Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-11-10
From THE CHICAGO TIMES.

The recent presidential election has
| shown that there is an invincible reason
why the democratic party can never win
national victoey. 1t is that the youth of
this republic is not democratic. The sons
of democratic fathers have grown up re-
publicans.
| So long as slavery and the war linger
within the memory of Americans, the
youth of the republic will continue to
grow up republicans; and slavery and
the war will be remembered as long as
the public school system exists. The
public schools have slain the democratic
party with the text books.
1t is vain for statesmen to declare that
there were as many democrats as republi-
cans in the union army. 1t is vain to
affirm that the war for the preservation
of the union could not have been carried
to Il successful close without the assistance
OF the democratic party. 1t is idle for
philanthropy to suggest that the attitude
of that party toward the war in the be-
ginning was a humane one; that it was
inspired by the higher and better wish
that the cause Of the conflict should be
peaceably removed. and the spiling of
brothers blood by brothers hands avoid
ed. The democratic party has been
holding. The republican party is ideally
identified with emancipation and the
war Therefore is the youth of the coun-
try incapable of being democratic. There
! fore the democratic party can never win
a national victory. Its old men are dy-
ing away. The boys who catch the bal
lots that fall from their stifened hands
are republicans This fact can not be
denied. 1t will do no good to quarrel
with it. All other causes which have
operated to diminish the number Of dem
OcratS and increase the number of repub-
Leans are insignificant besides this one
tremendous and invincible fact. The
curse of slavery has poisoned the blood
and rotted the bone Of the democratic
party. The malediction OF the war has
palsied its brain.
The young wife who held the babe up
to kiss the father as he hurried to the tap
of his departing regiment has not sucked
democrat. The weary foot Of the gray
grandmother who watched the children
while the wife was busy has not rocked
the cradle of democrats The chair that
the soldier father never came back to fill
has not been climbed upon by democrats.
! The old blue coat that his comrades car
ried back was cut up for little Jackets
but not one inclosed the heart Of demo
crat The ratified musket that fell from
him with his last shot became the thought
less toy of his boys; but not hand that
played with it was the hand OF a demo-
crat The babe he kissed croWed and
croWed for his return, and It's unwilling
and unanswered notes were not from the
throat of a democrat The tear-soiled
camp letters which the mother read aloud
in the long, bitter evenings while the
BOYS clustered at her knees did not fall
upon democratic ears. The girls sobs,
blending with the mothers weeping, did
not make democrats of their brothers.
Perhaps the fathers had been a democrat
all his life
The children go to school There is
not democrat on itS benches. The first
reader contains the portrait Of Abraham
Lincoln--that kind and sturdy face never
made a democrat On its simple pages,
in words of one or two syllables, is told
the story of his birth aud death. That
story never made democrat. In the
pranks of the playground the name 81
lences the frolicsome and makes the jol
Hest grave. That name never made a
democrat. In the pictures that light up
the geography are the firing on Fort Sum-
ter and the death of Ellsworth. Those
pictures made no democrats. The first
: page of the history contains a representa-
ton Of the surrender of Lee at Appomat-
toX. No boy gaZes on that and ever after
avows himself democrat
In the higher grades the same subtle
and unresisted influence is at work The
text books contain extracts from patriots
speeches during the war. Those speeches
make no democrats. The great battles
are briefly described; the narrative has
no democratic listeners The strain of
martial music runs through the readers,
and that music makes no democrats
Sketches of the great generals are given;
their brave deeds arouse the enthusiasm
Of the lads but there is no democrat among
them. The horrors and sufftrings ofthe
slaves are told; the maddened blood that
mounts the boys cheeks is not democrat
ic blood. The curse OF. slavery has pur-
sued the democratic party, and has hound
ed it to its DEATH Therefore, let it die;
and no lip will be found to say prayer
over the grass on its grave.
The late defeat need not be attributed
to any other cause. Other causes were at
workout they were only incidental.
The tariff was one. Sectionalism was
second. Let well enough alone" was
third. The October failure in Indiana
was fourth. But all these were trivial
and together could not have accomplished
the result. The result was accomplished
because the youth of the republic is not
democratic. That party is, therefore,
without future and without hope.
The malediction of the war has palsied
its brain. The curse of slavery has poi
soned its blood and rotted its bone. Let
it die.