Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-11-18
What Killed the Democratic Party

what Allied the Democratic Party.
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER, Win LIFE
LONG DEMOCRATIC LEANINGs. TELLS THE
WHOLE STORY.
From the Chicago T.mcs-l
The reccn, Presidential election has shown
that there is an invincible reason WHY the
| Democratic party can never win national
victory. Ii is that the youth Of this Repub-
lie is not Democratic. The sons of Demo
cratic fathers have grown up Republicans.
So long as slavery aud the war linger within
the memory Of Americans, the youth of the
Republic will continue to grow up Republic
cans; and slavery and the war will be re-
membered as long as the public school sys-
TEN exists. The public schools have slain
the Democratic party with the Textbooks.
Ii is vain for statesmen TO declare that
there were as many Democrats As Republ-
cans in the Union Army. II is vain TO az
firm that the war for the preservation Of the
Union could not have been carried to a sue
cessful close without the assistance of the
Democratic party. II is idle for philan,hro-
py to suggest that the Dude Of that party
toward the war in theVbeginning was a
humane one; that il was inspired by the
higher and better wish that the cause of the
conflict should be peaccabl, removed. and
the spilling of brothers blood by brothers
hands avoided. The Democratic party has
been ideally identified with slavery and
slaseholding. The Republican party is ile-
ally identified with emancipation and the
war. Therefore is the youth of the country
incapable Of being democratic. Therefore
the Democratic party can never win Ma
tional victory. its old men are diving away.
The boys who catch the ballots that fall
from their sti;fened hands are Republicans.
This fact cannot be denied. 1t will do no
good to quarrel with it. All other causes
which have operated to diminish the number
of Democrats and insrcasc the number of
Republicans are insignificant beside this one
tremendous and invincibe fact; The curse
Of slavery has poisoned the blood aud rotted
the bone of the Democratic party. The
maledciion of the war has palsicd iis 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 a
Democrat The weary foot Of the gray
grandmother who watched the children
while the wife was busy has no, rocked the
cradle Of Democrats. The chair that the
soldler-tather never came back TO fill has
not been climbed upon by Democrats The
old blue coat that his comrades carried back
was Gu; up for little jackets, but no, one in
closed the heart Of a Democrat The raj
tied musket that fell from him with his las,
shot became the ihoughtless toy of hi, boys;
but not hand that PLAYED with it sas the
hand Of Democrat. The babe he kissed
crowed and crowcd for his return. and its
unwltiing and unanswered notes we're not
from the throat OF a Democrat. The tear
soilcd camp letters which the mother read
aloud IN the long bitter evening. while the
boys clustered a; her knees do not fall upon
Democratic ears. The girls sob>. blending
With the mothers weeping, did no; make
Democrats Of their brothers. Perhaps the
father bad been Democrat all his life
The children 20 to school. There is not
a Democrat on its benches. The frs, reader
contains a portrait Of Abraham Lincoln
that Kind aud siardv face never made
Democrat. On iis simple pages. in words
of one or two sillables. is told the story Of
his birth and death. That stor, never made
a Democrat In the pranks Of the pla,-
ground the name slicnccs the frollcsomc and
makes the Jnlliest grave. That name never
made a Democrat. In the pictures that
lish; up the geography are the firing on
Fort Sumter and the death Of Ellsworth.
Those pictures made no Democrats The
first page Of the history contains a repre-
sentaiion of the surrender Of Lee at Apo
maiioN. No boy gakes on that and ever
after a,ows himself Democrat.
In the higher grades the same subtle and
unrcsIsted influence Is at work. The text
books contain extracts from patriots
speeches during the var. Those speeches
made no Democrats. The grea, battles arc
briefly ueScrihed the narrative has no Dem
ocra,lc listeners. The strain of martial
music runs through the readers. and that
music makes no Democrats Sketches Of
the grca, generals are given; their brave
deeds arouse the enthusiasm Of the lads.
but there Is no Democrat among them. The
horrors and sufieTlngs of the slaves are told;
tie maddened blood that mounts the BOYS
checks is not Democratic blood The curse
OF slavery has pursued the Democratic
party. and has bounded 1t 10 it, death.
Therefore. let IT die and no lip " Il be
found TO say PRAYER over the grass on It's
grave.
The late defeat need not be attributed 20
any other cause. Other causes were at work
but they were only incidental. The tariff
vas one. Sectionalism was a second. let
well enough alone" was third. The Dc
tober failure in Indiana vas a fourth But
all these we're trivial. and together could
not have accomplished the result, The re-
suit Vas accomplished because the youth Of
the Republic is not Democratic. That party
H. therefore, without a future and without
hope. The malediction of the war has
pal>ied lis brain. The curse OF slavery has
poisoned its bio cd and roited lis bone. let
IT die.