Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-09-10
REMEMBER THE PAST!

GlllS pSeH0O COl. geo. w MCCoOK
REMEMBER THE PAST!
We have not and never had any
idea that all the men who claimed
to be Democrats, and who had al
ways voted with that party up tc
the time of the rebellion, were op
posed to the enforcement of the
laws of the United States against
the rebellion of Jefferson Davis and
his wicked associates and their de-
luded followers. While the leaders
of that party, so far as their party
organizations were concerned, and
so far as these party organizations
had influence, that influence was ex-
erted, in County and State nomina-
ting conventions, and State and
National Legislative bodies against
the policy OF the administration
that party, qs party, did all in its
power to discourage and defeat the
objects for which the Government
had put the military power of the
country in the field but we know
there were, and are to this day,
thousands Of honorable exceptions
to this resistant, non, coerciYe
policy of the leaders of that party.
Individual democrats of the heroic
and patriotic cold Hickory" sort,
rose up with indignation when
shots were fired upon the Stars and
Stripes that were so nobly defended
by General Jackson, who throttled
the monster, notification, and the
rebellious schemes ofSouthern trai
tors in 1882. The men of the Dem
ocratic party who had imbibed and
retained the true spirit and princi-
pies of Democracy, inaugurated in
this country by the fathers of the
Republic, rose above all mere party
organizations, and said, "We will
sustain the supremacy of the laws
of our country" and said, further,
"We are for our country first, our
country last, our country all the
time" and proved their sincerity In
these declamations either by shoul-
dering their muskets and marching
to the bloody field of battle, or by
paying their money to sustain the
Government and otherwise giving
it the aid of their personal influence.
These, from whatever political par
ty they came, were patriots. While
they did their duSy as such, they are
entitled to the lasting respect and
honor of all true friends of a free
Republican form of Government.
Whoever will take q retrospective
view of the acts and policy of the
party claiming to be THE Democrat
Ic party, during the rebellion, can
not fail to see that the highest OBJ
ect Of that party, as q political Or
ganization, was not to crush out
but to crush ont the pa
,riotic hosts who had nobly given
themselves, their power, influence
md means to put down rebellion
hat contemplated the destruction
Of the best Government ever devils
ID by man.
But these leading men Of the
Democratic party, these Democratic
,rators who attempt to enlighten
he people at district school houses,
iay we should let by. cones be by
yones. Their party record during
he war, when presented to the peo-
,le of to-day, they confess by this
lislike to have it held up before the
,eople, gives them unpleasant feel
that they repudiate their
var record, but that it has a deathly
fleet upon their hopes and pros
,ects of present and future political
ueeess. For their benefit as a par
J, they would gladly have their war
ecord buried so deep that the hand
# resurrection could never reach
t. Their rown political photograph,
ghen hold up before them, throws
hem into spasms, for they know it |
5 full Of unpleasant remembrances
o every soldier and every man who {