The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-06-24
Will the Democracy Of Maine "Depart''



ON Tuesday,
The probIem presented to the Democracy
of Maine, as well as to TIE Democracy of
other States, is just this: Hoao mdny of our ,
own bad principles must zoe seem to ignore, ,
and hoo nid'ey progressire Republican pr'n- !
ciptes must ace seem to adopt, IN ordef 10 90 !
tain the pOuer and official position Mdt W'I
enable as to renep Nth safety on" derotton
to the political doctrines that are really dear
to as? There is of course a oesire to make
the Temporary departure as slight as possible.
Tue original new departure platform, which
has been adopted as formula that is to be
followed as closely as possible elsewhere, was
not able to get SO far away from traditional
Democracy as to forbear "denOuncing the ex-
traordinary means by which the constilu-
tional amendments were brought about"
Neither the Vallandigham platform, nor the
Iowa and other platforms that make the
Ohio creed their standard have been able TO
depart SO much from the genuine Democratic
Iarh as to repudlate population. All OF
them embrace it in some FORM
The Democratic party of Maine labors I'M
der peculiar difficulties. 1t is not naturally
"deparline" organization. Men that have
sat at the feet of Virgil d. Paris and Paul
S. Merrill, and learned party orthodoxy from
Pomeroys Democrat, G. G. Burr's Day-B0
and Old Guard and Emery's Bangor Demo
crat, are not easily brought to confess that
they were all wrong in favoring the extern
sion Of slavery, opposing the war, denounc-
ing the emancipation proclamation, the draft,
the civil rights bill, the thirteenth amend
Dlent, the Freedmen's Bureau, the fourteenth
and fifteenth amendments and the reconstruc-
ton laws generally. The departure, if in
deed it can take place, will be like departure
for an execution. Only imagine men like
Emery, Simpson, Paris or Elliott "depart-
ingp' 1t would be like the scene described by
Prior in "The Thief and the Cordelier;"
Now fitted the halter, now travers'a the cart,
And often took leave, but aoGs 10th to depart.
The Democratic newspaper press of Maine
shows a singular want of harmony on the
subject. The Machas Union departs, but
the Bangor Democrat, whose editor was
candidate for Congress in 1870, doesn't by
any manner of means. The argus departs,
always departs daily at P. NJ, backwards
or forwards, as circumstances require. But
the Belfast Journal and the Biddeford Demo
crat are not sufficiently unprincipled to throw
away their convictions for the sake of the
spoils, and they pertinaciously adhere to the
old original Nicene creed of the party. They
are as progressive as their departing compat-
riots, but not Sc hungry.
The Democracy will nominate Mr.. Kimball
as departing candidate for Governor, but
we warn them that struggle is pending in
the Convention. There be those who will
not permit Republican platform to be adopt
ed without protest If resolution de-
manGing that form Of reputation known as
the taxation of government bonds is not in
troduced, how can Mr.. Pillsbury go on deliv-
ering that speech to which we have all listen
ed so many times with so much interest?
What will become of those imprisoned SEN
fences, of which the disciples and subjects of
the horny handed Tweed and laborious
Hoffman have made so much use, beginning:
"Laboring men! toothpicks were taxed only
half as much under Jackson and Pierce of
glorious memory as under Lincoln ano
Grant:'-or, Farmers, did you ever think
how much the present Black Republican gov
eminent taxed your Observation-Disclosures
Ii the civil and political rights conferred by
the Republican party, in spite of the violent
resistance of the Conservatives, on the black
citizens of the Republic, are to be recognized,
what is to become of that interrogatory
whose comprehensiveness is as wonderful as
Its conciseness, indicating in a few words all
that is essential-all that is really meant-in
the Democratic platforms of the last quarter
of century-"Do you want your sister to
marry Iigger?' What ''the sun of Auster-
litz-" was to the French troops, what the
cross in the sky was to Constantine, what
the pillar of cloud and fire was to the Israel
ties, what "Lbsrty, Fraternity, and Equality"
is to French Democrats and what "With
God for King and Fatherland" is to the Prus-
sian soldier-all this and more. "Do you want
your sister to marry nigger" has been to
the American Conservative. By it they have
been aroused as by tocsin; with the manly,
heroic words of this motto inscribed on their
banners they have fought their most sharply
contested battles. When appeals have been
made to them in the name Of humanity, pro-
gress. modern civilization and religion ITSELF
they have used the glorious but simple Ian
guage OF their rallying-cry as an answer By
means of it they postponed for many years
the establishment of genuine Republic in
America. In departing, will they depart from
this? Do they fully realize how desolate
they will feel, and do they consider that out
OF their drama Of Hamlet they will leave not
only Hamlet, but Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia,
Horatio-in short, all but the actors and the
grave-diggers? Alas! do the exgencies of the
commissary department, the vulgar greed for
bread official, require this sacrifice also ? |
Must the inalienable right to spell negro with |
two "g's" be surrendered?