Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-09-23
THE % sHrN0

THE "BLooDY sHrNO
As a standing protest against oil reference
to the acts Of the democratic party during
the past seventeen or eighteen years 10
have constantly held before US the desisivs
term "bloody shirt." All mel are vulner:
able where ridicule is employed against
them, hence the "bloody shirt" cry has its
effect towards ~silencing the defence of a
cause which is nothing more nor less than
the cause Of Humanity, the aus Of the right.
the Cause Of Justice. the cause4of Christianity.
Tho issues of the past between tho two,
great political parties are the issues of the
present In a large degJec. 1t is the old. old
battle between oppression and liberty, with
asolld south on one stdeanda divided noah
on the other. The south steadily pursues
Ito course towards the attainment ofits ends
and ito northern allies, evcr subservient to
the will Of their masters, endeavor to cast
reproach upon the efforts Of the opposition
by pitching their voices to the tune of the
''bloody shirt" 1t is their single argument.
1t means that We must not:rake up the re-
cords o fthe past., We must not say to the
people that the democratic party brought
upon this country q long, costly and bloody
war. We must MOI wind the intelligent
masses of to day that Intimidation and muir.
der has brought freemen into subsection so
complete that they dare not give expression
to their honest sentiments through. the bal.
lot which is constitutionally theirs. We
must not In any manner refer to the dark
deeds Of damnation which haye fiAed alast.
log stain upon the record of party that so
long ruled our nation. This is the "bloody
shirt" of the democracy and it is a forbidden
garment. On the other hand democratic
orators and democratic newspapers claim
the privilege Of going deep down into the
record of the republican party and placing
before the world all that is bad within it
and covering up that which is good. The
acts which have rendered the democratic
party obnoxious in the eyes of all good peo-
pie are cotemporaneous with those acts of
the republican party which have pla.ed up
on the pages of American history a record
of achievements which will live when dem.
ocracy and republicanism are known no
more. But to speak of these is crying sin
"a Eaktng over of bare and bloody bones
which fret the sight and open still wider the
ideal chasm which yawns betwix, tr, asou
and loyalty. The average democrat says we
must not swing that %ensanguined garment
in the air-we must let the dead past bury
its dead, but it is wise and proper to men
ton that during all those years
when democracy wa creating CORY
graves the republican party was sqsn-
dering the peoples money in the
effort to guard the nations honor. This is
the logic of to.dsy-talk not of democratic
sins, but build high and wide of that which
Is recorded against our enemies. This
"bloody shirt" is the spectre which will not
down at democratic bidding. It is an ele.
ment in American politics to become more
prominent as time draws closer the lines of
a sectional conflict. The old democracy of
the south is asserting itself and with renew
ed strength and vigor is marching on to
achieve in the halls of legislation tina,
which was lost upon the battle field. As 9
nation we must stand as democrats and re-
publicans and old issues must continue tc
be the bone of contention. Let no republi
can be deluded into the notion that thu
democracy of to day is in any way pure,
than tine democracy of 1861. 1t is the SAINT
old stock with an infusion of later bitter
ness, the product of long years OF disap-
pointment. A democrat is a democrat, and
though he traverses the land in the guise o.
a friend, remember that tbewool of a sheen
can be temporarily fitted to the body of a
wolf.