Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-07-28
THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATIONS.
Letter of Mr.. Doolittle, of Wisconsin.

Republicans of your town, you express
''sense of disappointment and regret that no
better names had been offered by the Demo-
cratic party to lead the Conservative and pa
triotic masses of the people to victory, and the
Radical Republican party to deserving and
merited defeat. AS gentleman and states-
man Mr.. Seymour holds our respect, but as
Peace Democrat we are indisposed to vote
for him :" and you are pleased to say, that if
my name, among others. had been placed at
the head of the ticket, " all would have gone
we'll, and victory would have been certain"
You desire my opinion upon the situation and
@ the prospects of third party"
thank you for the confidence thus reposed
in me. and shall not shrink from the respon.
sibiitv of stating frankly my opinion.
do not think the organization of any third
party is wise, or can work any practical good
to the great cause in which we are engaged
In the very nature of things, when great
principles are at stake, there are, and there
can be- but two effective political parties.-
He that is not for me is against me-" in
politics as well as in religion, is truth upon
which every wise man is compelled to act.
What, then, is the great and paramount is
! sue? What is that great and nupardodable
wrong for which the Radical party is now
raigned and should be overthrown?
1t is substantially this:
In violation of the Constitution-in VIC.
lation of pledges made aad often repeated.
from the first battle of Bull Rum to the end
of the war pledges to the North to get men
and money; pledges especially made to the
Democracy to get their support il the field
and in the elections pledges made to the
South to get them to lay down their arms and
to renew their allegiance and pledges to for
eign powers to prevent intervention-in vio-
lation of all these solemn pledges, upon which
we invoked the blessings of Almighty God
upon our cause and by which alone we gained
strength to master the rebellion-in violation
of the natural and inalenabe right of the
civilized men of every State to govern them
selves and in violation of the clear provi-
sons of the Constitution, which leaves TO each
State for itself the right to regulate suffrage,
this party has. without trial, by er post .facto
laws, disfranchised hundreds of thousands of
the most intelligent of their citizens and has
forced upon ten States and six millions of our
own Anglo Saxon race the universal and un
qualified suffrage of seven hundred thousand
ignorant, and, in the main, half civilized ne
groes.
This is the great wrong for which that
party is arraigned at the bar of public judg
ment. and for which it should be overthrown.
To consummate that great wrong, they
have abolished all civil government, and civil
liberty even, in these ten States:
They have established five absolute mill
tary despotisms, wherein all rights to life,
liberty, and property are subject to the will
of one man;
They have kept the Union divided;
They have prevented the restoration of in
dustry:
~, 90 ~,
Government during three years of peace, to
point so low that, to the shame of every
American, the six per cent. bonds Of the
United States sell for only 73 in gold, while
the bonds of Brazil, bearing only four per
cent. interest, bring over 80 in gold:
They have enroached upon the just rights
of the Executive
They have threatened the independence of
the Supreme Court:
They have unjustly, and without cause. i'm
peached and put upon trial the President him
SELF and by every species of denunciation,
and even by threats of assassination, have
endeavered to force the Senate to convict him,
in order to place in the Executive chair one
who will use all its power to consummate that
gigantic wrong against the Constitution,
against our plighted faith, against civilization
and against our own race and kindred.
i ne convention III NEW L OTh lneI lOT Lle
purpose of organizing to overthrow the party
in power for this great wrong, and to restore
the Union and the Constitution, and the
rights of the States and Of all the States under
it, Now do not say the nominations made
at New York are the very best that could
have been made for that purpose.
The elements to be organized into victori-
Gus army were four fold. To use military
figure, there we're four army corps to be
organized into one grand army:
First. The great Democratic corps
Second The War Democratic corps.
Third. The Conservative Republican corps.
Fourth. The Civilized Southern corps.
The first, or Democratic corps, was fully
organized, with ranks we'll filled, but not in
sufficient numbers to secure the victory.
There was the War Democratic corps, which
supported Lincoln in 1864; but which, in
consequence of the great wrong above
mentioned. was ready to sever itself from the
Radical army under General Grant; and
there was the Conservative Republican corps,
of which you are pleased to speak of me as
leader, who for the same reasons, were ready
to join the grand army, and do all in their
power to bring success to our cause.
The two last are the recruiting corps. They
hold the balance of power. As matter of
policy, had the first office been given to
chief of the one or of the other, it would
have made our victory more easy, if not more
certain.
Everybody knows that the result of this
contest is to depend upon the important ques-
tion whether we shall be able to recruit those
two corps in sufficient numbers, and carry
them to the hearty support of Mr.. Seymour.
If we can victory is with us. If we cannot
victory is against us.
In my Judgment, it is our duty to do So
The very life of the Constitution is involved
and with it, the rights of the States and the
liberties of the people,