New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-10-10

The Democratic Party.
The action of the New York Democratic
convention, although strictly partisan as.
sembly in its origin, composition and lead.
erehlp, reveals q fatal toud in the party at
q national organization. The platform and
speeches recognize the financial question as
the supreme political issue, but the very
ardor and vehemence and prolixiry with
which sound doctrine is Of serted, while
giving it no greater force, emphasize the
irrecOnciliahle difference in the party. Upon
the issue which the New York Democrat t.
recognize as the Iuost vitality important in
national politics, they are absolutely and ill.,
hexibly opposed to the Dem ocratic party in
Ohio and Pennsylvania. If the New York
Democrats are sincere, they earnestly desire
the defeat Of their party, and the success of
the Republicans in the other two great
States, while the Democrats of those States
revile those of New York as their bit
terest opponents, If the Democrats of
Pennsylvania and Ohio should succeed in
the election, the New York Democrats must
ba prepared to bolt in their national con-
vention, should the Ohio Democratic doc.
trine there prevail, or confess that they
were dishonest at Syracuse. The spectacle
is significant. A party which In one State
advocates one national policy, and in an
other passionately denounces and expo sss
and scorns 1t, is not, in any ineligible
sense, national party. 1t is q body of
voters quarreling over party name. 1t is
mate representative of q familiar political
organization. The position of the Demo-
cratic party is what that of the Republican
party would have been if in 1860 it had de.
clared in Massachusetts and Ohio against
the extension of slavery, and in New York
and Pennsylvania for it.
There Is NO reason to suppose that the
donI oruf vxsn I,
the national party, unless the Republicans
carry Ohio and Pennsylvania. In that case
the Democrats would be again forced to
take the Republican platform, and declare
that they would be truer to ii than the Re-
publicans. As matter of principle, there
Is nothing in the party to warrant the ex-
pectation that financial honesty will be
more popular with it than respect for hui
man rights and justice a generation ago.
AT that time there was an impulse of hu-
manity and true Democracy in the party
both in Ohio and New York, known az the
free-sOil movement. But it soon ended in
the exclusion of the free soilers, and the
absolute tyranny of the party by the slave
power. 1t was not until the Republican
party arose, conquered the slave power in
arms, abolished slavery, renewed the Union
as bond of liberty, and held power for
more than ten years, making equal rights
the universal law, that the Democratic
party, under its leaders of 1850 and of TO-
day, dared to declare the only fundamental
democratic doctrine, which the party of
that name in this country has always de.
MED and defed, OF equal and exact Justice
to all men.
There is no reason, whatever, therefore, in
the history OF the party, certainly nothing
IN its present condition, which authorizes
the expectation that the sound financial
views Of the New York Democracy will be-
come the faith and practice of the national
organization merely because they are right
The attempt of the Syracuse platform to
prove that New York and not Ohio is the
legitimate party heir by reference to the
national Democratic platform of 1872 is
the declaration of the Liberal Republican
Convention at Cincinnati, and was merely
appropriated by the Baltimore Conven.
ton. 1t was no more Democratic than
it's candidate, Horace Greeley, was a
Democrat. It's adoption was part of the
crude and open trick by which, three
years ago, the Democratic managers
In New York, who now control the
party sought to gain possession of the ma
tional government. And while the New
York Democrats appeal to the financial
plank OF that platform. those of Ohio aud
discard and deride it. The
truth il that the last Democratic platform
which was actually the work of the party,
and meant to express its sentiments, not to
secure the goyernment by an arsful dodge,
mour stood, which Governor Tilden and
Senator Herman supported, and which was
Q platform of financial dishonor. Every
thing shows that the Democratic parry ia
wholly disorganized upon the very Question
which it declares to b; the chief national
interest OF the time. In one Of the three
great States the sound money Democrats
claim to be its heirs, in the other two the
make the same claim.
In the State of New York Republicans
Whyi Are their own candidates less hon
est or atlef Nobody asserts it. Will thew
support less vigorously the war upon public
peculators? 1t is not pretended. is the
Republican position upon the currency less
sound and p0sitivef Even the Demcerats
do not assert u. Would Democratic VIC
tory in New York tend more than that of
national financial policyf Obviously not.
Il the Democratic party should carry ali
the three great States of New York, Penn.
sylvania and Ohio at the approaching cleo.
lion. nothing whatever would be deter
mined. and the national policy would be as
uncertain Is ever. AL that could be known
would be that the two factions Of the party
would transfer their radical and fatal differ
snces TO their national convention, with the
,ha.css in favor Of the triumph of the iniia.
tioniete, who would have carried two of the
great States. The result of party victory
n all three of those States in any election
ought T. be decisive ~ to the Victorious
party. II ought to hhow the country that
;he party. policy is fixed beyond question.
PIT 81 tina time Il would show nothing
Whatever, except that the infati0nist Dom.
1ofuta Vor0 the 4 tf0n gar and n AZ che ks.5