Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-09-04
LAND GRANTS.

<tDCtlicI DIT Tie
Democratic Convention at Columbus
declares "that public lands should be
reserved for actual settlers, and that
the Democracy will continue to de-
nounce and oppose, as they have al
ways denounced and opposed, all gifts
of such lands by the Government to
incorporated companies" This reso-
luton was refreshingly cool, and must
have occasiOned smile upon the CONN.,
tenances of the antediluvians present,
when we consider that during the
whole period that the Democratic par
ty was in power, every proposition to
donate the public lands to actual settlers
was rejected by them, as not being in
the interest of slavery, and that the
present policy of free lands to the ac-
tual settler was the original work of
the Republican party; and when we
consider that the system of granting
lands for the construction of railroads
was inaugurated when the Democratic
party was in power, and received its
chief impulse from Mr.. Douglas in the
days of his popularity; and when we
consider that two Democratic National
Conventions, in 1856 and in 1860, urged
upon Congress toH Haid in the construc-
tion of a railroad to the Pacific by ev-
cry means in its power, and that the
Democratic party in Congress has at all
times since participated in making land
grants for railroads, and notably those
grants which have been most severely
criticised.
CONFUSED COUNSELS.
On the subject of finance the Demo
cratic party has no policy whatever
Some of its leaders arc opposed to ali
banks; some are in favor of an imme-
diate return to specie payments; others
are opposed to ever returning to specie
payments, and would make greenbacks
the permanent and exclusive currency
of the country.
On the subject of the tarR the Demo
cratic party have no position that any
body is bound to respect. In 1868, in
the national convention, they declared
in favor of a tariff for revenue so adj
justed as to give incidental protection
to American manufactures.
The Republican party has never
gone further than that. In 1872, hav-
ing accepted for their candidate for
President a high protective tariff Re
publican, Mr.. Greeley, they passed q
resolution intended to take the tariff
question out of national politics by re-
ferring the decision of it to each Con-
gressiOnal District, thus lOcalizing the
question, and enabling the party to sup
port high tariff man for President
In this resolution they expressly adj
mitted that the party was divided up
on the question, and their purpose was
- kr,x fhot tft.i.a ylS.
could be upon either side as might suit
the localities in which they lived.
The tariff question, by their Nation
al Convention last year, and by their
newspapers and orators, was declared
to be matter pertaining only to Con-
gressiOnal elections, in which each dis
| trict acted for itself, and to be dis
turbing element which had no business
in national politics. Now comes the
Democratic Convention of Ohio and
declares that free trade is one of the
fundamental principles of the Demo-
cratic party, and insists upon making
it an issue in a State election in which
there are no congressman to be elected.
The Democratic members of Congress
have uniformly voted for high duties
on all articles and productions in which
their particular districts were interest
ed. For example, the Democratic
members from Pennsylvania have al
ways voted for high duties upon iron
and steel. The Democratic members
from Maryland have bitterly resisted
every attempt to reduce the duty on
coaI-the least defensible of all the
customs. The Democratic members
from Louisiana and Texas for years be-
fore the war labored for the highest
duties upon sugar and molasses, be-
cause their States were interested in
their production.
FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES.
AS before stated, the Democratic par
ty having no financial policy or scheme
of administration beyond mere blind
opposition to whatever the Republican
party does, let me briefly examine the
fundamental differences between the
two parties. These differences grow
out of the different theories entertain
ed of the origin and nature of the Gov
ernment. That of the Democratic par
ty is embodied in the celebrated Vir-
ginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 179S
and '99.
These resolutions have composed the
creed the very constitution OF the DEM
ocratic party from its first organization
to the present day. From the doctrines
of these resolutions have sprung the
great crimes and errors OF that party,
which brought the nation to the brink
of destruction, drenched the land with
fraternal blood, cost billions OF trersure,
and laid waste some of the fairest States
in the Union.
These resolutions have been the bane
of the nation. They were like poison
infused into its veins in its infancy,
that brought disease and almost death
upon its manhood. They have been
the political dry rot of every State that
embraced them. Virginia and South
Carolina, for example,. wrapt them
selves in the mantle Of imaginary SOW
ereignty and never awoke from their
empty dream until the balance OF
wealth and power had passed from
them forever.
ORIGINAL DEMOCRATIC CREED.
The doctrine of these resolutions may
be briefly stated: that the Constitution
of the United States is compact be-
tween the several States as separate pO-
litical cvrporations-tha the States as
such are the only parties to this COM
pact, and not the people Of the United
States in their primary or collective
capacity-that the people of the United
States do not constitute one nation, but
that each State is independent and
sovereign-that as in other cases Of
compact between parties having no
common judge, each State has an equal
right to judge for itself as well whether
the Constitution has been violated by
the General Government, as OF the
mode and measure OF redress for such
vIolation-that in case of deliberate,
palpable and dangerous exercise OF 9th,
er powers not granted ny the SAID
compact, the States who are the parties
thereto ! ave the right and are in duty
bound to interpose for correcting the
progress of the evil, and for maintain
A--A AI.EW