Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-06-20
NOT so MUCH THEE NAME AS
 TEE PRINCIPLE.

will give the whole of his article:
 'Nct that we wish to cavil about the proper name that the opposite party to Radicalism ought to assume, do We enter protest against some of our papers, among them the Des Arc Citizen, insisting upon retaining Democracy" as its wstchword We have always been Democrat. True, We only voted once, and that was for Breekinridge and Lane--yet, we cannot see why we ought to stick 10 old names. when new issues are daily springing up.
 New diseases require new remedies new medicines, or at least new compounds Thus it is with parties We are having issues now, that look more in unison with the bugle note "Consorvative, than lsDemocrat."
 Times always alter circumstance; and the present times require that we should have some rallying word, to which oH op- posed to Radicalism could readily and willingly answer and do work at its bid ding.
 Mere than once have We heard the re- mark by good old Whigs, that they would feel far more comfortable. if the Demo cratic party had some other name.
 For the sake of having answering har. mony in our ranks. and out of respect to thos who belonged to the good old. Whg party, it would seem in veE good taste if "Conseryatiye' were adopted, instead of "Democrat s a.
 A popular name has charms, and can accomplish more, than an old relic" It is one of the evils of our form of government that parties assume such thorough antagonism to each other that it is hardly possible to take anything like middle ground upon any of the issues at at stake, without being deemed q traitor to the side espoused. Objections must be overcome in the fight for more important results. So far as concerns us, We are totally indifferent as to what name shall be given the party-Conservative, Demo cratic, or any other that has any signifi- capce whatever, so that the proper issues and principles are connected with it. We are not sticking for name. or the mere success of a party but are laboring for the cause of right, truth and justice. Politics being so near a profession with Us, as a people, and party lines so closely drawn, we may not at our pleasure take issue on such question as to what name we shall be known by. Especially is it so with us of the South. The war, for awhile, oblit- erated all the old party lines and distinc- tions and left the administration and its opposition as the only parties, the old Democratic party forming the principal part of the opposition and variously known as the Conservative, the Copper head, or the Democratic party We now find the Democratic party of the North u e only one organized in opposition to the Republican party, and capable of de- feating it's attempts at destroying State lines and centraizing all power in fed.
 
 eral head. We must be content to tnLe the issues as we fnd them, for we have no power to influence anything else if we attempted it. l. is hardly possible that we will be permitted to perform anything of ourselves in the approaching contest, independent of what aid and comfort We can give our friends. Ctr cause is in the keeping of the great Democratic party oi the. North, and'it will De won or lost hy it this fan north of Mason and Dixon's line. The batI Q rests with 'hem Shoyn as we now are, of all political privileges we cannot consistently make any demands upon the party. But in the event We d. participate in the election, VIC can sec nc reason why an old Whig may not as con. sistently vote with the Democratic party as with one called Conservative, if the principles governing them be the same No man would certainly allow the bare prejudice of a name to betray him iatc opposition to what he thought was right None should keep faith with their party to that extent Besides, tho Whig party is dead, and no attempt is being made, or probably ever will be made to resGrreet ii again. Nh fuan oIeht to "iecl uncom- fortable, or be ashamed to be found in the ranks of the Democratic party. Its record is proud one, For more than half century it carried this country from one degree of prosperity to another until We were the richest and happiest people apoa the globe. It is now advocating the principles which experience teaches should obtain if we would preserve the form of government SC dearly bought for us, and be led back into the old paths of prosper fly We want all who are opposed to the party now holding high carnival of crime, and of lust, and of corruption, to join our ranks and VIC will cordially extend our hands as brothers and be glad to receive them Never fear the slight objections of name; common cause unites the native people of the South, and when the time comes they will make ! strong and per sistent effort to regain their lost liberties We want to see union and harmony among those who are opposing Radicalism that they may have strength to overthrow the eonspirators before the government is subverted, and to that end we shall insist nnnn caliiIrr iha Nnmncraiic nnriu tLn