The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1868-09-03
Dignity Of Argument.

In the course Of a debate during the
present session of Congress, the late Mr..
Stevens remarked that for nearly all his
political life the Democratic party had
been directing its arguments against men
rather than against the measures, policies,
or principles which they opposed. In the
current campaign there seems to be no re-
formation in this respect. A systematic
or thorough course of argument seems as
foreign to the purpose and habits of that
organization as can well be imagined
During the days of the Kansas troubles,
and up to the breaking out of the civil
war, it made more political capital and ex-
ercised greater influence over the timid,
the thoughtless, and the ignorant by the
cry of ''abolitionist" than by any other of
its electioneering agencies. 1t knew its
men. 1t knew the antipathy between the
two races, and that nowhere was that an
tipathy more deeply seated or more easily
aroused than among the humber Of our
least intelligent of the Northern States
The word has lost its opprobrium. 1t had
its day, but that day has past. During
the war, it sought to use like weapon
against President Lincoln Scarcely any
epithet was too severe, scarcely any was
too vulgar, to howl against the head and
of +ba Nor+ba,.o ,,aopla IECO,.;lI, -
fape," ''widow-maker," ''butcher," and
other equally opprobrious terms, were used
to designate the Chief Magistrate of the
nation and to bring him into contempt
Towards Jeff Davis, not half the bitterness
was shown, nor half the severity Of denun-
citation employed, as toward the man on
whose shoulders devolved the task of
maintaining the Union as against the re-
bellion Their weapons failed The de-
termination of the people to suppress the
rebellion was not to be shaken by any such
cries. The contrast between the magni-
tude of the contest and the puerility and
demagogucism of such weapons was so
great as to bring them into disrepute-
For more than quarter of century, the
Democratic party had controlled the gov
ernment, not by its virtues, but by pander-
ing to the popular prejudices, and left as
the result Of its laborS gigantic civil war.
One would think that It's severe experience
of the past eight years would be sufficient
to lift it out of its slough Of demagogueism
and personal abuse But it seems not
1t is not able to unlearn the tricks and
chicanery that once served it. Like the
leopard, it cannot change its spots. 1t is
only in the exception that it can get above
its old tricks OF scurrihty and vituperation.
Some incidents in the manner of conduct
ing the. present canvass strikingly illus
trates this The Democratic party ar
raigns the Republican for violating the
constitution and grossly squandcring the
public treasure. 1t has its chief organ IN
the New York H0rld For weeks past.
its editorials have touched on little else
than political affairs. Yet among them
all, scarce one is to be found discussing
directly and fully the issues of the
day Many touch on those issues, but
they are denunciatory, not argumentatiye
Many more are altogether personal. The
most dignifed of all it has to say concern
ing Gen Grant is mere play of words