The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-04-27
The war Cloud In the East.

kened in the public mind, if we are to
believe the extrayagant statements found
in Radical Journals, concerning the
probabilities Of war with Spsin for the
seizure of American ships and citizens
alleged to have been violating the laws
Of that power. The rejection of the
t 'eaty for the settlement of the Alabama
claims and the wide divergencesof views
between tho English Government and
our own relsting to their settlement.
GRANTS Administration is striving for
and, from want Of discretion,
partly from desire to cover up short
comings and misdeeds in other quarters,
it might involve the country at short
notice in war which would send up
gold with bound, and destroy at one
blow the sickly and tottering industries
of the land Men are not wont to be
over prudent in these days of gold
gambling and reckless speculation, but
not a few shewd ones have taken the
alarm, and are very seriously disturbed
We are bound to say that their appre
tensions are not without some color, bat
on full survey Of the field they cannot
fail, we think, to- be reassured. 1t may
be stated at the outset that the cardinal
policy of the dominant party has ever
been to ignore foreign affronts and in-
juries, in order the better TO cosccatsatc
its energies upon scheme Of hatred, dis.
cord, and ,car in oar o,cn borders A war
With foreign power has very little at
traction for this school of politicians, and
if they should fall into one it will be
rather by drift of laundering than by
taste and deliberate preference. The
true national party, as respects foreign
nations, the one ever jealous of the coun.
try's honor, and ever ready to vindicate
it, is the Democratic party. AT the same
time that this great party has always de-
manded strict justice from foreign pow
ers, it has steadily inculcated peace, mod
GRAFTON, and charity among our oun pco
pie. 1t has constantly ADVOCATED Un-
ion founded on consent, mutual good off,
ces among the States, and the loyalty
,chich ercr ,raits on a benefcent rule, as
the surest bul,cark Of national strength
and porer. Exactly the opposite to this
has been the course of Radical politi-
clans. Their game has erer been to in
flame hate and passion against the South
ern people as their only sure areaue to Of
flee, and there has neper been day irhen
they Would haze turned aside from this
darling object to confront maataHy a. for
eiga.foe So steedy has been their policy
in this respect, that if they were now to
imagine that party or personal interest
invited them to bold and resolute
championship, of the nations right they
would hardly know how to go about it.
1t would be something entirely new to
them, foreign alike to their nature, ante
cedents, and education,
The slightest retrospect Of the past
will confirm this view. When did this
party ever do anything except make war
upon American citizens, their own breth-
rem; and what warrant have we that, in
this their hour of disintegration and de-
moralization, busted in disgraceful and
unsecmly squabble over spoils, and
ready to tear each other to pieces in the
general rapacity and strife for Office, they
are suddenly to reform, and be found
sturdy assertors of the national honor?
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs
of thistles?
We may go further, and assert, with
out fear of successful contradiction, that
the whole policy of Radicalism for four
years past has been calculated, if not di
rcctly intended, to disluallfy the nation
for engaging in any contest with a for
eign power, except, perhaps, those that
are SO weak that to bully them would
bring no seclat. The whole system of
taxation, tariff, finances, currency, and
banking has been devised not to make
the nation stronger, but to benefit certain
class interests, even though thereby the
country, as whole, grew weaker. Had
the expenditure been reduced, the thiev-
ing which consumed the public revenue
been scourged out of life, instead of be-
ing covered and protected with the @gis
of civil tenure bill; had the debt been
brought down so low as to make future
war loans easy and cheap, then there
would have been a statesmanlikc prepa-
ration, which would have answered
equally well for peace and for war. But
there was none of this. A party which
keeps up expenditure and waste, and
does not reduce gigantic debt, has
plainly other objects in view than the
of national rights. Let the
latter be resolved on firmly and all clear
headed men will at once discover that
the whole Radical financial policy must
be overhauled and reformed. War means
and the latter cannot be had by
profigate, wasteful, and semi bankrupt
Had the Radicals ever
the nation to be in condition
to meet a foreign foe, they would have
put its financial policy on directly the
track from what they have
done.
At the same time this financial policy,
which SO effeetually cripples the country
Al