The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-05-06
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Wheu any special service was demanded
a requisition was generally made upon that
corps. When, IN hotly contested battles,
the enemy stood firmly aud stubbornly be-
fore his couquering legions, the Old Guard
was at once called in to decide the for
tunes Of the day, and wherever they struck
a blow for France, that blow generally sent
the enemy reeling and in disorder They
were bis own right arm Of power, on which
he relied for effective and decisive work,
and seldom in vain. What Napoleouis
Old Guard was to the French army, in a
military sense, the Old Guard Of the De-
moeraey is IN political sense, to the OPP
posing forces Of the present Administra-
ton. There is the corps of Liberal Re
publicans, the corps Of Independents, and
squad Of raw recruits; but, all of them
combined are Incompetent to meet the
cohorts Of tho Administration without the
Old Guard Of the Democratic party. All
agree that the concentration of these sew
eral corps would be more than match for
the hosts Of the Republican phalanx; but
how to concentrate them is the rub.
In all the schemes and plans and spec
ulations looking to that end, the Old Guard
has been left out Of consideration. 1t had
been supposed that the superior drill and
discipline of that old corps could always
be relied upon in action, whether it was
consulted in the choice Of leaders or not
But the experience of 1872 dissipated that
idea. Nearly million of its most gallant
men failed to respond to the bugle-call of
the alien leader set up over them in that
memorable and most disastrous campaign.
The same system Of tactics is in progress
now. II is vainly considered that any
leader will do, except one from the ranks
Of the Old Guard. By no means take an
old Bourbon-an old Copperhead-any
leader but that. A Liberal Republican,
an Independent, or any one else might do,
except a Democrat. Very WELL The
Democrats are much the largest corps of
the grand army Of the opposition, and, il
they are not to be taken into the account
in the selection of a leader, they viii not
follow. Political calculators and schemers,
and convention manipulators, may reason
among themselves that the old Democrats
will support this man OF that; but, if he
is not Of them, aud has no sympathy with
them, they will find their expectations
vain. They will support good and true
Democrat, but no other. They cannot be
led BY designing demagogues away from
their organization aud its cherished prin-
ciples, under any plea or by any device
whatever.
New York is the battle ground, we are
told. We must take candidate who can
carry New York, or we cannot win. If
New York will follow no other leader but
one Of her own citizens, other States may
be equally perverse, and refuse to follow
leader from New York. There would
be us much reason for the one course as
the other New York cannot elect pres
ident Of herself The battle ground, there.
fore, will be as much in every other State
as in the Empire State. If she will not
yield to them, neither should they yield
to her Let us hear no more, then, of
this line of argument. When the con.
vention meets, each State and each section
should be prepared to lay down its own
favorite candidate, and its own precon-
ceivcd notions, for the common good.
And there should be an earnest and dis
interested inquiry as to what will best
condnce to that end. If the nomination
be made in that ways-if each State and
each division of forces defer to each other,
instead Of rashly and persistently taking
their own course in contempt Of all the
rest--then the Old Guard viii fall into
line and keep step with the host of those
willing TO band together for the overthrow
Of the corruption which has so strongly
entrenched itself in the high places Of the
Government There would be no diff.
Guilty, with a leader selected by mutual
concession; and there would be no obstacle
to such concession il demagogues would
stand out Of the way. If the Liberal Re-
publicans and the Independents distrust
the Democrats, the Democrats will not
trust them, and Democrats have no more
70 lose in sustaining a defeat than other
men. Ifthe country is to go down through
maladministration and corruption, all must
so down together.