The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1871-05-20
WAYNE COUNTY, IND. MAY


many years the organisation Of all
the, ,aristocratic and anti American
elements Of our society. Twenty
years ago the sole great policy OF
that party was the extension and
confirmation Of slavery. The slave.
holding class was 40 naughty. al
though not as refined and educa.
ted, an aristocracy as any in the
world. In circles where the South.
ern' influence Was supreme the po-
lisical and social element was pure.
ly medieval. Under the dominance
Of this sentiment in the Southern
States all the guarantees Of liberty
we're despised. aud its express con.
stitutional stipulations we're disre-
garded Yet this aristocratic class
and this sentiment called them
selves Democratic, and absolutely
controlled the Democratic party
At the same time every young man
becoming interested in politics OBJ
served that il anybody had cyni-
cal contempt for the people, or dis
dained their capacity to govern
themselves wisely, and extolled !.
'strong. paternal government, like
that Of Austria, he Was sure to be
. Democrat.
At length, when the aristocratic
interest fearing to lose control Of
the government attempted its de-
' struction in order to found o new
system upon the worst form OF hu
man slavery. the conspiracy was
perfected in Democratic Cabinet
and Congress-, was maintained in
the field by Democrats, and Was
morally sustained by the Demo
cratic party.
The attempt to destroy q free
popular government by those who
called themselves Democrats hAv-
ing failed. the restoration Of the
Union followed. Against the PRO.
testations of the Democratic party
emancipation had been effected,
and the disturb States were full
of two classes-the freedmen and
the late rebels. True to the aris.
tocratic instinct, the Democratic
party struggled to retain all that
could be ssved of slavery, and es-
tablished black codes, introducing
among freemen a system of caste.
The mischiets we're evident, and
the scheme was defeated. Equal
civil rights were secured by the
equal ballot, and this also against
the most strenuous hostility of the
party called Democratic.
Throughout the epoch Of recon.
struction the policy of equal rights
among American citizens. which is
the distinction of the American
!. system, was dOggedly resisted by
the anti American aud aristocratic
spirit which now inspired the Dem.
ocrats; and the party which had
attempted the overthrow Of the
government because its lawful ten
dency seemed 70 be adverse to the
} extension Of slavery, and which
sullenly demanded that those whom
it could not keep slaves should n 1t
lie made equal citizens. denounced
the party Of liberty and union as
despotic, because il would not i'm
mediately deliver the freedmen to
the mcrcies OF those whose hands
were yet dripping with the blood
. Of loyal citizens.
1t 10 not less observable that the
' tone Of the Democratic press, as it
10 called, is in harmony with this
tendency, to distrust the people
: Through the war it alluded gently
70 the British Tories who favored
the rebellion, and sneered at the
English liberals. When Gold win
!. Smith. one Of our best friends,
came to this country in 1864, this
press steadily Deprecated him and
his work in influencing English
! opinion. Mean while, true to the
same instinct, the most servile
lsckeys Of the French Emperor
we're to be found in the American
Democratic press.
Abroad it toadicd Louis Napo
leon and patrOnized John Bright,
while at home it steadily ridiculed
the unfortunate colored citizens,
sneered at the Southern leaders
J who honorably accepted the re-
9 suits of the war. and heaped the
: most fulsome adulation upon those
. who did not
= The first Democratic National
7 Conv ention after the war was con-
> trollcd by the same old spirit ol
hatred OF equal popular rights
y Even the earthquake had not sha.
J ken of the dominance of the slave
$ holding sristocracy. So abject had
been the submission of the party
to q spirit utterly antagonistic Il
=. American principles that it wa.
~ helpless in the grasp of Wad,
Hampton and his Southern friends
= and the Democratic party, there
u fore, wen' into the last Presiden
: tial election. as it had entered up
. on the elections Of a generation, o
u the rarty ofhostility to equal rights
e and aristocratic distrust of the peo.
u pie.
But in the State Of New York
J. where the party is thoroughly Or
- ganized under the Tammany lead
y ership, the contempt for the people
o is most manifest. Without r ermit
y ting even the reading Of their edict
J! in The Legislature, and, of course
y without tolerating debat {, the Dem
;, ocfa,ic leaders have applied usur
o patton of the Erie bill to municips