The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-09-01

and the working-man party when it
had its cruel heel planted upon the
hearts of millions of poor working
men, to whom it denied even right 20
their manhood and to common human
ity. And even now the attenpt 70 take
a new departure by asserting the equal
rights of men under the Constitution
has produced serious differences IN the
party.
The difficulty is one that We have
more than once ventured to suggest.
A party is not measured by its profess
sions merely, but by the probabilities
of its performance arising from various
considerations. If in the midst of the
war, if at Chicago in 1864, instead of
crying out surrender to the rebellion,
the Democratic party had pronounced
for q vigorous prosecution OF the war.
the country or the Republics party
would have replied, Very well, fail In.
But if the Democratic party had retort-
ed that, having declared for the war it
ought to have control of the govern
ment, even Sherman and his Aen lost
in Georgia would have heard the shout
of derision that would have fuDg
through the loyal land. While the
leadership and general composition of
a party remain unchanged, the profess
sion of a different purpose is not very
persuasive What is the significance
of advice to a party to begin by, being
democratic? Plainly that it is not
democratic now. And when new
departure is demanded, what is it but q
confession that the old position is I'M
tenable? When, therefore, we push
the inquiry to the end, We find that
those who have always sustained slave
ry and all the infamies that sprang from
. - a 10 nkosw n
ton as much of the root of civil hate as
possible, who wished to forbid equal
suffrage and perpetuate class privilege,
who palliated and justified the rebel
lion, and derided and perplexed the
Union, have at last decided that they
cannot recover power by such cries and
positions, and hope to require public
confidence departing from them.
Now as these are really the same
persons, with the same principles, they
have found an insuperable difficulty
they cannot pursuade themselves, and
they cannot pursuade the country. A
platform, as these gentlemen very well
know, is usually considered to be tub
to a whale. Its object is to amuse, and
possibly to deceive. 1t must say Meth
er too much nor too little. 1t must
not disappoint the advance nor dismay
the rear. And, whatever the platform
says, it derives all its significance from
those who stand behind it. 1t is like
the word of man. If his character
confirms what he says it is enough.
But it is also enough if it does not.
The Democratic surrender platform at
Chicago in 1864 was an exact express
sion of the party sentiment. The
country knew that the party wished to
surrender. The party character sus-
tanned the platform. The utmost that
it covers is shrug and grimace that
eve can't help ourselves and so we ac-
Quiesce." What reason was there, if
Mr.. VaIlandigham had lived, and had
been nominated for Governor of Ohio
upon his own platform, for any man
who voted against him during the war
to vote for him now? His position
was not one of conviction, but of COM
pulsion. And what was true of him is
true of the attempted new attitude of
his party. The question always re-
mains why trust the men who were
distrusted yesterday because they de-
clare to-day that they will contend no
longer? The change itself shows them
to be less trustworthy.
The Democratic party, vainly trying
to rally itself upon a new line, hopes to
contest the election of 1872 upon the
question of Capitalization. But let any
sensible man ask himself this very
question: sis it safer to trust
the Republican party, even with this
tendency, or the Demo-
cratic party, with its State sovereignty |
1ogmas ?" And beyond and above all |
his, the question which honest people |
Ill over the land will ask themselves is, I
it is wise to abandon party |
whose traditional policy is liberty, I'M
on and fair play, which represents the |
political movement of the intelligence |
ind the moral character and purpose of |
he country, which has the American |
behind its professions, and |
% favor party whose traditional poll
y is slavery and inequality, and which
represents the ignorance, the prejudices
md the hostility to the Union that
till exist in the country? An election
E not contest of fine professions 1t
S choice between what are believed
o be convictions; and they are sought
md found not in the rhetoric of the |
but in the career of the
party. .ea
No sensible Republican asks vote
or his party upon the ground that it
las been uniformly wise, that all its
measures have been uneXceptionable,
II that all its conspiuous members have
inspired respect or confidence. But he
loes ask it upon the ground that that
'arty contains the great mass of loyal
itizens who honestly believe in equal
lights and would honorably maintain
hem, with the great multitude of in
elligent and Industrious people whose
rood sense assures them that those who
ried TO destroy the government ten
ears ago are not those who should
control it now. And this is multi
ude and conviction which are not
likely to be disturbed by the loudest
ipIes and departures upon the part of
heir opponents.-Hdrper WeekleD.