Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1868-08-21

when the Democratic party was the party Of
/ progress, the party Of sound ideas, Of gen
erous instincts, the party Of justice, Of hu-
man brotherhood, Of equal rights, Of free
dom. Then its leaders had courage, they
were aggressive. they we're not afraid to at
tack wrong whenever they found it, or to
maintain the right wherever it led them.
If it were that nov. If it had in il even any
Of the old ieaven Of righteousness, it might
be well to support il, and keep it from des-
truetion. But il has not a single good
Democratic quality remaining; it is the par
ty Of hate, Of inhuman prejudice; il has
planted itself on injustice and dishonor
During the war it was ready to surrender
the Union; since the war it is ready to dis
grace the nation by repudiating the debt
II denies justice, and boastfally appeals to
the baser passions Of the multitude.
Is that party with which the young men
of the nation. generous, full of ardor. low
ing liberty, having faith in mankind, believ-
ing also in the irresistible progress Of this
great Union, in intelligence, virtue and
wealth, can join Here, for instance, is
this question Of paying the debt, which Is
treated by the Democratic party as though
this nation were bankrupt debtor ruined
in substance, without health or strength, or
future. But what young man believes this2
Who Of them does not feel his heart inspir-
ed with the faith that toe American people
stand just upon the threshold Of a long and
glorious career? Who of them, with warm
blood in his veins, does not scorn to tarnish
the honor Of this growing nation by wrong
ing its creditors? Who of them does not
know that the pressure which seems so Sc
we're now, to the men without faith or hope,
viii pass away so completely and rapidly
that our children viii no more comprehend
1t than We comprehend the dark days after
the Revolution, and will no more forgive Us
tor iaintheartedness than we forgive the
fainthearts Of the ante-reYolutionary days.
There appears to be no hope Of an honor
able-future, or indeed Of any future, for the
present democratic party. Its leaders are
possessed by ideas which are not in conso-
nance with the spirit Of the age. They
must. in the nature of things, linger out
their days in an attitude Of vain bat bitter
protest against facts and events. They are
the true re dictionaries, who, in the rough
speech Of western man, go about tread
ing on the coat tails of progress, and crying
out Whoa. whoa! They have shown them
selves during seven OF eight most important
years, unable to catch up with events; and
their position is that Of man running after
a railroad train, aud yainly fingiug up his
hands in rage with the flying locomotive
We have Lot been as all our readers know
blind friends of the Republican party We
have bad occasion, very often, to blame the
errors, the blunders, and the excesses Of
some Of It's leaders; We have not failed to
condemn important parts Of their policy;
and believe they have been 10 many ways
unwise. But it cannot be denied tn their
spirit has been a spirit of lib. fty and
humanity; often when they have erred, it
has been from love Of liberty, and not
from devotion to slavery; aud often again,
the prevailing ignorance of politicians upon
all other questions but that Of slavery, has
made the party in power tie victim Of de-
signing and selfish men, and the seapegoat
Of their misdeeds But the democratic
leaders have not shown disposition to do
better. They offer to repeat the blunlers
Of the Republicans; and, worse yet, they
even put into their last platform ''protee-
zionist plank, and thus abandon the last
distinctively democratic ground they had
retained.
There is hope Of the Republican party, 1t
seems to have future before it; it can be
welded aud formed BY the young men Of the
nation. But even ifit could not, it should,
in this election, receive the support Of all
young men, of all voters who wish TO get
done with the negro in politics, Of all who
desire to recognise accomplished facts, and
who see that the country imperatively needs
that other questions than those relating to
the rights of negroes, shall be discussed and
settled, without loss of time. These aues-
tons cannot come up until the present issue
is decided; until, by a repetition Of the de-
feat Of 1864. the democrats are forced to
accept reconstruction, as an accomplished
fact, and turn to other questions. -Egsn-
- PIT