Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-07
A LESSON-wILL IT BE HEEDED :

A LESSON-WILL II BE HEEDED ?
We have no word Of Gliding for any one.
As the New York Tribune remarked, after
the October elections, "when reverse has
been encountered, soldiers sometimes begin
firing into their own ranks; but We have
never heard that reverses were that way re-
trieved." ....-.
Looking over the voluminous evidences
furnished by the telegraph, of our defeat in
the Presidential election, one notable fea-
ture strikes the most casual reader. We
alude to the extraordinary spAthy ofNorth-
ern Democrats, large numbers of whom are
reported in almost every Northern State, to
have stayed away from the polls, or in
some cases voted for Grant. The Liberals
are reported to have done their
duty at the polls 70 man, but Democrats
stayed away by thousands. Deeply as we
regrzt this, we are aware that there can be
TO result without an adequate cause, and il
behooves US as patriots TO search ont the
cause of this notable detection, in order to
avoid it in the future. It is work OF
supererogation to show that the Democratic
"label" had nothing TO do with it. If Lib
ersl Republicans had abandoned Greeley,
the blame might with some plausibility be
attached to the "label." But surely no one
will contend that it was the Democratic
'.labei" which drove Democrats from tie
polls. 1t indicates, if anything, that the
''label' was not strong enough.
To put it bluntly, the Northern Demo-
Gratis are not ''suhjugated people" like the
South, and with au abundance of able ma
terial in their Tn party, the endorsement
Of life long Republican like Mr.. Greeley
was an extraordinary demand on "uBsu5-
! jugated" human nature. We were fully
aware Of this, and knew that nothing less
than the utmost exertion Of all the powers
Of organization would poll our full North
ern strength. Therefore we were strenuous
and unce&siDg in our pleas for Democratic
organic alton here and everywhere. We
knew that nothing less could elect Mr..
Greeley. The result proves it. But some
Of our Liberal friends set out to destroy
Democracy as well as Radicalsm. They
openly advocated and announced the
"death" of the Democracy. In attempting
to destroy Tvs great parties at once, they
have undertaken too much. Fighting De-
mocracy far more bitterly than Radicahsm,
they have apparently weakened the De-
mocracy more because it was cOnfessedly
the weaker party, and enemies in the camp
are more dangerous than enemies in the
field. The result is, R sdicslism is r5es-
tsblished more firmly than ever, and the
strength Of the Democracy, the only check
to its uabridied power, is lessened. 1t ap-
pears to US that all patriots
who are not infatuated with
the Radical furore, must
see that the Democracy is more needed
now than ever before, as a check on the
ruling party, and that all good men, of
whatever past predictions, must hold up
our hands.
Its easy enough now to say, and perhaps
natural to feel, that if the Cincinnati Con-
vention had cordially invited into its coun-
ellis the Democracy which it expected to
elect its candidate, ali this might have been
different. But we dismiss the bitter
"night have been" Our duty is to face
the present and grid ourselves for the
future.