Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-09-17
The Democracy.

THE Democracy has at the present time no COM
mon ground to stand on. and presents no poncy
that can be called acknowledgements CoHTaer-
Journal. -
Never was truer statement made. We
only wonder that the leading organ OF De-
mocracy in the most Democratic State OF
the Union should make so frank confess
sion. To confess the utter decentralization
of the party is to weaken its prospects OF
success in the pending campaigns, If any
such prospect exists. The confession is
not, however, so impolitic as one would at
first suppose, for the truth itself is too
obvious to be ignored. There is only one
point in common, and that is hostility to
the,dominant party. In a general way
they concur in denouncing the Administra-
ton and its friends. But even here it is
not safe to bevery explicit, because that
would bring up the clashing opinions of
the party. #hW1 t sr
The Democracy of Massachusetts is OPP
posed to reputation, and is in favor of
throwing up the sponge in the combat
against impartial suffrage. In other words,
j. @. Adams and company are stunning
the rock on which their bark had previous
lybeen wrecked, and also the whirlpool
which. threatens to engulf it. In Ken
lucky the other extreme is adopted. Let
u.s. practically the language of those old
Bourbons try to perform the astonishing
feat of at once dashIng against the rocks
of negrophobia and being gulped down
these'two positions can readily be- ex-
planned. In Massachusetts the party
has fed upon the ashes of disap-
pointment until it is ready to surrender
every distinctive feature, in the hope that,
clad in the armor of Republicanism, it
might achieve victory But in Kentucky
the Democracy is so strong that there is
no need of concealing or borrowing. On
"a straight Democratic issue the State can
be carried beyond doubt.
1t is obvious that the real character of q
political party is to be studied in localities
where it is dominant. Where it is in mi
nority it naturally tries to hide its pecu
liarities, seeing they are offensive to ma
jority of the voters. This fact invests the
kentucky Democracy with an unusual in
teIest, and justifies the statement that If
the party only dared to show its colors,
the two hemispheres of its political creed
would be hostility to negro suffrage and
Reputation of the national debt.
Tennessee, judging from Andrew john
son, the leader of the party in that State,
will go.with Kentucky on the latter point
DuJ Iue negro udFIuS VIC DdliOJ III G1dI
State, it will not do to ride the old hobby,
sat least for the present 1t may be that as
the State once before gave Sambo the right
to vote and then deprived him of the
privilege, so twill again. At least it is
quite possible that the Democracy will at
tempt it. But notat present. As matters
now stand the party in that State is mid
way between the other two States named
Ohio comes the nearest to Kentucky of
ANY State 1t is. opposed to the Fifteenth
Amendment, and is for virtual reputation
of the five-twenties. In the nomination
of Rosecrans an attempt was made to
adopt the progressive policy but the party
soon got back into thegroove of Bourbon
ism. Floundering in the sea of popular
contempt, it has not found and cannot
find place of safety. Reputation is the
resort of scoundrels without honor
There are those who shrink from this,
either through principle or policy, and
hence the party has "no common ground
to stand upon, and no policy to- offer" 1t
lisa wreck that drifts aimlessly in troubled
sea, kept from sinking only because the
leaders persist in adherence to the old
name and organization, even at the ex-
pense of continued disaster.-C hacago
Journal.