The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-08-21
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTy-Is IT
WORTH PREsERyINGg

selves WIN inc UTMOST prUucNcc
and dsccrnment, its disruption IL
inevitable. In the North and East,
except in Pennsylvania, the party
favors hard money and an early re-
turn to specie payments The Dom
ocraLic State Conventions Of Ohio
and Indiana have declared for infla-
ton, and the payment ofthe bonded
indebtedness of the Government in
greenbncks; while in Minnesota and
Iowa the party is pledged TO the
principle oil contraction and specie
payments. Illinois and Missouri
have yet given no party expression
on the subject. AS for the Southern
Democracy, without underestimate
ing tho Importance of the question,
they regard the defeat Of the Re-
publican party in the next Prcsi
Dental contest ~ OF such over
shadowing importance that they
are not willing to be drawn
into the discussion of subject
which is causing us TO lose sight Of
the main issue, and may be lead to
disastrous divisions. To the North
ern people who have not felt the
fall weight of the Republican heel
upon their necks, us we have, it
may well seem of less Importance
what party elects the President,
than whether we shall have inha-
ton or contraction; gold coin or
greenbacks ; but the Southern PEG
pie, very naturally, look upon it
differently. The continuance OF
Republican ascendency at Washing
ton, to US, means the continuance OF
carpet.bag ascendency in several of
INC 'CouIncIu Ctulco, uhu uhoio anu
robbery by Federal officials, in
them all. 1t means that the Fcde
raj patronage is to be used to keep
in Office in the South the most
gracelcss set of scamps to be found
anywhere outside the walls of the
penitentiary. 1t means everything
that is dishonest, corrupt and vile,
in our domestic policy and every
thing that is puslanimous in our
international relations. And more
than all, to us, it means the perpet-
uation Of Republican rule ; and the
steady march of ccntralism, which
if not arrested, must inevitably lead
to the establishment of q consolida-
ted despotism, upon the ruins Of the
democratic republic instituted by
our forefathers.
There is therefore, u forecasting
wisdom, in tho attitude ofthe South
ern press and people on this subject,
which our Democratic friends at the
North would do well to heed; for
important MS the currency and fin
ancial questions undoubtedly are,
they sink into insignifcance in the
presence of the question whether
we are to have u constitutional re,
public or i'm autocratic despotism.
| We hold that that is the issue in
the next Presidential contest.
To descend from the abstract to
the concrete, we maintain that the
re election of Grant, or the election
of such man, rs either Morton or
Conkling, would be infinitely more
disastrous to the country, and espe-
cially to the harrassed and impover-
ished South, than either imitation or
contraction, as judged by the enc
mics, respectively, of these meas
ures.
Entertaining these views it is
with pain that we see it stated that
Mt the contemplated grand green
back convention, to be held, next
month in Chicago, it is expected
that Generals Ransom, Senator
from North Carolina, and Gordon,
Senator from Georgia, will be pres
ent and participate in the proceed
ings.
We trust this outgiving is with
out authority from those gentle
men, and that our speakers and
press will do nothing to widen the
breach in the parity. Ii may be
that both the great political parties
of the country have run their course,
and outlivcd their day and genera
ton, and that the elements compos.
ing them are about TO rearrangc
themselves on new issues If this
be so, and there il much to indicate
that it may be, nothing can stay the
catastrophe. In the general disin-
tegration of parties, individuals
would range themselves in line with
those of like opinions and interests
with themselves The Southern
whites on ono side and the negroes
on the other of the inevitable color
line, as now.
As we have already said, this all
may happen in tho immediate fa-
ture, but until it does, we shall
cling by the Democratic party as
the last hope of free government
in this country, and believing
that it is worth preserving,
we shall continue. in our hum
bic way, to war on everything that
endangers its perpetuity and sue
cess.
From a private letter dated Nor
garfield, Ky, August 10th, We
learn that nm to that time Il had