Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-09-01
GRAPE TO THE MuzzLR.

wnole CLOTH lies. IL never ngntS ialr.
1t never meets and argues public ques-
lions with candor. Its courage is the
brute force of the bully. As for con
science-that was thrown overheard in
ls4s. As for brains, the northern lobe
ran out in 1854, and the southern lobe
ran out in 1861. Since that day it has
existed as an animal, fattening or pining
according to its feed. AS 10 its best
and decentest days it was ever hunger
ing after the fesh-pots, that peculiar
bias was impaired 10 its animal nature;
and hence its inevitable gravitation to-
ward the spoils Of place. Hence the
affirmation of the World, a day or two
before the Tammany Convention -
principles are Of no account in this
fight; men and platforms are nothing
only so that we succeed" That was
tolerably frank for a Democratic organ,
but it did not tell the whole truth.
The bigger half of the Tammany plat
form is in the nature Of an arraignment
Of the Republican party, literally,
"grape to the muzzle." Touching
rhetoric, and that sort Of thing, it is all
right enough. But apart from its stu
peudous array of words it is as harmless
for evil as were the Quaker guns which
caused McClellan's sturdy knees to
smite together in 1861, before Center
Vile. It charges upon the Republican
party repeated violations Of the Consti-
tuition; yet the men who framed this
bill Of charges were parties to the utter
population Of that instrument in 1861.
It complains of espionage, and secret
tribunals; yet the Northern rebels who
assisted in the framing of the plat
form were members of the reasonable
order Of Knights Of the Golden
Circle. 1t complains that we have
abolished the right Of appeal to the
Supreme Court on constitutional ques-
tious, meaning thereby the refusal BY
Congress to permit the Supreme Court
to intervene its partisan decisions, to
the obstruction Of restoration and the
encouragement Of o usurping Presi-
dent. It charges that Congress has
stripped the President of his constitu-
,ional power OF appointment; yet the
Constitution, in so many words, pro-
vides that the appointment Of officers
under the General Government shall be
in accordance with the laws which Con-
gress may choose to enact. Congress
is the sulprit arraigued by the Tammany
rebels, and denounced as a revolution
airy body, under whose repeated
assaults the pillars Of Government are
rocking on their base"
J This is bad enough, if true, and fool
ish enough if 10 true. We have shown
that the most serious charges are not
true, but sheer exaggcrations. Tho en-
tire platform Of these rebels is put for
ward to attract public attention away
from the contemplation OF the rascali-
ties Of the Democratic party. Consider
for q moment the iucoutrovertible fact
that but for the treason of the Southern
wing of the Democratic party in 1861
there would have been no disrupted
Union, therefore none to mend; no ne
cessity for espionage. and therefore no
espionage; no assassination Of Abraham
Lincoln, therefore no Andrew Johnson
in the White House ; and therefore no
occasion to abridge the sphere Of Ex-
e~cu,ive action f; no usurpation Of the
prerogative Of the Legislative branch by
the Executive, therefore no unseemly
quarrel between the two branches no
war against the flag, no declaration that
the Constitution gave no power TO pre-
serve it from the assaults of its enemies;
no slaughter Of a million Of men, no be-
reavement Of every fifth family iu the
Republic, and no great national debt /;
therefore no call for troops, no discour-
agemeus Of volunteering by tue Demo-
cratic leaders, no national cemeteries, no
millions for pensions, and no Internal
taxation. We put the issue fairly aud
squarely, and further say, that but for
the reaaon Of the Democratic party in
1861 not only could one of the things
complained Of have been, but the Tam-
many platform also would have been
impossible. There is not u complaint
there is not a point, save n touching
pre-emption-in the Tammany platform,
which does not make directly against
the Democratic party. 1t waged war
against the Constitution, and r%epudiated
It in toto ; it took eleven States out Of
the Union without the slightest provo
cation, and while it controlled every
branch Of the Government from Presi-
NCub uO"u w u iSoSs pOSsoh'SS ia ~
Republic, it encouraged the rebels to
hope for peace on terms Of separation,
and so prolonged the war not less than
three years, thus involving heavy ex-
p%enditures, a large debt, and consequent
taxation. But for the treason Of the
Democracy Of course there would have
been no g~reenbacks, no bonds to quarrel
over, no Freedlnen's Bureau, no negro
suffrage in the South. And the negroes
of the South would to-day be the slaves
Of Southern plantation lords, and the
Democracy Of the North would be the
humble servants and .oadies Of slave
lords, instead Of patrons Of the eS-
slave lords.
When a bully can break u neighbor's
head without provocation, and bring q
suit to recover damages for injury to
his knuckles, in any Court of this Com
monwenlth, the Democracy may expect
to carry an election on the Tammany
platform. Not before.