The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-11-14
rho opportunity.


Under the above caption the Ae@ Tors
San Of Tuesday contains an able ieaue''
from which We take the following extract
without endorsing all it contains
The Democrats say they arc willing and
oblc N reform tho Government ana restore
M strict construction, the economy, anu
Tho official purity and accountability OF
carly DAYS and the majority Of the Amer
cap people are ready to- try them. bu'
that task is tho most stupendous ever un-
dortakcn by a party and unless the Dem
ocratic party is most wisely ana Juu'c'ou'
IL led i will not accomplish il.
When the next House of Representa-
tiyes assemblies il will find the statute
book loaded with partisan legislation M
tended 10 pcrpetuate the ascendaney oil
the Republican party. Among these are
the various Ku-Klux, enforcement anu
election laws, all devised for no purpose
but to keep Grant and the earPet,,bagsers
where they are. They are for the most
mart clearly unconstitutional, and the ad,
ministration Of them by the President ana
his suboriinates has been brutally cruel
and oppressive. The whole South, with
nm almost unbroken Democratic represen-
tation in Congress, viii remember the
long and terrible persecution inflicted un'
der these infamous laws. VIII they re-
neal them? Or will they be tempted to
let them remain until the revolution in
progress is completed in 1876, and then
nso the enormous extra constitutional pow
ers conferred by them to retaliate IN kind
II is question that viii fairly try their
boosted magnanimity and their devotion
to constitutional principles.
When the nearly peaceful revolution OF
l7Gs csrried William of Orange to the
throne of England, his first duty aud his
chief difficulty was to restrain the anlmos-
tiles aud defeat the vengeance Of his wing
supporters as against his Tory enemies,
The latter had been arbitrary, cruel and
rapacious, and had used every means, con
stitutional and unconstitutional, TO harrass
and crush the Wings, But no sooner
wcro positions reversed than the Wings
were eager to appropriate the doubtful
measures of their adversarios, aud turn
them against the inventors. To his sue
cess in that wise endeavor the Prince Of
Orange owes his place in history, and
England the stability Of her constitution.
Win the Democrats initiate his prudence,
or are they incapable of resisting the pow
erful temptation to preserve and use for
their own purposes the obnoxious statutes
framed in an evil hour by their besotted
opponents? 1t is undeniable that if they
should gain entire possession Of the Gov
ernment in 1876, with these laws in full
force, and ifthey chose to administer them
in partisan spirit as their predecessors
have done, they would control with per.
feet ease not only the white but the negro
vote of the South, just as Grants soldiers,
marshals, district attorneys, election Off
GERS and the earpet-baggers have done it
heretofore.
The same may be said with regard TO a
great mass of the legislation since the war.
Much, il not most of it, was intended to
increase executive patronage and extend
executive power and influence aud it has
served It's purpose so well that last week
the mere suggestion of the coming Empire
WAS sufficient to alarm the nation, because
Il was only too apparent that the Prcsi.
dents Office had recently been magnified
out of all proportion to the means Of pop
ular resistance.