Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-11-08
THE DUTY OF DEMOCRATS.

Amid all the rejoicings of the Democracy
of West Virginia over the splendid victory SO
recently won, says the Wheeling Register, it
behooves them to give some thought to the
grave responsibilities with which our party
hasSbeen entrusted by the people of the State.
And, first of all, there must be moderation
even in our joy. The duty of guiding the
affairs of the State SO as to secure public pros
perity is, at no time, an easy task, or one un.
attended by anxiety and care. That our State
has not-beensas prosperous as We could wish,
renders it doubly- necessary that care be taken
not only to lift the wheels out of the ruts in
which they have been running, but to put
them in better track.
Believing that the proscriptive course pur-
sued by the Radicals has inflicted greatinjury
onlthe State aud been one of the causes for
wrestling the power from Radical hands, it will
not do for Democrats to think of adopting any
measures of retaliation or of exercising the
slightest spirit of prescription in turn. We
must treat our Radical brethren as they should
have treated US, not with the same measure
they have meted to US during the past seven
years. With US, no party necessity can sug-
gest the disfrauchisemeut of single voter,
for the largest expression of the will of the
whole people has in it no terror for the Dem
ocratic party in West Virginia. We not only
recognize the duty of liberality and mag
nanimity, but we can cford to deal fairly,
literally and justly toward all classes of peo-
pie in the State. In the interior and southern
counties where the hand of prescription was
heaviest and more oppressive than elsewhere,
the men who have been the immediate instru-
ments of oppression will suffer no other pen
atty than to sink quietly out of notice and re-
sumo the obscurity out of which they emerged
by accident. The Radical party throughout
the State need entertain 60 fears of any dis
criminative legislation at the hands of the
Democracy, or of the establishment of any
two rules of political and cival right. We
shall give to them the same rights and priv
ileges we claim for ourselves-no more and
no less.
The men of the Democratic party must be-
gin to think also about how the interests of
the State can be fostered; its lands peopled,
cultivated and developed; internal improve
ments pushed forward and provision made
for the payment of the public debt, and all
without making the burdens of the people any
heavier than now, or rather, if possible, max
ing the taxes less. The opportunities of the
Radicals have been better than ours will be.
They have had at their disposal considerable
sums of money which were not raised by tax
alton, aud they have STAYED off from year to
year, until it is well>nigh impossible to defer
it any longer, the adjustment of the public
debt and the adoption of measures for its Ii
quotation. These things will now devolve
upon Democratic administration. The Rad
icals have enjoyed and squandered the kernel,
and now they give US the shell.
We mention these things thus early, in or
der that our friends may, in the midst of their
rejoicing, think also of the duties and respon-
sibilities which are, the attendants of the VIC
tory we have won, and begin soon to address
themselves to the consideration of how those
duties shall be discharged and those respon-
sibilities met.