The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1871-07-14
from the Oregon City Enter, rise.l
DEMOCRATS, READ THIS LET,
TER.
LANE COUNTY, oREaoS,

beneficial to the Democrats party.
and, as | take deep interest IN our
present and future welfare, it may not
be amiss Tor me to bare my puny arm
and strike at least one blow in its be-
half
It has been the misfortune of our
party managers, for several years past,
to make platforms and to nominate
candidates for the Republican party !;
our conventions seem anxious TO Sc
cure the services of ..loyaln men, Gen
erals OF the Union army and time
serving spoil hunters to catch Repub-
Lean votes, but in their anxiety to
catch "loyal" votes they forget that
something should be done to secure
Democratic aid. This has been the
case in Ohio for the past six years,
and q long array of defeats have been
the result. The same i true in Con-
nestieut; but in New Hampshire and
Oregon the platforms are more Dem
ecratic than that of Ohio, and our can
didates were not of those who forged
the chains to bind us in the slavery OF
which we now complain; hence we
were more successful. 1t certainly is
bright idea to ask the men who en-
slaved us with their fanaticism, to take
the burdens from our shoulders which
they placed thereon. Those who in
ilicted the wrnngs of which we COM
plain ere not the men to relieve us,
even if inclined to do so; their zeal
to accomplish good would lead them
to use means which would be more n
furious in the end than the very evils
which they seem so willing to 'sre osm"
am slow to believe that the best de-
tect.ve is the greatest thief; or that
the man that robs my house would be
the best man to protect my property |!
Yet such IS the policy" of the Ohio
soits. Gen McCook, Gen. Sherman,
Gen. Rosencrans, Gen. Morgan, Gen.
Durgin Ward, Gen. Ewing, Gen
Campbell, and host of other GsSer-
as, too tedious 20 mention, living at
the feet OF the Gamaliels OF Oberlin
College, are the 1avorites of the Ohio
s'reformers and so far as now rec
oilect, | believe eUs.y candidate for
ccery Office IN ecery party in Ohio ior
the last SIX years has been an ex-Fed-
eral military officer; and his "war
record with universal equality OF
races and determination to pay the
pablo debt have been the stock in
trade wherewish to win and WOO the
affections Of the men who oppose all
such anti-republican innovations. The
idea of Haunting the name of some
loyal general IN our faces, who was
first determined to crush slavery in the
South and then turn his bayonets and
cannon against the Democracy in the
North, is quite likely to win the VOWS
of those, who were marked for his i'll
ture yict;msi Sherman-who did
more to injure our institutions that did
Gen Lee, and who didmore against civ
ilization than did Atilla, would be nice
specimen to putat the head of an Ohio
platform-Gfant would do just as
well and his professions were just as
far as are those OF Ohio reformers.
and his practice is about as good as
theirs would be, should they obtain
power-which they aaecer uiI by such
professions under cover of Democracy.
If Morgan d Co. would brand Their
platform EepubLica,a,' it might .ake
with Democratic at its head spols
it in Republican eyes, to which a,oa,e
us co5afents are acceptable.
Sone of our political souls have
seen vision and a light round about
them shows that the Constitutional
Amendments are not in question, and
will not enter into the issue between
the parties in 1872. Oh mol But
then we will construe them to suit
ourselves, and our construction will
not affect said amendments nor affect
any change in party issues Is not
that profound wisdom? Now don't
you see If you construe language to
mean one thing and another man con-
strues it to mean another thing, that
this very difference OF construction
viii bring the original cause OF differ
ence to the surface, and in spite OF
sophistry and long drawn periods to
explain away the Gi ference. the contra
d;ctioa OF terms viii widen the breach
and force the cause of difference into
issue; nor is that all; the party in
power forced these amendments into
fhe Constitution for purpose; to at.
1ect that purpose they cotestrste them
to mean what they were intended to
effect; and to deny the construction
Of them, as given by Radical authorl
TT, Is to say that man may write and
speak and not know what he means
L is not probable that the Ohio re
formers understand Radicalism better
than do Radicals themselves !? "The
flow is to the CENTER" and thither they
have led the currents OF power and
public opinion; and it is folly to say
that the stream flows to the mountain
when all mankind can see otherwise
Tell the people that the Columbia
river flows to the Rocky Mountains, i
you will but where will you find one
to believe the story? Tell us that the
three Negro Amendments to the Con
stitution, engrafted there only by force
and fraud, do not change our lunda
mental law, if you will but, who viii
believe you? Cannot the people set
that the Ku-Klux law, the Bayone
election law, and the teachings OF ths
Radical party all depend upon the con
gtruction of those harmless amend
rents And that construction is tn,
construction of the makers and build
ers of those amendments, consequent
" they will eonstrue them to accom-
pl:sh their designed purpose; hence
Is fair to concede that SO sfar as econ
struction' is concerned we have no
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