The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-03
THE AsCENDENCY OF THE SOUTHERN
DEMOCRACY

THE AsCENDENoY OF THE SOUTHERN
DEMOCRACY.
From the NJ Y. Times.
The determined attitude of the Southern
wing of the Democratic party has already
forced the Northern Democracy to abandon
the ''dead-issue" platform. State sovereignty
is to be resuscitated and negro suffrage is to
be revived as minor issue, and an attempt
to overthrow the abominable legislation
which Republican Congress" has attempted
to fasten on the country is to be made. The
address of the Democratic members of Con-
gress was coldly received at the South, be-
cause it contained an implied recommends
ton that the situation should be accepted
In some Southern Democratic papers it was
published without word of comment and
by others it was damned with faint
praise" The Southern Democracy, uu-
mindful of the lesson of 1868, insist
that the reconstruction measures shall
be declared Unconstitutional, revolu-
tionary, null, and void" The manner of
the declaration and the authority by which it
to be madesare not indicated. The people
of the State of New York know that, having
the power, the Democracy will hesitate at
nothing. The Constitution, which is held in
so much lip reverence by them, is disregarded
when its provisions interfere with schemes
for extending and perpetuating the power of
their party leaders
The legislation which the Democracy char
acterize as 'abominable" is that resulting
from the war. The thirteenth amendment is
aoquiesced in, but the fourteenth and fif-
teenth, and consequent legislation are, ac-
cording to the Democratic idea, Bnconstitu-
tional. 1t is difficult to understand how an
amendment to the Constitution which has
been incorporated into it in the manner re-
quired by that instrument can be unconsti-
tutional. law may be unconstitutional,
bat to say that the Constitution is unconstitu-
tional is contradiction in terms. An instru-
ment cannot violate itself. The amendments
were proposed and ratified by the constitu-
tional number of States, and after being so
ratified became part of the original instru-
ment, and are as nnuch portion of the Con-
stitution as that which was accepted by the
thirteen original States, or any of the amend
ments to it that have since been made.
The surrender of the Northern to the
Southern Democracy has been made sooner
than was expected. That the North would
yield was certain from the beginning, but
it was thought that for very shame the posi-
tion would not be abandoned at the first
attack The Democratic party lives in the
past-it is ten years behind the times. The
issues of 1860, which have been settled at
the cost Of SO much blood and treasure, and
which have bean twice, since then, pro-
nounced upon by the people, are to be promi-
nent in the campaign of 1872. The mission
of the Democratic party, if it has any, is to
walk backward, and to make true, if posi-
BILE, the declaration of the Chicago Conven-
tion ''that nothing has been accomplished
by the war;" Upon the issues of State SOW
ereignty and negro suffrage, the. Democracy
base policy which, though vaguely de-
fined, is well understood at the North. In
the South it is boldly said that the recon-
struction measures are unconstitutional,
null, and void, and shall be so declared when
the Democratic party comes into power. On
questions of finance, revenue, and civil service
reform, the Democracy have enough to say,
and make brave promises of what they will
do when the people confer power upon them.
Ample opportunity has been given the Dem.
ocratic party for favorable action on revenue
reform, but in every instance where a tax has
been removed or the tariff amended, the ma
iority of the Democratic members of Congress
have voted against the measure. Like the
Bourbons, the leaders of the Democratic party
have learned nothing and forgotten nothing.
While the Republican party is progressing,
dealing with new issues, and evolving policy
which will make the country rich, prosperous,
and happy, the Democratic party remains
stuck fast in the slough of State sovereignty
and negro suffrage