The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1870-08-25
What is Democracy

The Democrats of the Thirteenth Dis
| trict have nominated Colonel John nj.
Crob for Congress. and, in doing SO, have
laid down platform which Is prehaps,
fair sample of the average efforts OF that
| party at platform,making throughout
| the country. 1t iSnoticeable that the
platform says nothing about the negro,
his political or social equity, amalgama
ton or war of races !; it does not deny
that the general condition of the country
is prosperous, Notwithstanding the heavy
disbursements that have been made to-
ward paying the national debt 1t does
not alleee that immigration has been
checked by any unfavorable condition of
the average terms offered to those who
have labor to sell, or that any depart
merit of industry is in state Of prostra
ton or decline; it does not repeat Gen
eral Frank p Blair's prediction, that
General Grant, as President, would
prove too ambitious man for the safety
Of Republican institutions; it does net
allege that The Republican party has
proved negligent in the ork Of restoring
the Union, or that the mode in which
reconstruction was finally adjusted by it
has proved failure nor does it pretend
that the present administration has not
applied itself with vigor and success to
collecting the revenue, reducing govern
ment expenditures, improving the ma
t!onal credit, reducing both princil le and
interest of the debt incurred in suppress
ing tie great Democratic rebellion in the
South /; it does not assert that the able
statesmen of the country are to be found
In the Democratic party, and that,if the
destinies of the nation are to made Sc
cure, they must be withdrawn from the
care of an overruling Providence aud en-
trusted to Peter B. Sweeny, Brick Pom
eroy, John Forsyth, Henry Clay Dean,
and other remarkable statesmen of the
Democratic rear-guard.
So far as the credit of the government
is concerned, these Democrats have moth
ing to demand save that there should be
an increased issue of its deprecated
promises, called 'greenbacks - that all
systems for securing the redemption of
our currency should be abandoned, and
that it should be made just as depreciat-
ed and irredeemable as possible, by sub
shutting an insecure for secure curren-
cy that the government shall tax its
own bonds. and so attempt to derive an
income from what it owes; and that the
prime articles of necessity, such as tea,
coffee, sugar and salt, shall be placed
upon the free list In the last demand
the Democrats of the Thirteenth Dis
trict are following in the wake of Judge
Kelly, Schenck, Greedy, and the other
protectionists, who succeeded in effecting
a reduction of duties on the three first
named articles, to the extent OF nearly
one thnd their amount. Of course the
Democrats Of the Thirteenth do not stop
to consider that the removal Of duties
from these articles is protectlonlst
measure, tending effectually to secure
the maintenance of high duties on all that
class OF foreign productions which COM
pete with our own.
1t denounces grants Of land to railroad
corporations though, from the Illinois
Central to the Northern Pacific grant,
Democra have always voted for these
grants as numerouSly as Republicans
and it asks that the shares of National
Banks be subject to taxation, In the
most blissful ignorance CT the fact that
they'ar already completely suhjectsto it in
every way. Finally they denounce the
act to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment
as contrary to public morals and destruct
i've of She peace of the country. In all
this, what's there worthy to be called a
platform by any party? 1t proposes
certain measures for GRIPPING our reven-
ne, Others tending to postpone specie
payments, and few others upon which
the Republican party Is agreed with
them. Some of its measures, such as
paying the 5-20's in greenbacks, taxing
government bonds, and destroying the
National Banking system, are mere
chineras, which the conservative sense
and sober second thought cf the Demo
cratic party, fitself, would probably
override, If it were in power. Certain 1t
is, that all these propositions are con
demned by the leading minds III that
party.
What is there in this handful of the
smouldering ashes of dead issues, sodden
with financial ignorance aud hostility to
the credit of the nation, that the people
should be called upon to breathe life into
it? A party without record, except of
condemned treason and foiled and crush
ed rebellion; without policy, except
the achievement of petty dishonor In the
management of the national credit; with
out leader who stands distinguished by
success in war or by practical statesman
ship in civil affairs asks the suffrages
of the country to give it majority in
Congress and place it in power. The
sole principle applicable to the present
time, to which it is bound by its antece-
dents to adhere, that of free trade, 1t par
TALLY repudiates for the company and
fellowship of the Pennsylvania protec-
tionists. What is there in such party
that should enable Colonel Crebs to car
ry the Thirteenth District, as he promises
he will, by 1,500 to 1000 majority p
What basis is there in these odds and
ends of prejudice and error on which to
found party? Is this all that is left of