Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-16
EITHER FOROR AGAINST.

No reasonable mind will deny the fact,
that there arc only two great political par
| ties in our cOuntry-the Democratic and
/ Republican. We must be either for the
one or the other. 1t matters not what
either was or what it contended for in the
past. The conflicts of the past are not to
/ be fought over. The party platforms OF
former days have been swept away, and
most of the issues of the past are Gead,
and that too forever. We would that all
could realize this fact, and that in Tennes-
see this war that is being made by Con-
servative papers on the present Democratic
party on account of the antagonism that
once existed between old Democracy and
Whiggery, would cease. What has that
! to do with the present, or those old con-
flicts with the living issues of the day?
We were born and bred Whig and
hated Democracy with a perfect hatred.
Times, however, have changed. A revo-
luton has swept over the country, and
the parties of to-day are not the parties
of the past, though bearing the same
name. Parties adapt themselves to the
times. A name signifies something. Its
only Office is to designate class, and not
principles.
In surveying the present field and tax
ing position Oh one or the other side of
present, living issues, what care we for
nameg Should we care more for names
than for measures advocated? We sp-
peal to the reason of thinking men, and
pray them to diVest themselves of preju-
dice which should have been buried with
the issues that gave it birth
Whilst we were in bondage and had
no voice in the government, the present
parties made up the present issues.
One bears the name of Democracy, the
other, republicanism. The former
strove to break our chains, the latter to
rivet them closer and more securely.
When we stepped forth again into free
dom, we wished only to know which
was our advocate, and the advocate of
true Republicanism. Cared we whether
that party bore the name of Wing, Dem
ocrat, the White Rose, or Red2 Surely
not. 1t chose to call itself Democrat;
and advocating such measures of state
policy as we could espouse, and those
measures being advocated by no other
party, unless by some impotent, local
one, we joined it, took upon us the name
Democrat" believing this course not
inconsistent with our past Whiggery, but
the only one consistent with reason.
The political salvation of the govern
eminent depends upon the success of the
Democrat party. This fact is not even
mooted among all the opponents of Radi-
calism-hence It's an agreed fact. Then
why, ask we, should we try to organize
Conservative, local party which can only
distract and weaken Democracy, leaving
Radicalism intact, but benefited from the
division in the ranks of its adversary
We are either for or against Radicalism.
If against it, stop giving it aid and COM
fort by warning against Democracy, the
only party by which We can conquer.
We believe that the great mass of the
people of Tennessee stand heart and soul
with the great constitutional party that
has SO recently triumphed on the field of
Connecticut, New York and California,
call it by whatsoever name you will; and
we believe the time has come to stop stick
ling over party names, and one in name,
one in aim, and one in action, to move
forward to conquest and.to victory; moth
ing caring for those things that are behind,
but mindful of the present and solicitous
of the future. --....
True there are some fossils who fighting
over the battles or twenty years ago, are
governed by the prejudices of twenty
years ago; those who fighting the names
of twenty years ago, Qhe issues having
died); those who cling to name to the sac
rifce of principle, who will slough off,
but withal Tennessee will stand unmis-
takably and unalterable with the great
Democratic party of the nation in sympa-
hy,name and action.-GreeneUiLle In
ion.