Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-07-09
The Democratic Platform.

The declaration of principles adopted
by the Democratic Convention at Gin
einnati presents but single issue at
variance with the Republican party
VIZ: State CerSUS National sovereignty.
In otherrespects the platform is mainly
condensation of the principles, pur-
poses and accomplishments of the Re-
publican party during the past twenty
years. Aside from the heresy of State
sovereignty, to which the Democrats
cling in spite of its historic renuncia.
ton by the American people, the dis
tinguishing difference between the
Democratic and Republican platforms is,
that the former merely adopts what the
latter has consistently enunciated time
and again, or promises what the Re-
blicans have actually done in the face
of previous Democratic opposition.
1t is rather late in the day for the
Democracy to assume virtue by de-
claring for "honest money, consisting
of gold, and silver, and paper con-
vertable into coin on demand" This
is precisely the kind of money with
which the Republican party has provid-
ed the country, but it received no aid
nor encouragement from the Democrats
as party during all the embarrass-
ments through which it struggled to
attain the existing system. On the con-
trary, the Democratic party was chiefly
engaged during eight or ten years in
devising objections and projecting OBJ
staeles to the Republican efforts at re-
sumption. There has been no phase of
the ''rag-baby" lunacy which has not at
one time or anotherreccived Democratic
sanction and support. Hence the
Democratic party cannot reasonably
expect to share in the public gratitude
for the happy and prosperous solution
OF the currency-resumpt problem by
its conversion at the eleventh hour.
So of the other Republican principles
which the Democrats have az last
thought wise and prudent to incorpor-
ate in their platform-such as the en-
couragement of the public schools,
Civil-Service reform, a tariff for
revenue, the separation of Church and
State, the condemnation of the Com
mune agitators, etc. To these and
kindred doctrines the Republican party
has demonstrated its loyal attachment,
and it has earned by actual service in
applying them to government degree
of public confidence which the Demo-
cratic party can scarcely hope to obtain
by pro tOTnld declaration in opposi-
tion to its previous record All the
Republican features of the Democratic
platform will, therefore, fail to assist
the Democrats in their present effort to
secure the "spoils," for these features
are certainly not original, and there is
good reason to suspect that.the Demo-
Gratis are not sincere in adopting them.
But the obstinate devotion of the
Democratic party to the doctrine of
State-supremacy has been made suffi-
ciently conspicuous in their Cincinnati
platform to constitute a clear issue be-
tween the contending parties. The
Democrats "pledge themselves anew
to the Constitutional doctrines
and traditions of the Demo-
cratic party" These doctrines and
traditions aresimply different phases of
the pernicious theory that the State
House cliques must be permitted to rule
supremely number of subdivisions of
the Union called States without any con-
straint from the National Government.
When some of these subdivisions MAIN
tanned the institutions of human slave
ry, the doctrine of State-sovereignty
was invoked to protect that institution,
extend and perpetuate it. When the
Democrats found that human progress
condemned their pet institution, and
that the day was not far distant when
the National Government could no
longer be prostituted to the slave
power, State-sovereignty was the ex-
cuse for the effort to break down the
National Government and dissolve the
Union. And, now that the Democrats
look forward to repossession of the
National Government, ,State-sovereignty
is again put forward as the ruling pow
er of the party. The doctrine has been
repudiated by the American people at
the polls, whipped out upon the field of
battle, and eXpunged from the later
laws of the Republic; but the Demo-
cratic party will not abandon it.
'Oppostion to Capitalization and to
that dangerous spirit of encroachment
which tends to consolidate in one form
of government" is merely another ex-
preston of State supremacy over Ma
"Home rule" at the present
time, can mean nothing but the reas-
sertion of the theory that the State
mousse clqueS are independent Ongar
chies, not accountallSe to the supreme
law of the land. The condemnation
of the National Election laws grows out
of Democratic resentment at the exer
else of National power even for the
protection of National elections. The
spirit of notification apparently ami
mates the Democratic party to day as
much as it did in the time of Calhoun
or during the secession period, and op-
portunity alone is needed for the often
sive and perhaps dangerous manifesto
tion of that spirit. This is the only
feature of the Cincinnati
platform, and the Democrats have but
poorly watched the drift of public SEN
timent if they imagine that they can
rise into power upon so lame and obso-
lete an issue. - (hicnn0 Tl.ihlLhe