National Republican., 1876-10-21

ranks of Union party which would be organ
lied to suppress new rebellion. But this is
not the point. The Democratic party, as off,
cially represented in the days Of James
Buchanan, was secession party. The enun-
Citations of its public men, and rs official
declarations, where they did not openly ap-
prove of secession, passed the doctrine by
without condemnation. The position taken
by Douglas, Stanton, Holt and hundreds of
others prominent in Democratic councils was
8 surprise to the solid Democratic South, and
no man who held during the war q position
such as was occupied by Mr.. Douglas isrecog-
nized as having any influence whatever in the
Democratic party of to-day. Ifthe names of any
such men do at any time appear, they are used
simply as figure-heads. They have not the
slightest potential force in the councils of the
party. They are like Mr.. Lamar, of Mlssis-
sippi, who represents no public sentiment at
the South in his party, and is only kept in
Washington to mask the real intentions of the
Southern leaders. The party of to-day is as
much bound by the principles and theories of
Calhoun, as to the nature Of the Constitution
and the obligations of 1t to the people of the
States, as 1t was when member after member
of both Houses of Congress shook the dust of
Washington from their feet and went South to
join the rebel army.
During the war the Democratic party at the
North cannot be said to have had an existence,
save as the left wing of the rebel army. The
war was waged for the suppression Of the re-
bellion by the Union party, composed of the
whole body of Republican voters, and so many
of the Democrats as loved their country bet
ter than they loved power purchased by the
sacrifice of principle. The true Democratic
party during the war only had an organized ex-
istence and party power at the South, and 1t
exists at the South to-day In the precise form
of organization, led substantially by the same
men, and ayowing the same principle as when
1t Waged open war against the Government;
and no explicit and formal disavowal,
either by its leaders or by its conventions,
of any of its past positions can be
found. 1t has persistently and consistently
opposed from the very outset the three Con-
stitutional amendments in which are supposed
to be enshrined the results of the war, term
ing them "usurpations, unconstitutional and
void"
And in that precise position the Democratic
party Of to day stands in its advocacy of Mr..
Tilden. At the close of the war the Demo-
cratic party began process of resurrection at
the North, and in every State where 1t OBJ
tained power while the constitutional amend
ments were pending, it placed itself in an at
titude of open hostility to them, notably in
New York. New Jersey and Indiana, while it
the amendments which had already been given.
In harmony with this course were the votes of
its Representatives in Congress, aud the dec
larations of its leaders in the several States.
And to- day the Democratic party of the nation
testifes its adherence to its old treasons by
making Mr.. Tilden, Mr.. Hendricks, Horatio
Seymour, William Eaton, of Connecticut, and
Wade Hampton, of South Carolina, the ex-
ponents of its policy. The same old Demo-
cratic party of the South meets in convention
at St. Louis, and votes solid for Tiiden aud
Hendricks, and the possession of the Govern
ment in the pending election is claimed by
virtue of the vote of a solid South procured
by violence and terror. And all this is done
while the question is still pending: "Are we
a nstionW The Democratic party at St.
Louis, instead Of answering affirmativey by
q distinct and plain declaration, contents
itself with 'reaffirming its faith Chat is, the
faith of Southern rebels and Northern Cop
perheads) in the permsnence of the Federal
Union;" "its devotion" (evidenced by its
waging four years war against the Govern
ment) ''to the Constitution of the United
States;" ats devotion" to a peculiar sort Of
amendments which the convention describes
as "such as have been universally accepted as
8 final settlement of the controversies that en-
gendered the civil war" And it also kindly
records ''its steadfast confidence in the per-
petuity" of what! Not ofthe Constitution of
the United States, with the thirteenth, four
teenth and fifteenth amendments; not even in
the perpetuity of the Federal Union; but in
''the perpetuity of Republican selfgovern-
ment."
All these propositions form part of the
general history of the country, accessible to
every voter. So far as the Democratic party is
concerned, the perpetuity of the nation de-
pends upon its will. In the language of
James Buchanan, "Our Union rests upon pub
lie opinion, and never can be cemented by
civil war" Do the freemen of this country
believe that the war settled no question, that
it did not cement the Union, and do they pro-
pose to eutrust to the Democratic party the
power of exercising this will!