Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1868-08-21
Political,
FOR WHOM SHOULD THE YOUNG
MEN VOTE!

FOR WHOM SHOULD THE YOUNG
MEN VOTE!
What ticket should the young menof the
country support2 4 large number of young
men viii cast their first vote for President
at this next election. Doubtless they want
TO support that ticket whose election shall
most benefit the country They do not
wish to do that Of which they will have to
repent hereafter. General Sherman said
once that be voted for Buchanan, and had
been sorry for it ever since; and General
Sherman is not the only one who entertains
such 7 egrets.
To the young men whe have few words
to say. Everybody knows that before a
very long time passes, there must come
about a re organization of parties Those
who have studied most thoughtfully the
political and industrial condition of the
country are persuaded that many import
ant interests are neglected, and that the
country suffers in different ways, because
this reorganization Of parties has been so
long delayed; aud that it will continue to
suffer until parties are formed upon the real
/ questions of the day-whieh are taxation
and finance
In the present canvass neither Of these
F important questions takes the lead The
Democratic party had the power, if its lead
ers had possessed the necessary wisdom, tn
make these questions prominent 1t had
+ only to accept accomplished facts, to take
for granted the reconstruction of the south
ern states, and to fling out of the arena of
politics all the old questions, which p.ece-
ded and grew out of the war; and to an
nounoe policy Of equal civil and political
rights, and with this policy Of justice, Wis
( dom aud good faith, upon the questions Of
+ taxation, internal and external, the curren-
cy and the debt
! But the Democratic leaders have neither
/ the courage nor the wisdom to place them
selves in the advance: they cannot or viii
not see that the attitude of protest, which
they have held for so many years, is not the
attitude Of victorious party. They pro-
+ tested, in 1860 against the spread Of liberal
! opinion on the slavery question-and we're
( beaten. They protested in 1864 against the
war for the Union, and demanded an inme-
+ diaie cessation of hostilities-and we're still
more badly beaten In 1868, they still pro-
+ test-against reconstruction at the moment
it Is accomplished in nearly every State;
against the debt, when the people have
made up their minds to pay it honestly.
against the negroes voting, when they have
voted in every Southern State.
/ Now, in the first place, it is plain that 50
I long a. the Democratic party thus disputes
the validity Of accomplished facts, so long
as its sole policy is to 90 back, to carry the
country back over old tracks, to undo what
/ has been done, to tegin again the turmoil
through which we have just painfully pas
sed-just SO long is any true progress i'm
possible The old questions must be put
I aside before the new ones can come up Tor
argument 1t is the Democratic party,
+ therefore, which bars the way to progress,
and when il Is swept out of the way then
I only can we come 70 that discussion OF 9th
er questions most important to the whole
country, which is so necessary and impera-
tive.
It is, therefore, for the general interest
and welfare that the Democratic party
should be beaten in the coming election; for
thus only can these questions which it at
tempts to revive be put aside for ever. The
party protested against emancipation until
il was beaten in 1868; but that defeat settled
the question. and put the slavery question
out of our politics tor ever. So, in 1868, q
defeat of the Democrats win compel even
them to accept the reconstruction, now al
ready accomplished, and suffer the country
to pay attention 70 other and more impor-
tant matters.
But this il not sH. There was a time