Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-06-06
Modern Democracy.

Mr.. Stephens deals quite telling
blow at Randall, Potter & Co., in his
reference 10 the political school in
which was raised. "The school of
Democracy in which 1 was reared"
said the venerable statesman, twas
planted upon the principle of law and
order, upon abiding by the law as con-
stitutionally expounded." How far
the present Democracy has wandered
from this school is only too well known
to the most casual observer of current
history. 1t has to-day become the
fruitful source of the worst forms of
political depravity. At its head in his
home in New York sits wiry, ner-
vous little old man from whose COM
tpositioh the human conscience seems
entirely blOtted out. All human ties,
whether of country, family or friend
ship, have been effaced by the constant
pursuit of selfish purposes. He sees
nothing, knows nothing but his own
ambitious schemes, to execute which
he would plunge his country in ruin as
unceremoniously as he would wreck a
railroad which he was appointed to
protect. In obedience to the command
of this INSCRIPTIONS schemer, a Ma
tional Democratic Convention is bought
up or violently overridden by crowd
of prize fighters, gamblers and political
thugs from the slums of New York
City. Next, men are dispatched to
distant States to openly purchase a
needed Electoral vote, and the whole
country is brought to the brink of a
revolution because the sovereign peo-
pie of the nation rendered a verdict
adverse to the will of an ambitious old
man.
Mr.. Stephens sees around him q
democracy which thrives best in the
midst of lawlessness and disorder in
stead of being "planted upon the prin.
ciples of law and order" 1t owes its
power in New York to ballot box stuff.
{ ing; in the South, to intimidation and
murder. 1t seeks to gain power in the
States by partisan schemes for redis
tricting, by reorganizing State institu-
tions to make room for henchmen, in
the accomplishment of which even q
convicted thief is permitted to occupy
his seat during whole session of the
Legislature for fear that his vote might
be needed. Throughout the Union the
party is held together by an alliance
with the Roman Catholic Church, pay.
Ing that church by appropriations OF
the peoples money fer the "solid Ro-
man Catholic vote"
81 Mr.. Stephens sees in Washington 9
Democratic majority ready to plunge
the country into anarchy in order to
administer to the diseased ambition oi
defeated candidate for President,
+ ready to drown the voice of venera
bic member Of their party with howls
and hIsses, as the excited Ultramon.
tame Imperialists howled down M
Thiers when he dared to oppose the
disastrous Franco-Prussian war. He
3 sees aSpeaker whose partisan rulings
[ wo'd disgrace Mexican bandit presi
ding over parley between his robbers
and the inmates of plundered stage
coach. His party has no object but tc
8 perpetuate its own useless existence
8 proposing nothing but what is revolu
tionary; condemned to present nothing
: good Itself and to oppose every useful
] measure coming from its opponents
7 Such is faint outline of some of the
: most prominent traits of the modern
Democracy; the ghost of the old slave
: power; ghost that fears the light, anG
9 will be driven from power by the dis
cussion that will this summer Unvei
al its corrupt practices.-CIrvelnnt
Leader.