New-York tribune., 1879-12-31
DEuocRITIC DIVINE RIGHT.


Possibly we may be doing the Maine Demo-
crsd something like injustice in charging
them with attempting without shadow of right
TO steal ihe State FoI they are a strange and
unaccountable lot Of people. and 1t may be
they think. in spite of returns or majoridcs or
anything else, that they actually own the
State, aud are only using the most available,
even if somewhat questionable. methods to
retain possession of their own. We are not
without reasons for believing that the entire
party is more or less saturated with delusiOn
as to its mission and its prerogatives some
what similar 10 that iudulged III in older c0un-
tries as to the divine right OF kings. There is
much in the history Of the party TO indicate
that it is under the influence of some hallu-
cination of this kind. I'm individuals they
call this sort of thing kleptomana by which
name the vulgar crime of theft is hidden un-
der four syllablcs of Greek derivation, which
leave the average mind in doubt whether
the perpetratOr of the offence has discov-
cred new hug or invented a hair-dye.
In politics ii is "a belief in Divine Right.
Under this plea the stealing of Kingdoms and
empires has been going on at intervals for
manF centuries. 1t is an elastic dogma Louis
Napoleon stretched it over hrs seizure of
France; and with much better reason the
Count de Chambord is waiting for somebody to
steal the present Republic and lay IT in his lap.
There is reason to believe that the Demo-
cratic party has somehow got into its
head this notion of Divine Right-possi
blv from the fact that it traces its origin
to Jefferson, who, as author OF the Decia-
ration Of independence and one of the found
ers OF the Republic had kind of proprietor
shin in the Government which was transmits
sible-and that upon tins ground any measure
which puts the party IA possession OF its own
is iusllfiable.
The typical Democrat of our time was
William NJ. Tweed. 1t has sometimes been
thought that his what are you gong to do
about il 7" to the people from whom he stole
not more for himself than for his
party-the City and State of N.w-York,
was the bravado merely of success
ful hiehwayman. But when we consider
how such eminent Reformers as Mr.. TIlden
and such political puTists as Horatio Seymour
stood by cOnsenting, not only failing to rebuke
but actually participating in the accruing bene-
fits of the crime, the conclusion seems newt
able that these and in general all the Demo-
cratic leaders are II croughy imbued with the
idea that the Democratic party has Divine
Right TO rule tins country. and that this end
justifies whatever means may be used to bring
it about. Indeed you may make thorough search
of the history of the party for at least quarter
of century and find no other reason, nor
hardly pre,ext, for their claim to be en-
trusted with CONTROL Within that time GER
taInly they have not shown the wisdom. judg
ment or capacity 10 warrant such claim
nothing in fact except what Is contained in
IL cir assumption of Divine Right. The heavy
end of the party held the doctrine, to which
the lighter end always subscribed, that few
white men had Divine Right to the labor
and the lives of millions of black men, and it
was but the following out of that logic that es-
tablished IN their minds the Divine Right of the
party to govern the country, with or without the
consent of IA majority of the people. These
men cut down Stephen A. Douglas because
his heresy of Popular Sovereignty was at war
with the Divine Right of SlavehOlding Democ-
racy. Ii was in support OF Democratic Divine
Right that they 50 long refused to admit
California with Constitution of her own
making that they attempted, first 10y force,
then by fraud to steal Kansas from her peO-
pie and that afte:waId they set IN a revolt
against coDstituticnally elected President
and went off into rebellion.
And upon what other theory than that they
believe In their Divine Right can it be ac-
counted for that in all the Southern States
they suppress, by intimidation. violence and
fraud. almost the entire opposition vote and
SO far from being ashamed OF the means en-
ployed, actually boast of 1t. Something had
ito bs DONE" they said. In explanation of