of whom scant four millions
are colored, and the great majority Of
them just emancipated, the Democratic
party appeals to the false pride and pref ;
udice.and the passion of the white race
to save the country in the name of Heav-
en- from "nigger equality" and "nigger
supremacy" 1t is as insxpressibly de.
grading and humiliating as every other
cry and policy of the sullen feudal and
reactionary spirit in this country which
calls itself "the Democracy"
The conscious want of the country, of
all the people and all the interests in it,
is peace. But how shall peace be Sc
cured except by the will Of the people
as expressed in Congress That will has
defined the terms upon which the late
rebel States may resume their places in
the Union. The President insists thai
Congress has no right'to declare terms,
and that the Rebels were entitled to be
represented the moment they surrender
ed. The Democratic party supports his
theory while it repudiates him person
ally And the great fact, as we said,
which every thoughtful citizen should
remember, is that every act of the Press
ident and every success of the Demo.
cratic party stimulate the hopes of the
rebels and prolong the confusion of the
country.
The Democratic party, which had be-
come merely Propaganda of slavery,
furnished the theories which masked
the rebellion, the leaders who command.
ed it, and the embarrassmebts which
prolonged it. 1t was party morally
responsible for the war. Its method of
avoiding it was submission to slavery
Its policy for ending it was a conference
of conquest. Forced to use the phrases
Of loyalty, the party has nevertheless
constantly betrayed its sympathies. Its
recognized leaders in Pennsylvania, who
are they2 They are 50 the most compre,
hensve aud offeusiys sense-Copperheads
In Ohio who are they ? Vallandiugham
and Pendleton. In New York The
most notorious and malignant opponents
of the war Iu kentucky? Mr.. Helm,
whom the Democrats had just elected
Governor, and who died fortnight
since, was known only as a rebel sympa>
thizer during the war The New York
World, the chief Copperhead paper in
the city, hailed Helms election as a
great Democratic victory, notwithstand-
ing be was opposed by party Of 1000
organized Democrats, who hated Radi-
calism, but who also hated rebellionj
The Kentucky War Democrats the
World would not recognize, The sue
cess of the rebel sympathizers it hailed
as a great Demoratic victory. And the
same World, upon the news of the Cal
ifornia election, unable to restrain its
real syupathles and feelings, cried out,
"Read this handwriting on tho wall, ye
Disunionists, who have squsndered a
third of the nations wealth, million of
its lives, who have substituted military
despotism for republican liberty in ten
of the sovereign States of the Union"
etc. .rr
This is worthy of the Memphis Aua>
tanche, or of the most malignant rebel
sheet, vcneered with the thiunest ap-
pearance of patriotism. 1t is the men
Of the loyal States whom the World
brand as "Disunionists. 1t is those
who would not wallow with the World
before the scornful threats of the slave
lords who are murderers, and in the
Union, whose supremacy has been main,
tanned by the terrible war, the States in
the opinion of the World, are 'sover-
'eign." This is the political gospel of
the Democratic party. This is the vital
heresy which furnished the excuse for
the war and the success of that party
is the reopening of every question which
the war seemed to have settled.
Is this desirable? What do we gain
by The conscience and intelligence of
the American people are represented by
the dominant, paIty--their ignorance,
viciousness, and hatred of progressive free
government by the Democratic party.
We speak of parties, of course, not of
individuals. Now intelligence and CON-
science may be apparently invisible for
a time in public affairs, but they are the
great forces, and they will heave the
whole frame of society until they ac-
quire their natural ascendeney Ii the
principles ofthe Republican party were
thrown out of power they would do
exactly what they did before, they would
shake US until they returned to power.
Displaee them now, and what have we
gained? Will the hereditary apologist
and ally of Slavery secure equal civil
rights /? Will the traditional assertor Of
State Sovereignty develop a noble sen.
timent of nationality 7 Viii the pauder
to the grossest and most prejudiced ig-
norance stimulate general iutelligence ?
And as for the details of administration,