Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-07-20

REQUIEsCAT IN PACE.--That veteran
independent paper, the Germantown Tel
egraph, in noticing the Democratic Con-
vention at Baltimore and its work Of ex-
tinguishing the Democratic party, says:
1t made no platform-its principles are
all gone--the Constitutional amendments
extinguished them. Its whole programme
was peace-which means piece Of the Ma
tional patronage. The body of the party
seems to keep together and to go over to
the Liberal Republicans, rs that offers the
only chance of success.
This surrender is complete. Significant
remarkable, and will become historic. The
usual appointment of Democratic Ma
tional Committee was made, but since the
adjournment of the Convention it has fused
with the so-callcd Liberal Republican En-
ecutive Committee, so that practically the
party is eXtinct-done to death by civil
war and emancipation, it closes by accept
ing everything il ever had struggled against
so vehemently, and sigua!izes its fate by
accepting the man who had written and
worked through u whole lifetime against
it, and writing its epitaph in the borrow
cd platform which tells OF its failures. IL
seeks n resurrection in different shape aud
for different purposes, but is compelled to
take as its leaders the most conspicuous of
its opponents. Organizations, even OF
local character, are no longer called Demo-
cratic. They assume to be Reform or Lib
eral Republicans.
Whatever the new conglomerate may do
or achieve, the old one is certainly dead
1t has been in its time governing power
of so much Importance that It will occupy
no small place in our history. 1t has done
much good and much evil. We owe TO 1t
two wars, the Mexican and the Rebellion.
We owe to it free trade, financial chaos, pc
riodical reyulsions in trade, aud popan-
dion Of slavery and caste that divided the
whole Nation into two hostile camps. Its
records are written in our tremendous debt
and in the awful history Of the scourges Of
slavery, terrorism and wildcat banking
But We owe it also the stupendous empire
conquered from Mexico, the final settlement
of our possession of the Oregon territory,
progress in foreign commerce. and vast
agricultural increase. AS a Nationel Far
ty, therefore, its Had is written. 1t has
lived its time and done its work. 1t made
the South great and prosperous at the eX-
pense of freedom and humanity. 1t de-
veloped race of of Southern statesmen
who were undoubtedly the most thorough
ly educated and highly trained politicians
the country has produced, and whose
names will go down in our history as the
types of American craftsmanship.
It's history developed n policy of rival
growth between the north and the south
by keeping always an equilibrium in the
Senatorial strength Of these two sections,
so that in admitting new States, free and
slave State always had 10 come in togeth-
er. This competition may and doubtless
did do much to stimulate the National
progress, but it produced difference in
character between the two sections that
finally led to civil war; The Democratic
party was the parent of the system OF rep
resentative conventions 10 make party nom
nations and frame party platforms, which,
with all its defects, was still great ad-
vance on former plans and has had the in
herent merit of developing local political
life in n manner impossible under the sys-
TEN of caucus nominations.
The great contest over slavery and caste
was decided wholly and irrecOverably
against the system upon which the Demo-
cratic party spent its life. Two other is
sues to which it was devOted-that between
protection and free trade, and that be-
tween paper currency and coin-seem to
be settled against it also. We have now
had protection for eleven years and with
such results as seem to render the remain
der of the struggle unimportant. Paper
currency has also reigned for the same
time absolutely and been overwhelmingly
popular. Thus the Democratic party de-
parts to the shades Of oblivion with all its
old issues against it entirely. And yet as
we have shown, it's Nationa! life was not
altogether fruitless. The independent treas
ury still exists untouchsd as it created the
system. But this is ALL"