The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-04
"Democracy Means Revolution"

"If Democracy does not mean revolution,
what does it mean? All efforts to cloud the an
The lines OF demarcation are drawn with won
derful distincLness Financial questions taxa
tion, and tariffs, foreign and domestic economy,
are subsidiary. There will be no serious trouole
about paying the debt, when the time comes TO
pay IT, We can trust the common sense OF the
country for that Tariffs and taxation Will
right themselves in obedience To the immutable
laws of supply aud demand. The issue that
transcends and absorbs all these is simply this:
shall we have reyolution? certain policy
has been adopted Whatever may be said about
reconstruction; whatever may be It's merits
or aemerlss; IL itThiss rs now tne supreme law law
the whole question of reconstruction above
the reach of any political party. Even give the
Democracy the fullest triumph. suppose IL
elects MIR. Seymour and q majority o. the
House, the Senate Is radical and strong enough
to veto any attempt to amend or destroy the
Democratic party could not take the bar from
a single Rebel, or place bar upon single
dispensatton OF office, Democratic President
wou be powerless. He could not touch
radical Senate. He would be merely the miu-
lister of laws which he disapproved, and the
servant OF a Senate that did not trust him.
How then could the election OF Seymour
dncC to The advantage of the Democratic party?
the wishes of its constituents7 Simply by
revolution.
"The Democratic party understands this and
to gain power Is prepared TO take the response
hllty OF revolution, even unto war. Renem-
him the unanimous vote of the Democratic
Convention"
The idea with which the Tribune sets out is
perfectly correct, namely, that the chief issue
presented in this canvass is, whether the negro
reconstruction shall stand. The Tribune is in
error, however, when it says that "the four
teenth amendment places the whole question
of reconstruction beyond the reach of any po-
litical party" The so-called fourteenth amend
ment leaves the regulation of the suffrage to
the States, but deprives them of portion OF
their representatives in the lower branch of
Congress if they exclude the negroes. Waving
the question whether this amendment has
been properly ratified, it does not interfere
with the upsetting of all that has been done
by Congress in the Southern States since it
was first proposed. The Southern States may
| displace the negro governments and still retain
| their equal representation in the Senate-far
more important to them than a full represen-
tation in the House. By replacing suffrage
on the white basis, they will take security
| against being miSrepresented in either branch
OF Congress, and will regain all the advantages
of domestic selfgovernment.
| Having shown that the Tribune'S reference
| to the fourteenth amendment Is not pertinent,
we quite agree with it as to which is the main
| issue in the ensuing election. Is negro Gre
| construction unconstitutional, revolutionary,
and void 2" II Governor Seymour is elected
the people decide this question in the afirma-
tive; if General Grant, in the negative. So
| far, if we understand cur contemporary, the
World and the Tribune agree.
But the Tribune raises the question whether
the decision of the people, thus rendered,
shall be respected. The tenor of its article is
| that if the Republican party succeeds, it
shall; but if the Democratic, it shall not.
| But why is not one party just as much bound
| by the Will or the ma lority as the other
What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the
gander. Even the Tribune does not profess
| 4lo.k 4l.o
undertake revolution" unless it succeeds
in electing its candidates. That great
bugaboo, General Blair's first letter,
| does not contain sentence nor a syl-
| liable from which it can be inferred that the
! bogus negro Legislatures and carpet bag gov
ernments are to be sent budging, except by
the election of Democratic President IL
General Grant is fairly elected, the new policy
will have on its side both the machinery of the
Government and preponderance of the physi-
cal strength of the country. Not a word has
been uttered by any responsible Democrat in
dicating purpose to disturb it if it should be
indorsed by a majority of the people. But
if majority Of the people reprobate it and
condemn it, as they will if they elect Sey-
mour and Blair, the Tribune insists that 1t
shall nevertheless stand, though at the cost of a
civil war
Unless the Tribune holds this anti-republi-
can, this atrocious and diabolical doctrine, the
cry OF revolution and bloodshed which it
raises against the Democratic party is arrant
nonsense and absurdity. The Tribune tells US
that if Seymour is elected, the radical Senate
will stand out against the decision of the
country; that the radical party will take up
arms to sustain 1t in thus resisting the mao-
rity of the people. 1t is only by such re-
fusal to accept the result of the election, only
by resistance to the declared will of the majo-
rity, that a new civil war is possible. The
radical organs and orators are all threatening
war If the Democratic party succeeds. 1t is q
threat against the sovereign majority of the
people. 1t is treason against the very princi
pie of republican government-the right of the
majority to rule. .-.. ...
The people have never yet had an opportu-
nifty to give their verdict on the Reconstruc-
tiOn acts. At the time of the last Congress
sional elections those acts had not been
Matched. In the State elections held last
year, there was more sudden and surprising
reaction than was ever before witnessed in
this country. The people will now be per-
mitted, for the first time, to give their denbe-
rate judgments on those acts. The Republi-
cans confess that the issue is so boldly
presented that it cannot be blinked. The
Democratic Convention have made it impossi-
BILE for any citizen to vote for Seymour and
Blair without intending to condemn the recon-
structiOn policy of Congress. If they are
elected, that policy will have been explicitly
repudiated by majority of the people.
} The Tribune declares that the Republican
Senate and the Republican party will not sub
NIT to such a decision, though made by the
people; declares, in substance, that the Re-
publicans will see the land again drenched with
blood rather than give up their policy, even