The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-03-22
The Young Democracy.

The World sounds the bHgle for the
young Democracy of the country, and
insists that the party never achieved
anything under old fogy leaders, or in
conservative role, and never will. This
is as true as preaching. What we want
and must have is a new deal as to lead
ers in the coming contests. There is no
necessity for any departure from set
tied principals; they never grow gray
nor become old fogy, neither do men
who appreciate the situation, and are
willing to accept accomplished facts.
General JACKSON and HENRY CLAY
were never termed fossils; they respond
ed to the aspirations of the people, ap-
preciated their wants and accepted
progress in its trucst sense. But
latterly we have seen our Con-
ventions controlled by unworthy ele-
ments, the real wants of the party and
country subordinated to selfish ends
Men, rather than measures, with the
hope of success, perhaps, have too fire.
quently dominated. HencefOrth let the
standard bearers be young men; if not
young in years at least in action, in
feeling, and in fact. If the fossils do
not yield gracefully, they certainly will
not voluntarily, dump them overheard,
and let us strike for the old landmarks
with relay of fresh material. We can
not omit reproducing the following from
the World in relation to this feature of
the future:
The Young Democracy of the South
find themselves in totally new state
of society. They are separated from the
past by q great gulf, and will refuse to
be bound by any venerable traditions.
Thew will have as little superstitious
respect for constitutions as was felt by
Jefferson himself, who thought every
generation competent to its own gov
ernment. They will, of course, have no
reverence for their new State constltu-
tions; nor are they likely to forget that
they once sbjured the Federal Constitu-
tion, and re-accepted it only by COM
pulsion. The Young Democracy OF the
South will come into national politics
smaucipated from traditionary wisdom,
and in mood to Judge of public meas
ures by their expediency and adapta-
tio1 to present circumstances. 1t is
impossible to conceive of community
whose temper and recent history more
sigually unfit them for hide-bound
conservatism. If the South is to act
with the Democratic party, the party
must realize that we are in new era,
and must again be the party of move
mont, of progress, of bold measures, and
fresh ideas.
The West will teach US the same les
son, though with less vigor and EN-
phssis. In the West ali is growth and
expansion, and the public mind cannot
stand still. After the next census the
West will have preponderating in
fluenee in our politics, and there are
fewer old men among its citizens than
in the Eastern States. The youthful
energy which the West carries into
everything it will assuredly carry into
politics. Considering what the South
is. and what the West is, and what the
Democratic party in its palmy days al
ways was, it is evident that rejuvena-
ton as the party of progress is what is
written for it in the book OF destiny:
The Democratic party never achieved
anything under old fogy leaders or in
conservative role, and it never will.