The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-08

war Win unanimOuS enthusiasm; but they
did not lose their democratic instincts, and in
the very midst Of the war, when the demo-
cratic managers presented an unequivocal war
platform and presented their candidate
squarely on that issue, the people sustained
them, as if eager to vindicate their fame and
prove that they had only gone with the re-
publicans because that party. for the time,
held the true ground that national democracy
must stand upon-the maintenance of the con-
stitution, the government and the laws. But
the democratic leaders, purblind. resolved on
self-deceit saw in this act of the people
tendency to give the government up,
and they abandoned their war platform and in
the next canvass came forward with those
offensive peace principles that involved
the surrender of all the rights of
the people were true to themselves, and once
more the State was lost to the democrats. And
this little piece of the history of our State indi-
Gates the temper of the whole American peo-
pie Democratic with an honest democracy,
they will rather give their suffrages to the
RACES them by putting forth as theirs principles
that they repudiate and abhor. Can the party
managers never understand this?
Why is it to-day deemed even possible that
the candidate of democratic convention may
win? Simply because the republican party has
abandoned its war platform and national prin-
ciples to follow the maniac notions of some
zealots and because the people, fearful of those
zealots, want to see a return to those national
principles that made the war platforms of the
republican party. Can they hope for such
return at the hands of party whose every
utterance starts from an assumption that there
has been no war? And will they, knowing they
can hope for no such return accept such
party? The Northern people are the political
quantity on which parties must count, and
these are disposed to build the fabric of the
future on the thirteenth amendment, that abol-
ishes slavery, and the fourteenth, that gives the
States power in regard to suffrage These
recognize the war and start from an accept
anchors Of the democratic masses from
which nothing can drag them; and to these
points the politicians must come. Republican
leaders have repudiated the best of these-the
fourteenth amendment. They have made re-
construction laws that conflict with IL, have
tried to bully the people out Of their convic-
tons and have endeavored to make a new rev.
olution to cover their nefarious purpose
Because they have abandoned these principles
the people have abandoned them, and now
look to the democracy for remedy. But will
they permit the democracy to ignore what they
punish the republicans for abandoning? 1t is
folly to suppose this. Party platforms amount
to little; they are made and broken equally at
WILL but the people will Judge this Conven-
ton and The promise of revived democracy
by the candidate that is named If it is man
who was in sympathy with the enemy during
the war, whose history and career are a pro-
test against the war and its results, the people
will scorn the democracy and take the repub-
licans with ali their crimes, because any other
evil is better than degradation. Nay, if it is
an obscure man only, they will do the same,
for parties must make their purpose p!ain but
il il is such man as Chase-a man honestly
national in the great strife and as honestly and
magnifcenty democratic on all the issues now
before the country-he will be elected almost
10y reclamation.