Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-07-02

# that state being cast for Mr..
Lincoln. Mr.. Breckenridge received
seventy,two votes, all from states
that are expected this year to give
the democratic ticket eighty votes
Mr.. Bell received the electoral vote
of Kentucky, Tennessee and Ylr~
ginia, which then included West
Virginia. In all of these states
Breckenridge polled a very
large majority over Mr.. Douglas.
Add the electoral vote of these
states, where Douglas vote was
comparatively small, to that above
mentioned and we have one hun
dred and nineteen, or more than
two. thirds of all the vote that can
be positively claimed now for Gen.
Hancock.
From this statement, 1t very
clearly appears that Mr.. Douglas
was not considered as representa-"
tive democrat of that period, and it
| is certain that he never was after
wards, to the day Of his election,
raoarded az A. democratic leader.
1S~sIao pupu-"r vote was ], 375,157
to breckenridge 845,763, not
''more than twice the number -
as stated by our contemporary.
but the vote cast for Doug
las was largely from states now
certain to vote the republican ticket.
while those for Breckenridge came
from states now relied upon as GER
tain for Hancock.
But, says our neighbor, "the
traditions and practices which the
democratic platform speaks of,
are not referable to the area of 1860,
but that the traditions of pop
ular rule and constitutional gov.
eminent, as expounded by Jeffer~
son, are the traditions in question. u
We thank him for the information
for it is information, and will be
news to ninety-nine out of every
hundred of his readers. But JEFF
ferson has been dead fifty four
years, and the platform speaks OF
ga long line Of democratic states
men," Certainly he does not mean
to say that Jefferson, who died in
1926, was the end Of that "long
line" Have there been no states
men since, whose teachings Illus
trate the constitutional doctrines
to which the party is pledged
anew" at Cincinnati Has the
democratic party produced no
oo"0ooncn IN the last RtCy-Iour
years? If it has had no one since
the days of Jefferson whose teach
ings illustrate the constitutional
doctrines" referred to, it certainly
ought not to be entrusted with the
control of the government now,
even if it has borrowed a union sol>
dier's uniform and shoulder straps
for campaign use.
But if we are mistaken as to the
''long line" of statesmen whose
teachings illustrate the "constitur
tional doctrines" of democracy, we
are willing to be corrected. If the
'1ong line" has been broken for
more than half century, and the
breed of statesmen has run out, it is
bad for the party now. If the line
has been kept up and we are mis-
taken, let the Tribune set us right
by giving other names than those
we have mentioned, and We will try
to ascertain what their "teachings'
have been, as an illustration Of
what is meant by the constitutional
doctrines" to which the party is
pledged anew.
This editorial is already longer
than we intended, but our neighbor
beseeches as to enlighten him on
the question as to whether the res
publican party saved the union.
We think it did. We say this with
all due regard to any difference of
opinion that the editor Of the
Tribune may entertain On the sub
ject. The democrats made the
election of republican president
pretext for destroying the union,
The leading democrats in the south
tooday were the generals, colonies
and majors in the army that fought
against the union. The leading
democrats in the north are the men
who dlseourared enlisAments In the