Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-01
4 0REBEI PARTY -

Every sort Of appeal has been made 10
the prejudiceS of the Northern people.
To such an extent has this been carried
by the Radical wing Of the Republican
party in the canvass now closing, that
the contest has really been fought upon
prejudice rather than for the establish
ment Of great principles. The fcwcst
number o. the speakers and newspapers
of the Republican party have shown any
thing like a willingness TO do the South
ern people justice. They have repre-
scented the great body Of the people Of
the South as rebellious in the spirit as
they were before they laid down their
arms and surrendered to the Federal
army. And these representations have
been made in the face Of the fact that
the people Of the South have yielded
implicit obedience to the authority Of the
government. But it seems that they are
not content with misrepresenting the
people Of the South, for they have en-
deavored to faston reproach upon the
Democratic party by charging that it is a
"Rebel party" The Washington ChrOR-
icle heads one Of its editorial articles
"The Democrats Rebels" The New
York Tribune, in giving the result of an
election, makes a similar application Of
the term. These journals are falling
into the fashion set by Mr.. Sumner, Of
Massachusetts,, who, in his letter to pO-
htical meetings, has repeatedly spoken Of
the "Rebel party as the true name for
the Democracy. lie uses it on all occa-
Sions, rolling it like sweet mOrsel I'M
der his dainty tongue. In a letter
of his TO 4 Worcester (NIass.) Repub-
lican meeting he said, "The Rebel party
is the true name for our present De-
mocracy." His distinguished Republican
fellow citizen of Massachusetts,, Mr.. Mot
ley, whose address at the Music Hall,
Boston, on the 2Oth instant, was listened
to by an oyerAowing audience, does not
seem to look upon Democrats in that light,
but say that in the late war " Democrats
aDd Republicans, individually and cOllec-
lively, by speech, vote, and on the battle
field, stood shoulder to shoulder, proving
in the most decided way by which men
can prove their conyictions-by dying for
them-that they believed this Union to
be a government"
The Baltimore Sun, commenting upon
these efforts Of the Radical wing Of the
Republican party to stigmatisc the De
mocratc party, expresses the opinion
that there is no Rebel party" in the
United States, and that the government
would put down sucha party-that Is, a
marty which seeks to overthrow its au-
thoyity-if it existed, with the strong
hand of power. Such change" adds
the Sun. indicates the most besotted and
jnsufferable arrogance on the part OF
those who make it. 1t manifests such
q total absence Of a proper conception ana
sppreciation Of the relations and dxtieS
of one citizen to another that the indigna-
ton which it arOuses up its inflated and
inconcciyable phariseeism and selleright-
eousness gives place to cOmmiseratlon Tor
the imbecility which could be capable OF
making such an idiotic display OF itself
It asserts in substance neither more nor
less than that under a free republican
government a majority Of the population
are Rebels. In 1864 Mr.. Lincoln only
received a majority of 4ll,OOO votes,
and the result Of the recent
elections justifes US in the con.
viction that the majority has been re-
duced very nearly to an equality since
that time. At any rate the cOllest OBJ
servers believe that in the North the De.
mocratic vote apprOximates very closely
the Republican vote, while in the Soutl
Democracy is, among the whites, aImos'
universal. Taking the South, which had
i,aIs insist is made up Of ''Rebels," int