The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-06-26

difference between the two men?
--o--
ACCEPTS THE SITUATION"
By request, We publish the following
letter from a distinguished citizen Of
Weston, to friend in Parkersburg
While We heartily "agrca to disagree"
with the gentleman, yet we chccrfully
publish his letter; for when both sides
of a question are argued, it is more
than probable that the people will form
a correct idea of the respective merits
of the issues discussed. We will say,
however, that the sentiments expressed
are not endorsed by US. We were sat-
isfed. and are yet fixed in our belief,
that the Democracy of the fathers was
and is sound, and cannot be improved
upon. If this latter-day Democracy be
correct, then We were wrong in times
past. So was the Democracy gcner-
ally. So was the writer ofthe letter.
If however, we were right then, VIC are
right now; and with the lights now
before us, We are proud to stick fast to
the good old-fashioncd Democracy
which ruled our country in its better
days. In an address issued by the
Democratic Executive Committee Of
this county year or two ago, one par
agraph stated, that "by making any
compromise with iniquity, We ourselves
became partieeps crinimis." If the
Amendments we're an outrage then and
our party sOlemnly declared that they
were, We have not been made aware Of
the galvanizing process which cleansed
them Of their evil. But read and re-
feet:
WESTON, June 7, 1871.
DEAR SRI have not had time, un-
til this evening, to answer yours of the
18th ult. Since yours was received, the
Democracy of Ohio have, by emphatic
and uncguiyocal resolutions, adopted
the same line of action which some Of
us deemed proper Immediately after the
Fifteenth Amendment was promul-
gated. We supported the Flick
Amendment. which contained only an
implied admission that the 18th Amend
ment was affective. The Ohio Do
,nocracy have. in effect, declared the
same thing. Those of us WHO struggled
against actual and threatened inyasions
upon the Constitution, have been sadly
compelled to submit, not only to these,
but to still more alarming assaults upon
it, throush'the agency Of Amendments,
inteRdcd further to withdraw from the
States powers previously belonging to
them, and to clothe the Federal gov
eminent with powers which, if not
rigidly restrained, will in the end, lead
to a complete Capitalization Of all gov
ernmental power in the legislative and
executive denattments Of the govern
ment Of the United States, and to q
consequent subversion of the theory Of
it, as at first established by its revcred
founders, and alike destructive of all
State powers. Since tue war, the ten.
denotes evinced by acts Of Congress and
by Executive usurpations, have been
too patent in this direction, to have es-
capped pubic observation. The late act,
commonly called "tho bayonet act"
has an alarming portent about it, and
it does seem to me, that he who fails to
the magnitude Of the dan
gers to which We are exposed, must,
indeed. be blind in his confidence in
The helmsmen now guiding the ship Of
State, and indifferent to the teachings
How are we to avert this destruction?
What are We to do? Shall we engage
in disputa.iOn, to decide who vas right
in the war, and who was wrong, and at
the conclusion find the question still IN
settled ? Shall We blindly ignore all
that has been done, and persistcntly
seek to impress public opinion with alb
stract theories, and allow the raging
current to 20 on to the entire dostruc-
lion of the States, and to the concen-
trutron Ofall power in the Federal gov
eminent? | hope not. We cannot
now undo the 18th. 18th and 18th
The 18th We would not
if we could the 18th is the Pandora's
box from which the recent Csngres-
sional poison has emasated, and from
which Congress and the Executive pre-
tend to claim this alarming authority,
and yet We cannot now or in any rcas-
enable time to come. undo this. The
Fifteenth amendment. bad as it is, has
complications and embarrassing difficult
ties about it. It reads as follows:
"He right cfciti=eus ofthe United
States to rote, shall not be denied or
abridged Ly HE United States or by any
iS;aic. on account nj race, color or IRE.