, 1875-01-19

PARTIES AND TEE COUNTRY.
I Vice-prcsitlent WlLsos flas written latte,
to the Springfield Republican on the aituatior
OF the country to combat tho notion that tht
Republican party is "deasl." We have been
told that tho Democratic party WAS 10 moro,
mud VIC nre now told tltat tho Republican
party has 1actlo its exit from tho staco Of
American politics. The fact is that neither
tho Democratic nor the Republican pnrty il
dead or have any itlea of giving up tho ghost.
10th live and the sooner each recognizes this
/ fact tho better for tho country. We will
leave it to the Vicc-rresident to show. as
doubtless lo can, that tho clements of tile
original strength Of tho Republican party
remaln, and TINT, properly managed, its s,lc-
cess in the future il assured, Ours is differ
ent task,-to show tllat parties do not die 80
easily, nad tint tho Democracy survives and
| remains what it was.
The party of State Sovereignty, in other
words, of dissolution and seccssion,-for these
are the logical consequences of tho doctrine of
State Sovereignty, not bocn even
sleeping. It has boon wary and
watchful all these ycars hoping agai,st
hope, that its opportunity would somo
time come. Ashamed Of its old namc,-
namo which history has malo synonym
Of political infamy,-it has assumed various
aliases, and strutted about hero rs tho Inde-
pendent party, and hera Us tie Poop1o'sparty;
i'll ono placo as tho party Of Reform (slc), in
another Us the Conservative party. Repub-
licans lnve in individual cases beou hood
winked into the belief that these were all
different names for now party which was to
be immaculate. infalliblo, supremacy good,
completely uuGel6sh; to ba constituted only
of statesmen and oxc1nplars of ali tho vir.
tues; mon free from all temptation, or gifted
with tho grace always to resist it;
who would noyer steal, lio, vote themselves
baek.pay, have anything to do with
Crodit Alobiiicrs, or yield themselves M to
the arms of corruption, n,--~who should bo, in
fact, oil of them, little demigols dwelling in
political cmpyroan End fcodiug on nmbrosia,
The strangest thing about tho hallucination
Of our Republican friends was that, with
faith almost divino, thoy persisted, or seemed
to persist, in believing III this immaculate
party, spite Of the fact that tho whole rank
and flo of it consisted Of immaculate Demo.
crats At tho lato elections tue Republican
party rebulcd the corruption Of its own ad-
herents. The now immaculate party was lod
to imagine TINT that robuke was IN ap-
proval Of its principles, or Of its want Of !
principle, md forthwith assumed a bold
'front.' 1t now takes steps, as it did in this |
city fow days ago, to drop its alas and 70. |
appear tho Democratic party, with its old
distinguishing principle, state Sovereignty !
or national dlsintcgration, for itB reappear-
anco as the Democratic party means this or
IT means nothing It is to he hoped that
tiia fact will strike the members Of tie Re.
publican purity with tho force with which 1t
should, ald satisfy thont Of the truth of the
maxim In politics, that parties live long aud
lie hard. In al deeoncy, tho Democratic
party ought to 60 md bury itself. There is
10 instance in tho records OF the past in which
party, after having, by its principles and
led nation to the brink Of ruin
out falied to ruin 1t, afterwards sought to re-
:ovor tho ascendency and to govern tho
country it could not destroy. A distinction
10 shamefaccd and notorious it Inns been re-
'erVed Tor tho purity in this country known
s tie Democratic party 10 achieve. Millions
1t Americans fondly believed 1t was dead mud
buried. Over its grave, ita whilon, organ in
MS city erected monument with tho chi.
aph: "Putrid Reninisconco." tbs "lau.
rd "Reminiscences" however, walks the
anh again; and tloro aro good men found
0 iorgetful as to do 1t honor They honor
J, however, only because they belieyo it ia
ot the old secession, Democratic party.
hat party they in their innocence soy IL no
aore. DunAE remarked, a long time ago.
hat parties vary their meana to secure the
nifty OF their end Ihe Democratic party in
ho United States has boen wiser in its inio.
'ty than any party with which Bunxn ,
'as acquainted. II La3 known nat
My how to vary its ,uesns, but It's form and
ppearanee, III order to socuro the unity Of its ,
nd; aud tho unity Of it's end, il it have euy
lch unity now, Is, wo insist national tlisso. ,
ltlon. Il this bo not its ond, or the logical
'nclusion Of Its State Sovereignty principles, {
has no and and no principles.
The persistence Of the old Democratic or ,
cession party need surprise TIC oue at all fa. {
lllar with tho history OF political parties, I
he present parties In England have been ar 6
yed against one another tor upwards of two {
andsed years. The Conservatives md Lib. |
ais Of to-day in England are tho Tosiea and j
'hIgs Of 1850. They haye changed only in
inc. The Tories were always Conservatives. ,
no Whigs wore always Liberals. Tho Dom-
rats OF this country always wsze the Con. :
rvat!Yss the Republicans always were the j.
oeras OF America. The English Tories b