The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-08-26

L
said the great historian oil the desolaters of
Roman provinces, che makes a solitude
and calls it peace ''''. .''i'' - -.
Denouncing negro equality and suprema-
cy yet in accordance with long established
doctrine, it RENTS the regulation of the
elective franchise in each State to her own
citizens without Intervention OF any sort by
the Federal Government. ar la
Rejecting the insolent dogma that a. pub
lie debt is public blessing, it demands
payment Of the debt as rapidly as practi-
aable, and unless otherwise expressly re-
quired by law or contract, in the lawful
! money, the greenback /" currency of the
country. And then, in the spirit oftrue
Democracy proclaims, some currency for
the Government and the people, the labor
err and the oEiceholder, the pensioner and
the soldier, the producer and the bond
holder = s@ - af'te.fi'
t!demands further equal taxation of oil
property, Government bonds included; a
revenue tariff; economy; the restoration OF
the rightful authority of the Judicial and
Executive departments I; equal rights for
native and, adopted citizens at home. and
abroad; the right of expatriation; and the
I -subordination of the military to the civil
authority. '.iss'i.i '-it
1t proclaims the so-called /" reconstruc.
ton acts" of Congress, delivering over ten
States to the supremacy of the negro, un-
der governments controlled by negroes, to
be usurpations, unconstitutional, revolu-
tionary and void. sfs;,.f s5,; d.
! To the soldier and sailor it guarantees
the faithful execution of every pledge given
| in their favor by the Government; to the
actual settler it promises the public lands
and finally, to the workingmen it tenders
the full sympathy of the Democratic party
in their efforts to protect the rights aud
promote the interests Of labor and of the
Flaboring classes of the country. -.
PARTIES COMPARED. .{ai.1.4j
So much for platforms in general.
And now allow me briefly to consider
some of the primary and fundamental diff
ferences in principle and politics, between
the Republican and Democratic parties.
First. The aim and purpose of the Re.
publican revolutionary leaders is to central
ize the powers of the General Government
so as to establish ultimately an Imperial
Republic which, in the judgment of the
wisest and best statesmen of America, from
the beginning, can here be but another
name for military despotism. To secure
this object they began by denying and
usurping the just, constitutional reserved
rights Of the States. Next. they assumed
absolute power to exist in time Of war, in
the President, whom they designated the
government !" and when afterwards they
quarreled with the Executive, they stripped
him of every accustomed and even of very
many of his clearly constitutional preroga
tives, and finally sought by q gross abuse
of the power of impeachment, to remove
him from an office to which little remained
except the title and emolument. AND
when the Supreme Court stood IN theil
way, they began. by hostile legislation, te
circumscribe and cripple it's rightful juris
diction, and to bring it into contempt will
the people, by bitter and venomous denun
citation of its Chief Justice.
Upon the other hand, the Democratic
party insists, in the language Of Jefferson
son> "ths support Of the State governments
in all their rights as the most competent
administrations of our domestic concerns
and the surest bulwarks against anti-repub
lican tendencies; and the preservation o
the General Government in its whole con
stitutional vigor, as the sheet-anchor ofou
peace at home and safety abroad"
AS to policies or ideas, the two parties
differ fundamentally in this the basis o
the present Republican organization is big
otry, hate and revenge. 1t tolerates nj
differences of opinion. It would foreve
fan and keep alive the flames Of that ciyi
war which for four long and weary year
scorched the hearts and desolated tn
homes of one-thrd of the people Of th,
j United States. II would cherish foreve
the hot passions and the bitterness and TIN
feuds and discords which, in our own midst
arrayed neighbor against neighbor, ant
wrought dissensien and strife among thos
of the same household. 1t refuses to fol-
get the vile epithets which found no apollo
f gy even amid the fury Of bloody conflict
and glibly spits forth from its envenome'
Hips, "rebel sympathizer, butter-nut, COP
lperhead and traitor" Processing rel
gion which is founded on eternal love,
yet builds itself up on immortal hate. In
voking mercy and forgiveness from tn
God of heaven, it denies all pardon or grac
{ to fellow men ON earth. g ste.
But do these, our enemies, realize tina
} they themselves are the very children Q
political wrath Have they forgotten tn
accumulated wrongs and outrages whic
| they heaped upon our heads-the denuncia
tions, the 'calumnies, the espionage, til
IDobbings, the arrests, the inprisonments