The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-11-10
The Columbian.
BLOOMSBURG, PA.
Friol0y, NoUeDaber 10, 1871



Much is said and written about par.
ties being dead, and many there are
amongst the dead. Some milky phil
osophers would have the Democracy
surrender their organization and sup
port some hybrid formation TO be ex-
cogitated from cunning brains which
shall be expressly fitted, without regard
to principle, for defeating the regular
Radical organization. And then we
have also modification of this latter
scheme which is for the Democracy to
nominate some disappointed and soured
Radical, who will promise whatever is
necessary to obtain most votes, and
these latter generally, work extrava-
ganza upon farce by suggesting the
vilest Radical in the land as the
candidate, Mr.. Chief Justice CHASE.
Why SUMNER, SEWARD, BUTLER and
the like are not also suggested by this
reckless crew Of bandits Is yet not ex-
planned. FRANK BLAIR suggests some-
body he calls GRATz BROWN, but as
FRANK himself Is just fresh from the
Radical ranks it is rather cool in him to
begin to dictate.
No man 6m q Democrat, and he The
candidate Of The Democratic party can
beat Gen. GRANT. Every scheming
politician and bond. holding apostate
may as well yield to that inevitable
truth at once. The power of money is
great-but it is not great enough to put
aside this truth. Conventions may be
bought up 6uathe Democratic people can
not be. In spite Of any possible occur
rences there will be Democrat running
for President in 1872.
Some politicians seem to imagine that
party may be traded off, or its princi.
pies changed, at the will of those who
are at its head. Because this has time
and again been done with the Repub-
lican party, it is imagined that the same
thing may be done with the Democracy.
The idea is vain one. The Democratic
party does not make principles, but Ger.
tain Interchangeable principles make the
party. The principle, for instance, that
the people should be left untrammeled
to all things not morally wrong, lies at
the foundation Of Democracy. Can any
convention prevent people from enter.
tanning and acting upon that principle
can politicians obliterate it? 1t will
always have unyielding advocates, and
30 long as it has they will form party,
whether known as the Democratic
party or by another name. The intel
ligent advocates Of ideas founded on this
principle will never permit politicians
or conventions to transfer them to
opposing principles. Therefore,it is idle
to set up any creature of bondholders,
corporations, or banks, or other selfish
interest, as the candidate of the Demo.
cratic party. Itwould be burlesque
upon both sense and honesty to place
Mr.. SALMON P. CHASE in nomination
as a candidate of the Democratic party
for President. Nor will any other hall
converted Radical answer the purpose
The miserable hotch-potch PATCHWORK
of years passed Is to be abandoned, not
intensified. The party will be stronger
with undoubted, unsullied Democrats
as candidates, and platform which
shall distinctly declare for the full
restoration of the people to their natural
rights-rights out of which they have
been defrauded by Congressional legis
lation--than it can possibly be with
other candidates or dubiously Demo
cratic platform. ............
The idea of compelling Democrats to
choose between CHASE and GRANT Is
extremely absurd-as in that case many
would not vote and half the rest would
support GRANT as the least of the two
evils. A party that has not the nerve
or the vitality to put forth representa-.
tive of Its principles as its candidate fol-
President is unworthy of confidence and
will always justly fail to command pub
lie regard. There are yet hundreds OF
thousands of voters who will not con-
sent to become political gamblers, OF
shuttle-cocks for crack.sportsmen tt
weave nets to catch gudgeons with
They are men who persist that honesty
is yet the best policy and who will
maintain that attitude while right is
regarded superior virtue and wrong II
esteemed base and unworthy of free.
men.