The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-01-16
The Last Ditch OF Demoer"ey Pound

Tho Last Ditch of Democracy Found
The Galveston Texas Bulletin, in
eis,ino that our late war was one of
ideasY saws with much force:
aC.od nses n good many ugly tools to
die, nm the stumps, and burn the forests,
and drain the swamps of a bowling
wilderness. Hehas used this old Egyp-
\ tian pillow of slavery to turn over the
| sod of these fifteen Southern States.
It's sin consisted in not dying decently
when its work was done. 1t strove to
live and make all the new world like it.
Its leaders avowed that their object was
to put this belt of the continent under
the control of an aristocracy which be-
lieves that one-fifth of the race is born
booted and spurred, and the other four
| fifthS ready saddled for that fifth to ride.
The war was one of freedom and de-
mocracy against the institutions that
rest on classes. 1t will take ten years
| for this country to shed the scar of such
a struggle. The state of society at the
South that produced the war, will re-
main and trouble the land, until free
dom, and democracy, and the system
of the nineteenth century take its place.
Only thus can we grapple the Union to-
| gether with hooks of steel and make 1t
as lasting as the granite that underlies
the continent"
The restoration of the Union would
be comparatively easy if the people OF
the South could be brought to compre-
bend the situation, as does the writer OF
the above paragraph. The exclusion
of Southern members from Congress
would not be tolerated if it We're not for
the feeling that there is danger that the
| freedmen would be abused if Congress
. "a, 1, ii
The fact that the war was one of ideas,
of civilization against barbarism
should indeed mitigate our animosity
towards those who by birth or educa'
ton were on the wrong side; but il
should at the same tine confirm oul
purpose wholly to obliterate the re
naming barbarism, while we have the
right and the opportunity. This pur'
pose is fixed, and in it lies the strength
and the sure success of the Republican
party.
There is room for honest difference:
of opinion as to the best measures t.
this end, and here lay the last opportu
nifty for an opposition party. But thu
: democratic leaders are again illustra
ting their own folly and assuring tn
permanent defeat of their party in tn,
North by placing themselves perversel,
on the side OF decaying barbarism
The keynote of their recent stale con
ventions is, "This is white mans GOV
eminent" They are preparing for
grand national convention in the Sprin!
to rally the party to this Standard
Yet they must know that this is no
democracy ; that even if they could viii
upon il i'll 1868, it is sure to be swep
away by the irresistible current of hu
man progress and that it is certain t.
become fixed fact that this is gov
eminent for the whole people, withou
regard TO race or color. Nevertheless
ridden by their old idea that tn
Southern aristocracy is to rule thi
nation, they fortify themselves at the las
ditch of the retreatiug barbnrism, anC
propose to make n final fight for the oh
solete and anti-democratic notions O
class and caste. Their eXtraOrdinar,
professions of regard for the letter Q
the constitution cannot conceal tn
enormity of their treachery to its spiri
and purpose-this outright denial of tn
b first principle of democracy, the RICH
OF the governed to n voice in the gov
eminent. They have deliberatel,
chosen their position; they hav
/ thrown away their last chance to oh
tain leadership and control in the re
construction of the Union. They Nigh
at least have eXerted aimodifying intiu
: ence upon the dominant party, anG
perhaps prevented some needless ex
periments upon the strength of our in
situations. But they have voluntarily
: surrendered even this negative power
and their strength of numbers is neu
traliZed by utter weakness of position
Their folly perish with them.-SprinJ
;. field Republican.