Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-07-09
The Sole Aim of the Democracy.
The End to Which All ThinSe are BE.
Ing Made to Bend.

NO great lnSiSht Is leIuileu " o'o
Germ through all democratic tactics and
strategy, the one positive and unvary
ing purpose which anlmates the party
and directs its policy. The engross-
ing aspiration of all its leaders, their
most intense ambition and absorbing
aim, is to recover the fullness of poIti-
ca control. To this end all things are
made to bend; for this purpose no sac
rifice of political principle or individ-
ual consistency is to great; no subtcr-
fuge too fimsy no cheat too brazen,
or any trick too stale. trough all
the shambling methods of the present
congress, and the incoherent aud dis
jointed efforts of the last, their loud
proclamatons, and bullying, and blus-
ter; their tail-tucking and sneaking
away; their attempts OF coercion, and
dimal failures; their abortve efforts
to do something they could not accomp-
lish, and their amazing incapaclty
either to do what they desired, or
fathom their own feebeness and folly
in undertaking it;-through all this
there is the gleam at leas, of one un-
mistakable purpose. In the current
phrase, "they mean business" And
the business they mean is to put the
democratic party in possession of the
branches of the government. That
this is the aim Of all political parties
is. of course, not denied. But other
parties have avowed some purpose, be-
yond the mere possession of power
and division of spoils, and have not
been so sel6shly bent on partisan ag-
grandizement as utterl to eglect
every other interest
We believe this party does have an
ulterior aim; but it keeps it in the
back ground until ii shall have secured
power and patronage, and the heavy
end of the party has the opportunity
to establish, as the fundamental prin-
ciples Of tue government, the ideas
upon which they lately went to war
and lost their cause. Their whole
purpose now, is to win the next presi-
dental election. and make their con-
troll of congress permanent and certain.
They march toward this end in loose
and disorderly way. to be sure, like
undisciplined troops with incompetent
leaders; but they know what they
want, though not now to get it, and
they show neither regard for decency
nor sense of shame in the means they
clutch at. Wherever they have had
the power to strengthen themselves by
gerrymaudering apportionment they
have done it with hardly the pretence
of honest intention, or the design Of
doing anything but take partisan ad-
vantage. The riders on the appro-
priation bills have no other purpose
than to increase their chances and
handicap their opponents in future
elections. There is not democrat il
congress who will say, upon his honor
as a man, that he believes the riders on
the army and judicial expenses bills
ale intended to meet any actual danger
to serve any other than partisan pur-
pose. Every step in the proposed
lie ,islation has been with the intent to
tie the hanas of the republicans in
coming elections, and leave to demo-
Gratis the freest and most unrestricted
opportunities to resort t. violence and
fraud.
In an other party assurance and ef-
frontery with which these schemes are
pushed, the aggressive and dictatorial
manner in which they demand the
largest license for themselves, ,and deny
the faintest show Of justice or fairness
20 their opponents; ..ould be amazing.
When there is any talk of federal
supervision in congressional elections
they say, Hands off, and will have
none of it. Nothing will content them
but the removal of all safeguards, and
the opening of the ballot-box to free
frauds such as they resorted to carry
New York in 1868 Business: they
mean business. They must carry
New York in 1880, that's the long and
short of it; and that is why there has
been all this mischief of an extra ses.
sion aud delay in business. When, to
their proposition to prohibit "bayonets
at the polls" which no intelligent per-
son pretends to believe is actual dan.
ger, Senator Blaine proposes to add
prohibition, under heavy penalties, of
the carrying of deadly weapons to the
polls-an evil of wide extent and prac-
tical character, which has already re-
suited in bloody consequences in many
places, while there was never known
an instance Of violence or disorder from
the presence of troops at the polls
they coolly put the proposition aside.
Why? Because the solid south is
necessary to democratic success, init
midation as the polls necessary to so.
lid south and pistols in the hip pocket
are necessary to intimidation. And
the latest proposition is the one SO
warmly advocated by Mr.. McLane. Of
MARYLAND the other day. Druhibitino