Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-11-30
Impending Crisis of the Democracy.
BY vICE-PREsIDENT CoLFAX.

Death or defeat! Surrender or over
throw! These are the unwelcome alter
natives which now confront the once
proud and powerful Democratic party of
the nation. Last spring how jauntily
their leading presses talked of Republican
disintegration; how bOastingly they proph
esied the overthrow of Republican domi-
nation; how oracularly they discussed, as
they have for so many years, of Republi-
can violations of the Constitution, which
were at last to be rebuked by the uprising
of an indignant people. Anon the State
elections began to be heard from; but their
rebuke fell on the Democracy instead, and
the New Departure became the theme of
their discussion. They might be willing,
they thought, to escape the odium of their
past course by accepting the measures they
had fought against so Zealously, if the peo-
pie would again intrust them with power.
But the elections went on; and with the
clearest possible voice they declared,
either on old platforms or new ones, on
the principles of ga or '68, even with the
resolutions of '9S attached or detached
the people would not have the Democracy
to rule over them.
The anthem of Republican victories
thus resounding across continent in a
year, too, when the victors themselves
scarcely expected such succession of tri-
umphs-has had a chilling result on the
Democratic leaders, but recently so buoy
ant and elate. Their jubilant roosters re-
fuse to crow. The pyramids of States
which were to insure the Democratic tri-
umph of 1872 have tumbled into ruins.
Their bitter personal attacks on the Presi-
dent continue, regardless of their evident
lack of effect on all unprejudlced minds.
md the raIlinr oPaucatinnc anaincf tha
Republicans as tion-breakers are
kept up for during ten years Democracy
has consisted in arguing that every meas
ure for the protection of the nation or the
individual was flagrantly unconstitutional.
But the utter hopelessness of the party is
evinced by the discussions now going on
in its presses of the plan proposed by the
! st. Louis Republican, one of the ablest
and bOldest of their leading papers, that
/ the Democracy should make no national
nominations, but support Independent Re
publicans for President and Vice-Presi
| dent. And Senator Blair, their last candi
date for the latter office, and one of the
frankest of their public men, declares tC
a Southern audience that, ''rather than &C
back on my own principles (by agreeing
formally to the New Departure) L would
/ prefer to make a choice of Republicans
and go for man who should be nomin
ated by the disaffecled Republicans" etc
What change is this that has come
DER the spirit of their dreams! The once
great and potential organization that has
for so many years governed this country
that in the days of its prime overthrew
every party that resisted its sway; thai
but recently was so full of hope and en-
thusiasm, and so sanguine of its return
after its long exile, to national power, il
now discussing whether it will dare to rur
Democrats at all at the Presidential elec
ton of 1872 To nominate candidates Of
their own party, believers of their OWL
principles, is, as they see plainly, to &C
down to a foredoomed defeat. To aban
don the field in advance is political death
real or assumed. Such is the sad dilemma
affecting the Democratic mind.
There is reason for this decline an6
fall of once powerful party. 1t is writ
ten in its later history Itself has beer
its worst enemy 1t has forced the people
to believe that it has still, as during the re
bellion, Southern and Northern face
That, as it then on the one side warreC
for the destruction of the nation, and OF
the other side warred on all the war meas
ures OF the Government, so now at tn,
South it inspires or palliates organized
outrage and assassination, and at the
North denounces every effort of the natior
to punish such horrid and unexampleC
rlmes as tyrannical and unconstitutional
In the issues they have voluntarily mad,
ON this question they have been smitter
with political blindness-perhaps mlslet
by the fact that some able Republicans
doubted the wisdom of all the details O.
the ku-klux bill. But our opponent
could not have made themselves weaker
before the people at large than by the bit
ter denunciations which have been tn,
staple OF their canvassing speeches thi
year. Their arguments, that the nation
had no right to enforce its constitution an(
laws far the protection of its citizens
seemed exactly akin to their theory of tel
years ago, that the nation had no right t,