The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-11-16
THE DEM0CRArIU PARrY's DOWN
PAIL.

THE DEnOURATIU PARrY'S DOWN
FALL.
The Curse ofSinvery anu OF the Secession
Rebellion Pursuing IL 10 its Grave.
From the Chicago Times.
The recent Presidential election has
shown that there Ia an invinCible reason
why the Democratic party can never win
national victory. 1t Is that the youth oil
this Republic Is not Democratic. The
sons OF Democratic fathers have grown up
Republicans. So long as slavery and the
war linger within the memory OF Ameri.
cans, the youth OF the Republic will con.
.tinue 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 textbooks.
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 oil
the Union could not have been carried to
successful close without the assistance oil
the Democratic party. 1t Is idle for phil
anthropy to suggest that the attitude Of
that party toward the war in the begin.
ming was q humane one; that 1t was in.
spired by the higher and better wish that
the cause OF the conflict should be peaCea-
bly, removed, and the splitting Of brothers'
blood by brothers hands avoided. The
Democratic party has been ideally identi.
fed with slavery and slGyeholding. The
Republican party is ideally identified with
emancipation and the war. Therefore the
Democratic party can never win national
victory. It's old men are dying away.
The boys who catch the ballots that fall
from their stifened hands arc Republi-
cans.
.~Ihis fact cannot be denied. 1t will do
no good to quarrel with it. All other
causes which have operated 10 diminish
the number OF Democrats and increase
the number Of Republicans are insignif.
cant beside this one tremendous and in
vincible fact. The curse OF slavery has
poisoned the blood and rotted the bone oil
tho 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 10 the tap
OF his departing regiment has not sucked
a Democrat. The weary foo. OF the gray
grandmother, who watched the children
while the wife was busy, has not rocked
the cradle OF Democrats. The ChGir that
the soldier father never came back TO Ill
has not been climbed upon by
Democrats. The old blue coat that
his comrades carried back was cut up for
little jackets, hut not one inclosed the
heart Of q Democrat. The ratified musket
that fell frotn him with his last shot be-
came the thoughtleRs toy OF his boys; but
not hand that played with 1t was the
hand OF Democrat. The babe he kissed
crowed and crowed Tor his return, and It's
unwilling and unanswered notes were not
from the throat OF Democrat. The fear.
soiled camp letters which tho mother read
aloud in the long, bitter evenings while
her boys clustered at her knees did not
fall upon Democratic ears. The girls
sobs, blended with the mothers weeping,
did not make Democrats Of their brothers.
Perhaps the father had been Democrat
ell his liiel
The children go TO school. There is not
Democrat on It's benches. The first read.
er contains q portrait OF Abraham Lin.
coin; that kind and sturdy face never
made Democrat. On lis simple pages, in
words OF one or two syllables, Is told the
story OF bis birth and death. That story
never made Democrat. In the pranks
Of the playground the name silences the
frolicsomo and makes the iolliest grave
That name never made Democrat. In
the pictures that light up the geography
arc the firing on Fort Sunpter and the
death OF Ellsworth. These pictures make
no Democrats. The FIRST page OF tho his.
Tory contains a representation Of the sur.
render OF Lee at Appomattox. No boy
gazes on that and ever after ayows himself
Democrat.
In the higher grades the same subtle
and unresisted influence Is at work.
The textbooks contain extracts from pa
triots' speeches during the war. These
speeches make no Democrats. The great
battles are briefly described; the narrative
has no Democratic listeners. The strain
OF martial music runs through the read
ers, and that music makes no Democrats.
Sketches Of the great Generals are given;
their brave deeds arouse the enthusiasm oil
the lads, but there Is no Democrat among
them. The horrors and sufferings oil the
slaves are told; the maddened blood that
mounts the boys cheeka Is not Democratic
blood. The curse OF slavery has pursued
the Democratic Party, and has bounded 1t
to It's death. Therefore, let it die; and no
lin will be found TO say a prayer over the
grass on It's grave.
The late defeat need not be attributed TO
any other cause. Other causes were at
work, but they were only incidental. The
tori f vna ma Spnkionaliam waa n 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 country Is not Democratic.
The party Is, therefore. without g future
and without hope. The mAlediction Of
the war has palsied It's brain. The curse
OF slavery has poisonedits blood and rotted
It's bone. Let 1t die.
ar dissgreos with me-" A common re.
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