Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-07-08
The Parties.

The Republican Convention of Maine
Ohio, and Pennsylvania have lately
made their various State nominations
and their actiCn was of the kind that
shows great party unanimity. The
present Governors of the three States
were re-nominated, and the manifesto
of each Convention is mainly resolu-
tion TO hold fast by the Stdtu quo. Upon
the pending Fifteenth Amendment the
! Ohio and Pennsylvania Conventions are
very emphatic, urging its ratification;
while Maine having already ratified has
sufficiently expressed its opinion. The
other resolutions are very much what
we suggested last week they were likely
be. The Maine Convention pro-
nounced especially for the Legislative
care and development of the resources
of the State, and particularly of the
p-building interest, while Pennsyl-
vania reaffirmed its adhesion to its pro-
tective resolution of 1866. The Ohio
Convention forcibly arraigns the late
General Assembly, in which the major
ity was Democratic. But none of them
take any foolish position upon the Eng
lish or Cuban questions. Indeed, the
platforms are. livery discreet, and rather
curiously free from Buncombe.
simultaneously with the wise action
of the Republican Conventions we have
the pathetic hope from the Democratic
Journals that the managers of their
party are about to show that sagacity
which for many years they have not
shown, and the prayer that some things
may be considered settled even by a
Democratic Convention. In the light
of experience such hope and prayer are
wholly unreasonable. The instant that
the Democratic party drops the appeal to
ignorance and prejudice which the agi-
tation of the negro question furnishes,
the simple inquiry for every voter will
be whether the Democratic party is like
ly to offer q more faithful treatment of
the reconstruction policy and a more
generally economical and discreet ad-
ministration than the Republican party.
This is a question to be decided by ex-
perience and comparison, and it is one
from which the Republican party will
certainly not shrink.
1t is difficult to speak of Democratic
principles and policy; for what are they?
Kentucky is thoroughly Democratic
State, because of the disfranchisement
of part of the population, which is in
deed Democratic policy. But is there
any thing in the condition of Kentucky
that is so superior to that of Ohio. Tor
instance, that the people of Ohio should
wish to. exchange? New York is an
overwhelmingly Democratic city, and
Chicago is Republican. Is Chicago
anxious to fall into Democratic care? Do
the people of Ohio and the citizens of
Chicago suppose that their taxes would
be lighter if they were delivered over TO
the supervision of Tammany and of
Messrs. Sweeney, Tweed, and Hall?
Has the Democratic party, as such, ever
been renowned for Superior honesty and
economy? Is the character of the great
mass of its supporters such as to promise
higher tone in politics? Are the ante
cedents and training of the party such
as to inspire confidence in its devotion
to the principles that have triumphed in
the war and the polls?
The very appeals which we have
spoken answer all such questions. The
most tremulous and excited exborter
to a change of the tactics OF the Demo.
cratic party is the New York World.
Yet, for obvious reasons, that paper is
not fair representative of the party.
and is therefore not trusted, except
with great reservation. However clever
and sparkling its treatment of political
questions may be, it is felt not to express
the average feeling of the party. But its
position is stronger than it was wear
ago. Then it advocated concession of
certain settled points and the nomina
tion of Mr.. Chase, with an anti-repudi
ating platform. In every point it's adj
vice was disregarded by the steady Old
managers, and the world had its revenge
by seriously urging the party to change
front at the very moment of the final
charge. That advice, of course, recoiIed
upon it in the curses of its party leaders
and associates; but as the route of its
party at the polls was prodigious, despite
of the dilligent frauds in this State. by
which its candidate for Governor was
apparently elected, the World had clear
ly gained the advantage of the position
of I-told-you-so.
Notwithstanding this, however. the
World this year goes no further than if
went year ago. 1t advises its party to
assent to the colored vote since il can
not prevent it, and to try to persuade
some of the new voters to its own side
And it says that if the party can only
gain power under the present system il
can probably retain it; $50 that. after a
national victory. Mepdrty may not deem
1t eTpedieat to deprive the negroes of a
franchise which is found to be not in
with Democratic ascenden-