The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-06-10
The New Departure.

The New Departure.
Just now there is considerable stir in the
Democratic camp over the "New Dcpar-
turo" and "Accept tho Situation move
ment.
Vallandigham has come out flat-footed
on tho new "platform, in series of reso-
buttons passed by an Ohio County Conven-
ton. Kentucky and Tennessee Democracy
have been agitating, in the same manner,
and the N. Y. World is in ectacies over the
" New Departure" which accepts the Four
teenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The
World calls the "great principles " which
its party processes to possess, and about
which we have all heard so much in times
past, "dead issues" Dead issues How
will the Bourbon Democracy manage to
swallow this dose? The negro accepted
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments
accepted the situation accepted the YER
dict of the war accepted the great work
of the Republican party accepted as the
future policy of the Government, and the
sacred cause of the Democracy, always
including the "Lost Cause" pronounced
by Vallandigham and the New York World
"dead issues.' Jeff Davis, on the con-
trary, has recently been "speaking out in
meetin',' and refuses, point blank, to
"aecept the situation The "ex-Presi-
dent'' still counsels resistance, and has
faith in the immortality of the "Lost
Cause" This officiousness on the part of
jeff, has reused the ire of the accept
the situationists, and they let loose
on their beloved "President F" more saw
agely than the Radicals ever did. This, in
turn, excites to retaliation the friends of
Davis, the men who learn nothing or forget
nothing, and the consequence is, that a
pretty little quarrel is commencing between
the old and new light Democracy. The
World breaks out on jeff in the following
strain:
off, after his preposterous predictions
from 1861 to 1865, such prophet can still
have any honor in his own country, let the
Southern people compare his late speech
with the uniform declarations of all the
recent Democratic State Conventions
When even Kentucky drops dead issues,
when even Mr.. Vallandigham proclaims
that living party must not be bound to
an old corpse, what faith can the Southern
people put in a revival'of the lost cause on
prediction, made by noted false profit,
who, on former occasions, so egregiously
deceived and misled them to their own
ruin? What Morton prophesied in his
malice, and broken old jeff. Davis prophe-
sizes in his dotage folly, the Democracy of
the country will be very careful not to
fulfil"
Oh, friends of "Mr. Davis !" what re-
Duke have you for such sacrilege as this
Have your leaders been decciving and mis-
leading you all of these years, and now tell
you plainly that you must believe and
accept just what the Republican party has
urged you to do all along? Our Cecil
county Democracy is evidently bewildered
and doesn't know which king to serve
The Democrat, always faithful follower
of, what the Vorld so unfcelingly dubs,
can old corpse" circles round, in the last
issue, like wild goose that has lost its file
leader, and says of one king,
"What next Vallandigham, tho head
and front of the irreconcilable peace De-
mocracy, has at one bound sprung into tn e
front rank of the accept-the- situation y
party. He now goes in for accepting the
forced amendments to the Constitution as
finalities, and fighting the Radicals on their
own ground. Just what he will fight
about is not apparent"
While of its other sovereign it looks askance
and murmurs
"Jeff Davis has been making speech
ut Atlanta in which he refuses to "accept
the situation" Many Southerners prefer
that he had not broken silence.'
Be of good cheer, neighbor; "the man
will come round, about election times, and
tell you all how to vote"
These New Departure Democrats do
not accept the situation because of having
changed their convictions, but rather in
despair of gaining power by sticking to
their old principles. They are willing to
adopt any principles or no principles at all,
if by so doing they can secure office. An
editorial in a recent number of HARPER
Weekly fairly illustrates this fact in the fol-
lowing paragraphs
{" In the State of New York the Demo-
cratic party is in power. In the city of
New York its dominance is Supreme
What are the characteristics of its action
The elevation to office of men of no char
acter whatever; the most universal and
unblushing corruption; Legislature which
is by-word of contempt; consequent legis-
lation which virtually abolishes popular
government in the city in favor of an oil
garchy of four men, not one of whom
enjoys the respect of the community the
iniamies of Erie bills, and of the amended
code, authorizing corrupt judges to crush
the freedom of the press in one word, a
vast and skilful system of plumber, with
profound contempt and disregard of the
defcnses of free popular government.
This is the aspect of Democratic as
cendancy where the party is best organized,
most ably led, and of practically unchal-
lenged supremacy. And against this regime
cratic party. In New York the Tammany
leadership is omnipotent. In other States
there is no word of dissent
In our own State, the party is rivaling
Tammany. Baltimore city is being hope
lessly swamped by just such Democratic
rings as those of New York, and the whole
State under Democratic rule is being over
whelmed with debt and taxation. This
scheme of the shrcwd Democratic politi-
clans to adopt Republican principles, is
worthy the genius of that intelligent tom.
cat that rolled himself in the meal tub.