The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-08-30
"It Never Dies.v


n Striking factn they call it. Mr..
Stenger, who presided over the Penn
sylvania Democratic Convention at
Harrisburgh on Wednesday, an
nounced il in his speech upon taking
the chair. 1t follows close upon the
discovery of the moons of Mars, and
seems to have been made with the
naked eye. The announcement of it
by Mr. Stenger was rapturously re-
ceived by a large and intelligent con-
vention of citizens of Pennsylvania,
ccvery would have had no effect what
ever. TO the average Pennsylvania
Democrat the discovery of moons is q
fact of little moment. You might dis
cover fifteen or twenty more dog stars
and he wouldn't turn hair, unless
there was dog-catcher TO be APP
pointed for each one, in which case
he would insist upon taking the place
in the interests of Reform and as to
the moons of Mars, he says with st.
Paul, "none of these things move me-"
But tell him that it is q striking fact
that the Democratic party never dies,
and he just rises up and howls the rim
off his hat. 1t tickled them almost to
death at Harrisburgh to hear Stenger
make the statement. The discovery
fairly takes rank with that of the old
lady who summed up the results of
many years experience and observa-
ton with the remark that she had al
ways noticed that when she lived
through the month of February she
always lived through the year Other
parties, Mr. Stenger observed, "rise
and fall, come and go with the ideas
that called them into existence, but
the Democratic party lives on amid all
vicissitudes )" and then he added, in a
tone of manly defiance, "and our op.
ponents may us well take notice from
its vitality that while earth lasts, like
seed.time and harvest, Democratic
conventions shall not cease -
These are. cheering words. No
wonder the Convention received them
with wild applause. This was no
Cambronne leading the Old Guard
into the jaws of death, with the de-
tiant exclamation which has passed
into history as 1.-THE Old Guard dies,
but never surrenders.n This was
Stenger, with the record and career OF
the Democratic party fresh in mind
Stenger, reminiscent of sixteen
years of continuous defeats Stenger,
mindful of the fact that the party bad
been able in all this time to hold the
same position scarcely two years in
succession, and knowing that there
was nota platform in all its accumu-
lated rubbish that it burst refer to
aud Stenger, with all those memories
crowding in upon him, flung up his
hands, and said with historic ac-
curacy. 1.-THE Democratic party sur
renders, but never DIES" It seems at
present to be absolutely true. The
fact that it never has died furnishes
the best reason for believing that it
never will. Still there have been
sickly seasons, like that described by
the tavern keeper in answer to a
guests inquiry as to the health of the
neighborhoOd: "Its been quite sicllly
here this year." said he "a good
many folks have died that never died
before J" and it must have been a
great comfort to the Pennsylvania
Democrats to be assured, upon the
authority Of such man as Stenger,
that the Democratic party could and
would go through just such seasons as
that without winking, at lives amid
all vicIssitudes," says Stenger. And it
does seem to have skipped around
among the vicissitudes with q good
deal of animation during the past
twenty years. The one thing it has
had an abundance of las been vicissi-
tudes. The party could contemplate
them with much the same feeling as
the poor woman who had been stinted
all her life had when she saw the
ocean. "Well," said she, "I'm glad
to see something once that there's
enough of" The Democracy hasn't
much of anything but vicissitudes to
look back upon, but it has enough"
of them.
Mr.. Stenger gives the opponents of
the Democracy fair warning that
Democratic conventions shall not
cease while earth lasts, and we have
seed-time and harvest. A very care
ful and a very plucky statement it is,
too. Observe that what he threatens
is the holding of conventions only.
lie doesn't hold out the hopes Of carry
ing elections, but like the hen-pecked
husband under the bed, who would
peep so long as he had the spirit of Il
man, he says so long as we have seed
time and harvest they will convene
and pass resolutions and nominate
candidates. And a very proper spirit
it is, too. Only, speaking Of seed-time
and harvest, it must have occurred to
his audience that the amount of seed
time the party is having is out of all
manner of proportion to the harvest.
There's as great lack of relation be-
tween the two as that complained of
by the thirsty searcher after refresh
ment at the Old Orchard House, who