Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-03-11
The Purpose OF the Democracy.

The Washington correspondent of the
Albany Journal writes:
And just here is one of the motives of
this rebel crusade. 1t has two purposes,
distinct and yet blended. The one is to
capture every Southern State for the
Democracy in 1876 and the other, as a
sequence, is to nullify the substance Of
reconstruction, to bring forward the
most extraordinary rebel claims and to
reduce the blacks to acondition of peon-
age. Already in several of the Southern
States, in violation of the spirit, if not
the letter, of the reconstructed Constitu-
tons under which they were readmitted,
the unrepentant rebels have proposed a
capitation tax. What that means is
palpable to every intelligent man. 1t
means the exclusion Of the blacks from
the ballot-box. 1t puts all the necessary
machinery for this purpose in the hands
of their old masters. If legislation with
this spirit can stand, the substance, if not
the form, of slavery may be restored.
And it is to accomplish such ends that
the violent and revolutionary policy of
the unrepentant rebels has been deliber-
ately undertaken. They have never been
so bold and hopeful as now. The gen.
eral Democratic success of last fall has
filed them with new venom and dis
closed their fangs. They expect to cap
ture the Southern States, the General
Government and then -!
There is no Disgusting the fact-the
country is approaching very grave cri-
sis. The calmest and most unimpas-
stoned men here are profoundly i'm
pressed with the magnitude of the dan
ger. They understand the spirit and
purposes of the rebel element as the
country does not, and they know the
success of that party portends peril to
the blacks, peril to all Union men in the
South and peril to the country. The
absolute domination of that force in the
Democratic party is even now percep-
tible. Every prominent Democrat is
bowling to the South. When John
Young Brown spit out his rebel venom
the other day no Democrat had the cour-
age to condemn him. The South will
rule the caucus and command the party
1t cannot be controlled. And when
these facts fully appear and these dis
plays are made, as they certainly will
be, then, If not before, the country will
wake up to the danger before it and will
stretch forth its hand to rescue itself
l have the strongest confidence so
said to-day one of the least-excitable
and best-iudging statesmen we have, who
has just been through the Soltn-that
the Republican party will carry the cleo
ton in '76. His confidence is based upon
the belief that when the unrepentant
rebels show out their spirit as they are
doing now, and will do in still greater
degree in the next Congress, the patriotic
sentiment of the land will be inspired
and consolidated as it was during the
war. The Republican party needs to
rouse to the grand work before it, An
object UNNECESSARILY greater than mere
partisan success appeals to its best ener-
gies and its noblest efforts. The pres
ervation of the blood-bought fruits of
the war and the security of the Union
men of the South are staked upon its
labors, and to this commanding duty it
should address itself with all its cOur-
age, wisdom and unity.