The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1879-11-22
A Plea for The Rspublio.

FOR the preservation Of tho constitutional
Republic Shall the American principle
remain2 Shall the Democratic idea con
tinue? Shall the simple, former Republic
last2 All other questions are less than
these in the politics Of tho next twelve
months, Tho Democratic principle has a
large majority Of the people Of this country
as its adherents. Local self-goyernment,
home rule, cxalting the individual, keeping
the Government rather than men in sub
jection-;;hlIiis is the American priociple.
For this the fight is to be made in the
year ahead Of us. The peril of one-man
power overhangs the Republic. In this
great free nation there is demand for a
STRONG man, man stronger than the
Constitution. When that demand is in
dorsed by an emphatic majority Of tho
voters Of tho United States the end Of the
Republic is at hand. The growing power
of corporations, the growth Of the power of
great cities, tho alarming tendency toward
tho Capitalization Of power in Washington,
are dangers to the Republic There must
be union Of all its friends to save il from
these perils. Men who three or four years
ago were shocked at the suggestion that
one man should DO President Of this Re-
public twelve years now surround the silent
man as he marches across the continent and
hail his candidacy for third term as a
lovely thing. There is a longing for a
Government, not within the Constitution,
but outside Of and beyond it--for man
and Government, stronger" than the
Constitution This longing is an enemy
Of the Republic and foe Of free govern
ment on this continent. 1t is to this
danger, or these dangers, that the efforts
Of the friends of the Republic must be
unitedly addressed. The existence of the
Republic as it was is the great end. Aud
we will not believe that the American de-
votion to the American principle has been
extinguished. The same impulses that
sent so many thousands of men into the
war for the protection of the Union under
the Constitution will impel men TO cling
to the Constitutional Republic in time Of
peace.
The Democratic party has been the ira
ditional party Of discipline Since tho
beginning Of the century the Democratic
devotion has been lofty and admirable.
That discipline has apparently relaxed
somewhat within few years. For nearly
twenty years the Republican party has
held the spoils; and spoils, to great ex-
tent, make discipline. The Democracy
no longer have an unorgauiEed or disor-
gauized foe to contend against; but on the
contrary, party with all tho machinery
of government, with all the patronage, a
party audacious, unscrupulous, and terri.
bly, resolute. The taking Of the current
Presidency BY the Republican party was
a wound inflicted upon free government,
not SO much because one man rather than
another was placed in the White House,
but because the methods by which party
took power were such as to diminish re.
spect for Republican or Democratic insti.
tutions. The love for the simple Republic
is diminishing. The respect for the cou.
stitutional powers is growing less. The
Democratic principle, the American idea,
Is weakened 10 the affection Of Americans.
The holders of political power have, in
order to retain power, so infamed sectional
passion that there is almost willingness
to abandon the Republic. The tendency
is certainly and painfully in that direction
The duty of the Democracy in this hour
is to preserve the Republic. The drift is
dangerous. Wings aud Republicans 10
the South have been driven by Republican
misrule, by carpet-bag rule, by ignorant,
negro misgoyernment into the Democratic
party. Republican misconduct in the
South has consolidated the South, and
now the South is blamed for being solid,
and not only the South, bat the Demo.
cratic party North is blamed most outra.
geously because Republicans have made
the South "solid.' Qat Of all this grows
the peril Of the Republic, to the funda.
mental ideas Of free government in this
country. Sectional hatred, even after SO
oession and slavery are forever buried, may
crush out the devotion to the Republic.
The Southern States would divide politi.
cally, as they were divided throughout our
history till 1860, with the removal of the
causes for their solidity. The
Southern representation in Congress is
made up chiefly of Wings, not of original
Democrats. When the stockholders Of the
Republican party will permit the scnti-
ment Of union to rise above the spirit of
sectionalism one-third of the Southern
States will be debatable ground between
the Democratic and Republican parties.
The Republican fear seems to DO that the
Northern States can only be carried for the
Republican party by penetrating sectional.
ism. They must continue to fight the late
war.
The duty of the Democracy from this
day till the next Presidency is determined,
and thereafter will DO to secure united Of.
fort for the maintenance Of tho republic.
There have been divisions in the Demo.
cratic ranks; they must end. Personal
ambition must sink. The East aud West
must join. There must DO concessions.
harmony. Tho treatment of the black
man 10 the South must be fair aud equal
The representatives Of the South, by 81.
lenee or by temperate expression, must
earn the confidence of the independent
Northern vote. They must make special
effort 10 do this, because they know that
Republican microscope is fixed upon every.
thing they say aud do. The tendency Of
the Republican party Is become anti.Re-
publican, perilously so, The unjust cry
Is, Better Monarchy than Solid South
aud the silent soldier walks stately from
tho Pacific to the Atlantic while the name
of third term is sweet in the mouths Of
men, and third nomination for the Pres
ideney only waits his acceptance, The
Democratic duty ia prudent, united effort.
The Democratic Congress must be moder-
ate, and must not demand what the world
now knows il cannot get. The extra ses-
sion fixed the boundary lines. The Re.
publican President cannot refuse to grant
again what he has granted once; the Con-
gress should not demand again what i, has
been once, or more than once, refused. The
prime mission Is the salvation of the Re-
public from the tendencies that mean lis
destruction. The future of tho Dcmocra.
ey thus lies in the path ofthe maintenance
OF Tree government, Of Democracy. Let