The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-09-01
DEPARTURE.

The Democratic party entertains no honest
convictions upon any subject, and has no prin-
ciple of action whatever. 1t seeks only sue
cess, and is SO shortsighted and mistaken as
not to understand that the best way to attain
success is to deserve it. The present platform
OF the party in this state is a sham, and its
attitude delusion. Everybody knows that
until recently the Democrats, North and South
have contended that every substantial thing
done by the Republican party since the close
or the war has been illegal and void. They
said the reorganization Of the State govern
ments for the seeded states was provided for
by a rump Congress having no power to act,
and that hence the governments which they
created were nullities; that in adopting the
new amendments to the constitutions, these
southern states acted under duress and res
traint; that persons entitled to vote we're de-
MED the privilege; that the people were over
awed by the menacing Federal authorities
and that hence the amendments were not leg
ally adopted, but were and are illegal and void
Nor does any one believe they think different
ly to-day. Does not Colonel John NJ. Connell
in his letter to Senator Thurman decIinign to
take part in the state convasS, express the SEN
timents of a majority Of the Democratic party
of Ohiotwhen he says:
"But in the house of his friends at that Con-
vention was dealt the deadliest blows to the
Democracy it has yet received. The action
there, the blunders, or worse, in the nOmina-
ton for Governor, the witchery which stole
away the reason of delegates and in some
mysterious way caused them to forswear their
faith, and by public reCantation confess that
the mission and the creed of the party since
the war were false, heretical and wrong, has
sickened the hearts of the honest, quiet think
ing voters of the party to an extent not yet
f,,ll racoruizad hx- leadars Trho Than vol
UNFAIRLY walked up and sat upon the "cutty
stool"
"The voters of our party are not uninformed
of the false position the party is placed in.
They know we are going before the people
this fall with at least two uDtruths glaring
CONSPICUOUS on our front"
"When the convention took upon itself to
declare that the Democracy of this State re-
cognized as accomplished facts the two latest
(so-called) amendments to the constitution,
and regarded them no longer as political issues
before the country, it stated an untruth.
"And when, in the second resolution, the
convention undertook to say that the Demo-
cratic party pledges itself to the full,
faithful and absolute execution and enforce
ment of the Constitution as it now is, SO as to
secure equal rights to ali people under it, with
out distinction of race color OF condition, it
exceeded its authority, and simply asserts
what it knows to be falsehood."
Do not the Democrats of Ohio now believe
in the doctrine set forth in Frank Hurd's re-
solution, offered in their convention as a sub
stitute for the second and third resolutions as
adopted, namely
nResolped, That the Fourteenth and Fif-
teenth Amendments have been made part of
the Federal Constitution by fraud and violence
and are revolutionary and void"
Do the Democratic wire-pullers mean any,
thing more than this-that they are willing to
stultify themselves, to swallow their own oft
repeated words, to deny the faith they have
kept consistently for so many years, to impose
upon their own friends and followers a paltry
swindle and a sickening sham in order that
they may once more get into political power?
have not seen an intelligent Democrat who
could look me in the face aud seriously say
that the platform adopted at Columbus repre-
sented his own opinions and sentiments. But
it was hoped that by certain guarded express
sions about "strict construction" gentle
compliment to State sovereignty, denuncia-
ton of the Ku-Klux bill, and little abuse of
the present administration, to satisfy the old
line party men, who care more for principle
than they do for Office, while the more am
bilious and less sorupulous secured their own
personal preferment.