The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1872-01-20
The Democratic Task.

) IFrom the St. Louis Republican,. Z
TO defeat and overthrow party tina
has armed its leader with martial law
that controls regular army of forty thou
sand men that has the manipulation o
a debt of tventySthree hundred millions
that has a minute supervision of seven
I teen hundred national banks, with cap.
itaT of three hundred and fifty millions
that has the disbursement of an annua
sum Of three hundred and eighty millions
that controls an almost arbitrary and If
responsible internal revenue, bureau
with its immense disciplined host OF eff
cials and attaches; that possesses the
/ power Of supervisory Interference in the
comming presidential election, with the
right to count the votes aud declare the
result of the election--this Is the tas K
allotted to the Democracy for the present
year To state it in its bare, naked
terms is to reveal Its stupendous and diff
? fcult character TO accomplish it is TO
do nearly as much for the country In one
day as the Democracy did iu it's half cen
fury Of ascendaney prior to 1861. To
fail to accomplish it is to prove that the
Democracy is unequal to the deliyeranee
of itself, and impatient monopolist of
honors aud positions that ought to be
yielded to power than can win victories.
The Democracy needs to reflect care
fully before addressing itselfto the hercu-
lean work before it; it needs to remind
itself, particularly, that it cannot afford
to fail; the combat is to be mortal aud
decisive 1t aims at nothing less than
party the alternative is the historical
humiliation of itself This struggle be
tween popular idea represented by mar,
tial law, and popular idea represented
by written constitution cannot, in the
nature of things, last forever. 1t has
been growing more and more desperate
at each successive presidential election,
and it will probably reach crisis and
decision in the presidential election
which we are now approaching. After
that election, either Radicaiism or the
Democracy Will have ceased to exist. II
the Democracy shall be defeated, the de-
feat will be is irrepaTable as that which
their successor would infiet upon their
opponents The Radical power thorough
" appreciates the mortal nature OF the
struggle, aud it is preparing to contest it,
not only to the full limit of its right, bat
as not few apprehended, to the full
limit Of its power. Il will certainly spare
no effort to succeed and ii its candidate
should do things for which he has 10
warrant, his party will cheefuliy pardon
them in consideration Of its share of the
benefits
Can the Democracy hope to heat this
desperate and powerful antagonist single
handed? Can it expect to effect the
enormous task it has imposed on itself,
by a strict partisan campaign that, at the
outset, repels auxiliaries who are ready
to unite with it, but will not follow It,
and that forces the enemy's straggers
back into his canlp2 In cur view, such
plan would surely eud in defeat, and in
the disasters that must inevitably follow, F
the final defeat of the constitutional par
ty. Ttere are, indeed, few Democrats, +
who do not take the same view of the
matter Even Mr. PendIeton, who in +
sists on this old method of fighting the I
with Democratic nominee, Is 1
not able to give the slightest promise OF +
victory Ga the other hand. there are (
few, Democrats and fewer Radicals who 1
DO not perceive that the Republican re
volt which Democratic Withdrawal from /
the field would surely precipitate. would I.
open a cauapa5fsn that would accotnplisia 1
the whole Of the mighty task we have
set forth. Such movement would an
initiate the Radical power in spite of all
the Iormidabl ageucies 1t IS armed with, +
simply because it would paralyze those
agencies and make them useless against
an irresistibie popular body led By an /
Republican.
Whether the Democracy will accom- I
pIish the great work before them by such .
a non partisan movement, or certainly /
fail to effect it at all whether they will I
make the sacrifice which victory demands I
or yield the hope of victory whether /
in short, they will permit Grant or Lib .
eral to be elected, the Radical power to I
be permanently established, ora friendly .
Democratic and Liberal rule to take its
plaee-this is the whole question now /
before the party; and TO the considera-
ton of it, the party needs to address
itself without pride and resentment, and /
with all. the patriotic instincts it undoubt /
eddy possesses.