Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1871-10-06
.1)olitital.
The Democratic Position.

Alexander II. Stephens gives, In recent
number of the Atlanta (Ga.) Sun, long arti-
Gle devoted to a consideration of the issues in
yolved in the contest of 1872, as he understands
them. lIe says, in the concluding;
" The i6ea has been given out, and repeated
again and again, in divers quarters, that the
new departure programme is that on which
the Northern Democracy are united. and that
Southern Democrats should, therefore, cease
their opposition TO it, To this we sny em-
phatically, that we are at direct issue with
all those who maintain any such position. We
| should despair of the country If we believed
any such thing. This new departure pro-
gramme is nothing but the work or device of a
New York political ring, composed chiefly of
those who never were Democrats, except from
necessity. Their main object as we believe,
is success for spells alone, aud not with any
! view to the maintenance Of the liberties of the
country. Indeed, upon the direct issue be-
| tween constitutonalsm and cenlralsm we
| believe they would openly espouse the cause of
| the latter. To the direct question whether he
would support the Democratic candidate upon
the Jeffersonian platform of principles one of
the chiefs of this ring refused TO answer, as our
readers know.
1t is true this ring, in an evil hour, by their
corrupt means, got the States of Pennsylvania,
| Ohio, California, Maine, Iowa and Wisconsin
| to adopt their scheme, more or less distinctly
| set forth in all their late State Conventions,
but we utterly deny that these Conventions,
| by their resolutions, expsessed the views of
the honest masses of the Democracy in single
one of those States.
We do know that this ring endeavored TO
| get the Democrats in Congress to incorporate
their views and policy in their late address re-
| ferred to- and they utterly failed in thr at
| tempt. 1t was then they sought TO operate
though the State Conventions, by the manipu-
| lations they could there more successfully
practice. But there has been no fair expression
of the sentiments Of the masses Of the Demo-
crazy on this subject in single State of the
| Union rs yet. The Democratic members of
Congress refused to give the new departure
| programme their approval. 1t is, therefore,
nothing but bald assumptiou--a begging of
the question-to assert, or argue as IT the new
departure is in accordance with the views,
generally of the masses of the Northern Demo-
cracy, or ever will be. The masses of tho
Northern Democracy are as true TO the princi-
pies of liberty and the Constitution MS tho
Southern Democracy. This is our view OF their
patriotic devotion to the great constitutional
principles involved in the contest Of 1872 We
believe, Also that they are anxious for unity
upon the chief issue in the contest, and have
rs little disposition to ignore ii No we have.
Then why should not all-every friend of the
Constitution eyerywhefe--unite in iaborinR
and striving, as we, aud other opponents of
the policy as well az principle Of the new de-
parture' are earnestly doing, to bring about
perfect unity Of the party upon the only pro-
gramme which can possibly secure success In
the rescue ana preservation Of our free institu-
tons? While this is an open question, before
the meeting Of the General Convention of tho
party next year, ought not every sentinel upon
the watch-tower-every organ Of Democratic
Ill
new departure openly and boldly 80 pro-
caim2 Is not this tho sound dictate Of tho
highest wisdom, as well as the parest patriot
ism