The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-30
MIR. Harris, of Maryland, on the Demo-
cratic Party.

v. Nasby occasionally affords us taste of the
article. but even he must yield the palm to
the Hon. BENJAMIN G. Harris, of Maryland.
Mr. Harris has Just written a letter, addressed,
of course to an editor, so that it should not
reach the public, in which he extensively dis
cusses the situation.
His views upon reconstruction are novel and
interesting. The best act Of reconstruction,
he says, "for the safety and preservation of
the rights and liberties OF the people of this
country, is that of the Democratic party upon
the principles which it recognized ,ohen il ,Oas
pardlyzed by the ambition of Douglas and the i'm
6ecility of Buchanan"
Weinfer from this the existence of two facts
first that the Democratic party is in a state of
paralysis, and secondly that old Jimmy
Buchanan is imbecile. This is what we Repub-
licans have all along claimed, and it is COM
Portable to be confirmed in our views by one so
well qualified to judge as is the distinguished
gentleman from Maryland.
Mr.. Harris next favors us with some mathe-
matical fancies. He claims that in this country
there are million of men majority over the
radicals, but that the latter "have been in
genious enough, by military law, enfranohise-
ment of the negroes, and disfranohisement Of
the white race, to retain to their minority the
power to govern this entire country according
to their own tyrannical views" This he natu-
rally enough objects to- and exclaims:-
"This should not continue-the great interests
of our people (both present and future genera
ttons) demand that 1t should stop. We must
ha n
ably II we can, torcibiy il ,0e must L should
greatly regret to find the resort TO force necessary
TO accomplish This great S0LUdtOn, but how can IL
be avoided, when by force alone our enemies are
inaugurating the greatest outrages upon tae
great fundamental principles which our fore
fathers, as they thought, firmly established for
our country?"
This belligerent attitude of Mr.. Harris would
alarm us, had he not just informed us of the
interesting condition of paralysis which affects
the only party he could rely upon to aid him
in his warlike designs. What could even a
millien men do when paratysed9 Moreover,
we are reassured when we remember that
during our late war Mr. Harris had abundant
opportunity ''to resort to force'' to "restore
the Democratic party to power" but always
exhibited remarkable obedience to motives
of prudence. He much preferred going to
out of the House of Representatives, even, as
too much of a Rebel to be allowed to associate
with loyal men, could not screw his courage
up to the sticking point of shouldering his
musket in defense of the cause in whose be-
half he now invokes another resort to arms
He may have been bold enough to fire from
behind a window shutter at our unarmed
troops during the Baltimore riots, but we
doubt even that.
Mr.. Harris next proceeds to discuss the
causes of the weakness of the Democracy in
the NORTH
"That the Democratic party has been weak
even at the North since the election of Mr.. Lin
coin, is, 1 think, owing In great measure TO
properly TO the want ofnerve in its counsellors
and advisers. Thisha 'shrunk 1t to It's present
rept, sentation in Congress. When entered
the Thirty-eighth Congress L found there
seventy members VINO were booked ana acted
stances such number, peing more than a third
OF the House, indicated great vitality and
strength in the party. How useful would that
numner have been to us during the Thirty
ninth and present Congress In staying the
rapid progress of the radicals to des.
potic powerI The masses which those
men represented were the same as now,
and 1 believe would nave stood firm,
they have had true and faithful leaders. Their
instinct and feelings were all right, but those OF
their prominent politicians, in most instances
were mercenary and timid. W hile in their
hearts they did not lOish, their constituents
ketO, the success OF The North in their nefdrioS and
Uf1usaJtdbLe ,0ar upon the South, they yet dis
covered wonderful policy in pretending to wish
1t. They shrieked for the UniOn-made the
strongest war speeches. while they whispered
to the knowing ones of their party that decep
don was the surest means of getting power, and
when power was obtained. then-they UOUld dt
the eGpedient. Mised by their own fOolist
and tm1d policy, they mlsled the masses o
consequence Of which the country is now suf
fering agony"
This is truthful Characterization of tn,
Northern leaders of the Democratic party
Their policy has been one of deceit and ter
giversation. But it must be exquisite for tn
Seymours and Woods and BrOokes and Reed
and -Clymers to thus have their conduct hel
ND TO public scorn by one of their own clas
But if Mr. Harris really supposes that MOI
bold and outspoken opposition to the WI
would have commanded the sympathy
suDport of the Northern masses, we beg
remind him of Mr.. Vallandigham's little 9
periment in that direction in Ohio, where
was buried beneath popular majority OF oV
one hundred thousand votes.
Mr.. Harris maintains that slavery still exls
and opposes the adoption in the Maryla
Constitution of anything that looks to It's abo
ton. He says:-
..Tha ,nstitution of slavery, in theory at lea
.at,i1 EXISTS: and IL does not become our State
inter word against that theory, Wnen snS