Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-07-13
The Constitution and Its Friends.

A DEMOCRATIC journal recently charges
the Republican party with the destruction
of "the grand old Constitution which
housed our liberties" and asserts that it is
the mission of the Democratic party to
re-establish "the whole solid structure of
our government" And although the cry
that the opposite party is intent upon the
subversion of the Constitution is as old as
constitutional government, there are pos
sibly those who vaguely suppose that the
Democratic party in this country has a
the Republican. When this declaration
is made as a reason for supportinu the re-
turn of that party to power, it is useful to
consider whether its history authorizes the
expectation that the spirit and purpose of
the Constitution will be more respected by
it than by the dominant party.
The Democratic party was virtually su-
preme in the national government until
the election of Mr.. Lincoln. Its compost
ton is unchanged. Those who were active
Democrats in 1860 are active Democrats
still. The party is to be regarded, there
fore, as unit; and when we speak of the
Democratic party to-day, we mean those
who compose the political organization
which was defeated in 1850, which called
for surrender to the rebellion IN 1864,
which pronounced for reputation and de-
nounced the constitutional amendments in
1868, and which, in 1871, is trying to
change front, to denounce it's own denun-
Citations, and repudiate its regulations.
If, then, "the grand old Constitution"
the home of Gberty-has been invaded,
which is guilty, the Republican or the
Democratic party? Probably the consti
tutionality of Mr.. Lincoln's election will
not be questioned. The platform of his
party contained nothing more offensive
than the assertion of the rights of man as
contained in the Declaration of Indepen-
dence, and that of the authority of the
United States over the Territories. Upon
Mr.. Lincoln's election the most influential
of the Democratic chiefs in the Southern
States pronounced for secession, and led
State after State to declare it. They were
not seriously opposed by the Democratic
party in the Northern States. The Twed-
die Hall Convention in New York was an
illustration of the attitude OF the party.
1t virtually held the Republicans respon-
sible for secession; and the chief speaker
at that Democratic Convention in 1861,
before the war began, was the Democratic
candidate for the Presidency in 1868, three
years after the war was over.
Now the Democratic movement of Sc
cession at the South, and the Democratic
palliation of it at the North, were the
natural results Of the Democratic theory
of the government. They were the fruit
of the Virginia and kentucky resolutions
of 1898, which asserted virtual State in
dependence at pleasure; which were, in
deed, purposely obscure, but which, under
the name of State sovereignty, had become
the staple Democratic. tradition. This
ofTn l1ry tod
in secession, was in substance that "the
grand old Constitution" was bond OF
partnership terminable at the pleasure OF
any partner. 1t was the declaration that
the house of our liberties was pile OF
stones without mortar, and that if any
body tried to push it over there was no
remedy. The logical Democratic theory
of "the grand old Constitution" that
"housed our liberties" was that it was a
dissolving league-a rope of sand. This
was the practical declaration of the South,
ern Democracy. 1t YVES denied by some
Northern Democrats, but not by the Demo
cratic party; and, with the exceptions
mentioned, the whole weight of Demo
cratic sympathy was, and naturally, with
the attempt utterly to destroy 1.-THE grand
old Constitution"
This Democratic attempt upon the Con-
stitution and the Union, of which it was
the bond, was for what purpose? Was it
last terrible remedy against intolerable
oppression? Was it to save the liberties
''housed" in it? Was it heroic stroke
for humanity, civilization, and freedom
None of these. Its object was the perpe.
tuity of the most revolving system of
slavery in history. Its purpose was to
destroy in the breasts OF four millions of
unhappy men and women the least spark
of hope of recovering The common rights
of humanity. 1t aimed to imbrute these
four millions of human beings and their
posterity forever. The Democratic blow
at "the grand old Constitution" was
prompted by the fact that it was not an
unquestionable tyranny; that it did house
some faint hope of ultimate liberty for all
that it might somehow, at some time, how
ever far remote, destroy the auction block
upon which helpless men, women and
children were sold like cattle. 1t was be-
cause of this promise and possible hope of
freedom to the most cruelty oppressed
that the Democratic party, actively at the
South and passively at the north, assaulted
the grand old Constitution" and by shot
and shell in one part of the country, and
by sneers, bubbles, falsehoods, and riots
in another part, vainly sought the destruc-
ton of those who defended the sacred
house of our liberties.
1t is this party, unchanged, and reluc-
tantly trying to express an acquiescence
which it thinks can be no longer resisted
this party which furnished the philos-
ophy, the justification, the palliation, the
soldiers, and the sympathizers with the
ferocious effort to destroy the Constitu-
ton of the United States in order to per-
petuate human slavery-which now pre-
tends to talk in tawdry rhetoric about re-
establishing "the grand old Constitution
which housed our liberties" The party
which had no word to utter against the
unspeakable crimes of slavery; which saw
with serenity the hand of slavery stretched
out to compel the State of New York to
hunt and seize for it its human victims
which furnished the political pretense for
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