The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-08-08
CINCINNATI. MAY 5, 1873

of April 23d. l IshOuld have answer
ed it sooner, and have no sufficient
apology for not doing so. Permit
me to say that the reply have to
make to tits not for publication, but
personal to you and those at whose
suggestion you have written. I be-
lieVe the historical Democratic Or
ganization is defunct. Blundering
constantly during the last ten years
and shattered by many defeats, it
surrendered finally at the last Presi-
dental election; it cannot recall
that surrender or the confessions
there made, and it has no longer
strength for victory. In this ex-
tremitY it will be well to lay aside
the old organization, and enter into
a new. The Eew organization should
accept the results of the war as was
done at Baltimore, and it should ac-
cept them in good faith, so as to
command the confidence Of the peo-
pie, and in order to command the
confidence Of the people the new or
ganization should be something diff
ferent from a recast of the old one.
There should be no exclusiveness
about it, nor should it be merely
Democratic. 1t should be made up
of present Democrats, of former
Democrats, and all Republicans who
are offended by the policy and ten
dency of the present Administration.
The new organization should be the
joint work of the Democrats and Re
publieans, and both should be equal
ly at home in it, none the guest of
the other. You ask what should be
its name? Call it the Liberal Dem
ocracy. That will mean the free,
unselfsh government of the people,
And now as to its doctrines or prin-
ciples, You ask in this connection
how the question of negro suffrage
should be treated. That question
is no longer before us. Negro suf-
frage is the bloody consumation Of a
great war, and nothing short of war
can undo it in our day. In my opin-
ion it will endure in this government
as long as general suffrage. I com
prehend the objections to it, and
think it was granted too soon to that
part of our population recently
emancipated. All should make some
preparation for this duty. We deny
suffrage to the foreigner for a time
in order that he may prepare for it,
and we have schools for all on the
theory that all should prepare for it;
but it is granted and it cannot be re-
called; nor do l think it wise in such
q government as this to keep so large
a part of our people in an inferior
degraded condition. Slavery was
always danger; to hold these people
now free in degraded condition
would be a greater danger, and al
ways trouble us. Say we have
adopted a doubtful policy. It is
done, accept it, and on all such
questions admitted to be OfdOubtful
expediency, 1 shall for the remain
der of my life, if perchance, l must
err, striving at least to be tolerant,
generous and human, and after all, l
rely for good voting as much upon
the heart rs upon the head. / con-
cur in what else you suggest. The
new organization should oppose all
form of monopoly; this is TOO plain
to need argument; monOpolies are an
outrage and an offence against the
people; the new organization should
oppose Capitalization and it should
advocate home government in all To-
cal affairs and to the utmost extent
that is practicable; you catnot keep
a people free, sturdy and intelligent
without home government 1t is
home government that trains US,
teaches selfposession and develops
manliness, Take it away and the
free man disappears. Ccntralize
power at Washington, and we are
transferred to outside management
no longer governing ourselves. We
must be governed. Depending on
Washington, we lose our selfdepen-
dence, and the free citizen soon de-
generates into a mere subject, whose
duty is to obey the laws, and whose
only desire is to be amused In idle
ness. You refer me also to the
question of free trade. The new or
ganization should make it one Of its
cardinal doctrines; there should be
no equivocation or double meaning
about this. A prohibitory tariff is
in plain contradiction to the charac-
ter Of our government We are al
equal in rights, privileges and immu-
mites. There should be no diserim-
ination, no favOritism, no partialities,
personal or financial, and as a COM
mercial policy, a prohibitory tariff,
is behind the age-almost baEbar-
ism, and belongs to \ time when ma
tions were walled and commerce
without wings. l believe l have
substantially answered your letter.
The new organization may properly
antsgonize the party now admins
terine our affairs at almost every
point While this is go, it should
not undertake to do everything at