Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-07-16
Party Distinction.


1t is noticeable that the platforms of the
different parties are similar on points
hitherto open to controversy. From this
fact it is argued that the country is ripe
for new party, or, at least, weary of the
old ones. Such a conclusion is based on
radical misCOnCcption.
1t is now twenty years since the Repub-
lican party came into existence. 1t began
life as the friend of liberty. 1t has never
swerved On the contrary, it has more
than fulfilled the promises of its youth.
Not content with arresting the progress of
slavery it has destroyed the institution,
root and branch. Even then it did not
pause. The negro was enfranchised and
finally protected in all his civil rights by
due action of law. Not even men of the
Wendell Phillips stamp can ask for any
thing more in that line. All of this was
accomplished by the Republican party.
Every step taken encountered Democratic
opposition. From first to last the con-
flict was persisted in. The Democracy
never once surrendered an inch of ground
except at the point of the bayonet. 1t is
true that the contest is over. No Demo-
cratic platform nowadays so much as pro-
tests against the ideas and achievements
which have characterized the party OF
freedom from birth to date
To simply say that party distinctions
have been wiped out is to ignore the main
fact, namely: that the oneness is wholly
due to the complete abandonment by the
Democracy Of its old-time policy We are
assured in Holy Writ that eventually good
will completely triumph over evil. In
that Millennium the distinction which now
exists, the great gulf" between right and
wrong, will be lost to sight, in one sense,
and made all the more conspicuous in an
other and truer sense. With everybody on
one side there is no room for controversy
or discrimination, but the distinction be
tween the principles themselves is all the
more definite and pronounced.
Never in the entire history of politics
was any party so thoroughly vindicated by
the gradual unfolding of events as has
been the Republican party, and never was
party so utterly condemned and forced
to confess judgment as the Democracy.
Sometimes the sword has crushed party
and rendered all opposition vain, but in
this case we have the march of affairs
doing it all There is no fear of violence
and punishment to prevent Democratic
hostility to liberty. The unconditional
surrender was the result of latent causes,
elements ofgrowth and the subtitle agencies
that underlic the life of people
The fact that the old contest has ended
in the complete vindication of Republican,
ism and the correspondingly complete
reprobation of the Democracy affords the
strongest possible evidence that the former
is trustworthy and that the latter merits
nothing but burial.
Since the great issue of twenty years has
been settled and verdict has been Sc
cured on the relative merits and dement's
of the two parties, it would be supreme
folly to ignore it. Supposing two men ap-
ply for position, and are set at the same
task, each pursuing opposite courses, and at
last b acknowledges that A was all right
and he all wrong, would the employer con.
clude that there was no difference between
themy On the contrary, he would see in
the acknowledgment of b an argument
for the employment of A. The illustration
holds good in politics, and we believe that
the returns for the current year will show
that the people take the sensible view of
the case.-Chicdgo Journal.