The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-09-08
BY THE SON OF A BLACKSMITH.


brought up to hard labor in the shop and
/ in the field Knowing by experience
! what it is to be poor and to labor for my
bread, have always felt deep sympa
thy for the poor ard laboring classes OF
t meu NV father was revolutionary
soldier, and was a Democrat in the trne
sense of the term. l myself have from
my boyhood. been a Democrat Dem
/ ocracy is right---it is the strength OF the
| people; that is tue meaning of the term;
A Democratic government is govern
| mt ent founded nv the people, in which all
! exercise their rights equally, the rich ana
| the poor alike The home born CITIZEN
and the naturalized foreigner have equal
| privileges.
Althouh I am Democrat, [ do not be-
| long to what is called the Democratic
party, aud 1 will now give some of the
reasons why do not belong to that party,
and will not vote with it.
| l. There is no Democracy in that
party except the mere name. Formerly
| there were some Democrats in that party;
but they have all gone out into the
Union party. The men who now rule
what is called the Democratic party are
Aristocrats. They do not teach the doc
trine that all men have equal rights; they
do not hold, as our fathers did, "that all
men are created equal" and therefore
have equal rights. se ..s+s.#
n u - - 4 hat
| rebelled against the Government, and in
volved the nation in most desperate
and bloody war, killing hundreds OF thou
sands of our best men, and involved us
in a debt of thousands of millions Of
dollars. The other branch Of the party,
by their influence and opposition to the
government, encouraged rebels to hope
for success against the Union And
now they aim to restore their rebel
/ bretheren to power again. l cannot vote
to sustain such party.
3. The leaders of that party are bad
men. They deceive the people by false
representations. heard one Of them
make speech that was full of lies 'frae
He deceived most Of his hearers The
most of them believed that all was true,
and shouted applause, and, doubtless,
voted tor him to be a legislator These
are some of the reasons why will not
vote with party. The good name Demo
crat enables them to deceive the people.
There is a Republican party in which
there is true Democracy, and with thai
party intend to vote; and Tor this in
tention I will now offer some reasons:
l. Republicapism is but another name
for Democracy, and therefore it is right.
Onr Government is r Repuhlican. Tae
Republican party is properly called the
Union party, because there is in it q
union of good and true men from all
parties. and because it snstais.el tl,e
Union Of States. In this party The doe
trine of equal rights is maintained both
in theory and practice. The Civil Rights
bill and the laws or the reconstruction
of the rebel States are the most Demo-
tcratic laws ever passed by Ma ional
legislature. And those laws were en-
acted by the Republican party For
those members of Congress who call
themselves Democrats voted against
|rthese Democratic laws, and that clearly
proved that they are not Democrats =
Hence I, as Democrat, stand with the
Demecrtic party. 42
|
2. The Republican party has done
more to promote liberty and protect the
poor than any other party in the world
OF this the Civil Rights bill, reconstruc-
tion laws and revenue laws are incontro-
vertible evidence. The rich men are
taxed to pay the enormous debt the
Democrats brought upon the nation, and
not dollar is, by direct tax, exacted
. from the poor alaboring classes. I am
tpoor; l do. not own horse to ride. or a
house to dwell in, and yet the govern
ment might have exacted of me five dol
lars or more every year, but have no,
been compelled to pay one cent Some
thing might be exacted from almos,
every one, but unless man is so rich as
i to have an income of more than thou
sand dollars he pays no direct tax, Poo:
men ought not to allow themselves to be
3 fdeceived by the false representations
which designing men make to get them
selves into Office Now I, as poor man
feel that it is benefit to me and every
other poor man to have a party at the
helm of government that has compassion
. for the poor and does secure to them
all their rights. 5aoa5s# sseaIl@ .a1a Z
i We ought not to vote against our bes,
friends while they are do ng right. and
| thu hest fllnv can do for the nafion -.