The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-11-15
What Killed the Democratic Party.
An Independent Paper with Lifelong
Democratic Leanings Tells the Whole
Story.
Chicago Times.


The recent presidential election has shown
that there is an invincble reason why the
Democratic party can never win national
victory. 1t is that the youth of this Republic
is not Democratic. The sons of Democratic
fathers have grown up Republicans. So long
as slavery and the war lipger within the mem-
ory of Americans, the youth of the country
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 textbooks.
1t is i'm vain for statesmen TO declare that
there were as many Democrats as Republicans
in the Union Army. 1t is vain to affirm that
the war for the preservation Of the Union
could not have been carried to a successful close
without the assistance of the Democratic party,
1t is idle fol- philanthropy to suggest that the
attitude of that party toward the war in the
beginning was humane one; that 1t was in
spired by the higher and better wish that the
cause of this conflict should be peaceably re-
moved, and the spilling of brothers blood by
brothers hands avoided. The Democratic
party has been ideally identified with slavery
ideally identified with emancipation and the
war. Therefore is the youth of the country
incapable of being Democratic. Therefore the
Democratici party can never win aINation-
al victory. Its old men are dying away. The
boys who catch the ballots that fall from their
stiffened 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
N to and q. - II D..
publicans are insignificant beside this one tre-
mendous and invincible fact. The curse of
slavery has poisoned the blood and rotted the
Zone OF the Democratic party. The maledic-
tion OF the war has palsied its brain.
The yONng wife who held the babe up to
kiss the father as he hurried to the tap of his
departing regiment has not suckled Demo-
crat. The weary foot of the gray grandmother
who watched the children while the wife
was busy has not rocked the cradle of Demo
Gratis. The chair that the soldier father never
came back to fill has not been climbed upon BY
Democrats. The old blue coat that his COM
rades carried back was cut up for little jackets
but not one inclosed the heart of a Democrat.
The ratified musa ct that fell from him with his
last shot, beca me the thoughtless toy of his
boys, hut not hand that played with 1t was
the hand of a Democrat. The babe he kissed
crowed and crowed for his return, and its un-
WHITING and unanswered notes were not from
the throat of Democrat. The tear stained
in the long, bitter evenings while the boys
clustered at her knees did not fall upon Dem
cratic ears. The girls sobs, blending with the
mothers weeping, did not make Democrats of
their brothers Perhaps the father had been
Democrat all his lifei
The children go to school. There is not
Democrat on its benches. The frs relder con-
tains portrait of Abraham Lincoln-that
kind and sturdy face never made Democrat.
On its simple pages in words OF one and two
- II Id Af h ia n aud
death. That story never made Democrat.
In the pranks of the play ground the name ST.
lence sthe frolicsome and makes the iolliest
grave. That name never made Democrat.
In the pictures that light up the geography are
the firing on Fort Sumter and the death Of
Ellsworth. The first page of the history con-
talns representation of the surrender OF Lee
at Appomattox. No boy gazes on that and
ever after avows himself a Democrat.
In the higher grades the same subtle and un-
resisted influence is at work The textbooks
contain extracts from patriots speeches during
the war; Those speeches make no Democrats.
The great battles are briefly described; the mar
rative 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
sufferings of the slaves are told the maddened
blood that mounts the boys cheeks is not DEM
ocratic blood The curse Of slavery has pur-
SUED the Democratic party and honnded 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 work
but they were only incidental The tariff
was one. Sectionallsm was second. Let
well enough Alone" was a third. The October
failure in Indiana was fourth But all these
were trivial, ard together could not have ac-
comp,shed the result. The result was accom-
plished because the youth of the Republic is
not Democratic That party is, therefore,
without future and without hope. The
malediction OF the war has pasied its brain.
The curse of slavery has poisoned its blood aud
rotted its bone Let it die.