American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-06-01
from the Lebanon Standard ]

timOrc on the 9th of next July.
What will be or should be done by
those who will assemble in council
OH that occasion, it may, perhaps.
not become us to say; but as most
of our readers, like ourselves, are
plain, blunt men, but impcrfcctly
educated in the sublime mysteries
of party strategy, and consequently
have only an ordinary common
sense way of looking ut such things,
we venture to submit for their con-
sideratiOn a few simple inquiries
suggested by reading the opinions
of those who are doubtless Il great
deal wiser than we ever shall be.
1t is contended by some, whose
vehemence ofstyle and apparent con-
fidence in the prOfundity of theirown
wisdom almost compel us to believe
/ that they know all about il; that
the Democratic party, i'll general
convention at Baltimore, should
make no nominations at all. but
simply resolve itself into a mann
moth ratification meeting for the
Endorsement of the nominees of the
nnatiCOnventiOn- that it would
be shamefully indecent, in fact, worse
than suicidal, to do otherwise. This
may be the wiser cOurse-wc will
not presume to say it is not-but
we would simply like to ask those
who SO confidently assert that it is,
to inform US what will become of
the identity of our party if we adopt
it. If we shall thus openly and de-
liberately proclaim the utter hope
lessneSs of our cause, how can we
expect to maintain our party organ
ization for single day, or if we
shall thus virtually admit that our
principles are no longer worth a
manly struggle in their defense, how
can we have the face to solicit the
confidence and support of a virtu-
GUS and intelligent people? We
simply make these inquiries for in
formation, and they can all be salts
factorily answered, no doubt, by
those who know how. Perhaps it
may be said that we can maintain
our organization by making nomi-
nations for the various minor offices,
State and Federal. But suppose
we should thus resolve ourselves
into small bands of political guer-
rillas, each carrying on a sort of
neighbOrhOod warfare upon some
petty local issue, with no common
leader, and no common purpose in
view-whose bugle blast would ever
again rally our scattered cohorts
into the invincible phalanx they
exhibit to-day? In word, if the
Democracy are to become mere sold
iers of fortune, a horde of " free
lancers," mere mercenaries, selling
their swords to either wing Of the
Radical party, will not and ought
not their disbandment to be final
and eternal? And, moreover, if
we are thus to disband and become
the mere sculliOns and scavengers
Of those who have so long maligned
our characters and our motives,
would it not better comport with
our condition, as we'll as honest
manhood, for us to drop the honor
ed name of Bourbon Democrats -
and assume the more appropriate
title OF Rectified Radicals - or
"Swect Mash Republicans p
These are all questions well worth
considering, but there is another
graver one still to be asked, and
that is, what good can the Demo
cratic party possibly accomplish by
it's voluntary dissolution that it
would not more certainly achieve
by maintaining its organization !?
What more can it accomplish as
the contemplate and despised adj
.iunct of a mere fragment of the
Radical party than by supporting
it's own nominations and defending
its own principles with the manly
independence, fidelity and courage
which have characterized it from
its earliest organization Let us
see. In the last Presidential con-
test the Radical party had the adj
vantage of all the prejutlices grow
was headed by the idolized chief
tain of their lately victorious armies.
They had the active, earnest sup
port of Sumner, Trumbull, Upton,
Schurz, FentOn, Curtin, and the
hosts of less conspicuous malcon-
tents, who swelled the numbers of
the late Cincinnati Convention, to
say nothing of the incalcuIablc add
vantage they derived from the Won
derful popularity of the accomplish
ed Governor of Missouri, and the
supcr-human wisdom, philanthropy.
and moral worth of the sage of
ChappaIua. Besides this, the bay
Onet was at tho throat of every
Southern State, and their votes
timidly dropped into the ballot box
under the Immediate pressure of a
military despOtism, and the impend
ing horrors of Il threatened social
and political degradation, which 1t
sickens the very soul of every just
man to recall. Against this fright
full odds the Democracy entered tue
field under the leadership of a tick
ct which, if it was not manufactured
10y a ring of political wire-pullers
expressly to be defeated. certainly
combined as few of the elements of
success as its most ardent adversa-
ries could have desired. Yet out
of the 5,74G,7SS votes cast, Grant
only beat Seymour &c.,
Rut what 1iffarnut ACCOMPLISHMENTS