, 1880-08-02
SEATTLE, MONDAY, AUG. 2, 1880.


believed in the principles OF the sld De-
mocratic party and earnestly desired the
restor atom of those principles in the Ad
ministratiou OF the Government, we have
for some years past been unable to dis
cover among the new Issues evolved 10y
the war, and called by the respective
party names, thOse OLD landmarks which
clearly defined party lines, IN our local
politics. Hence, while we have invaria-
bly, defended and fought tor Democratic
principles. 1t is over t, n years since We
have taken part III Il caucus Ok conytn
tion bearing he name of the old party
which had commanded our devoted atfec-
ton and most earnest services for thirty
tivey ars, aud to which We had sacrificed
every material consideration because We
would not put surself in position in
which We would be liable to be commits
ted to the support of measures of public
policy avcrse to our own sense of right,
and hostile to our life long professions.
First we had offered to US as Democrat
ic measure the reputation of our pul lie
pecuniary obligations; then an irredeem>
able paper currency, with Its inevitable
consequences, the oppression OF the labor
er and the fattenlng OF the money >chang
er and speculator; and last, though not
least, the endorsement of an uncondi-
tional grant OF large portion of the
public domain tn a mammoth monopoly.
We did not ask, like Daniel Webster {:
"Where shall go?' bul simply stayed
where we were, striving to do our duty
as a citizen, independent of party, watch
ing and waiting, in hope OF IA glorious re-
surreclion of the Democratic Unisn par
ty, Tree from every stain of qualification,
secession, reputation, Capitalization, or
special subsidies; with its old banner
bearing the time honored legends: The
Union, it must and shall be preserved )"
"The malntainance of the General Gov
ernment in all Its Constitutional vigOr,
the reservation to the States of all power
not specifically delegated" Equal rights
to all, special privileges to none;;' just as
it was in the days OF Jefferson and of
jackson, and continued to be until the
country Was precipitated into civil war
by the united efforts of the AbOlitionists
of the North and the Secessonists of the
South, dragging the Union men OF either
section into the cont1ict-those of the
North to maintain the Union, and those
of the South to defend their rights against
threatened Abolition aggression, when
dissolution would have been a speedily
acc. mplished fact but fer the hundreds Of
thousands OF Democratic volunteers, led
by Democratic commanders, who Were
the first to throw themselves into the
breach while the Republican State au
thorities were higgling with the Admins
istration for terms, without which they
threatened to withdraw their aid; thus
presenting the strange anomoly Of two
armies meeting in hostile array to decide
An issue which the majority on either
side had mutually opposed; Mcclellan.
Meade, Hooker, Hancock, Porter, Badly
Smith, Franklin, Mcdowell and Sherman,
not one of whom voted for Lincoln, com
mandlng Union troops OF whom not less
than three to one were Democrats during
the first few months of the war; with
Lee, Stonewall jackson, Jubal Early and
Stuart, all pronounced Union men, who
had opposed the secession of Virginia
until they were outvoted, commanding
the opposing forces.
The time has come when the old DEM
ocratic party is itself again, standing on
the same platform upon which it ruled
the country in uninterrupted domestic
peace and prosperity for over halt cen !;
tury; under whose auspices the reserved
rights of no State weIe ever invaded, the
personal rights ofcitizens never impaired,
or the least cause for sectional strife or
disruption ever offered; the only Consti-
tutional Union party before the war,
during the war and since the war; hold
ing the Union as our fathers formed it-a
Union of equal, independent, sovereign
States, in contradistinction to the Repub>
lican party idea of nationality, meaning
central despotism, exercising supreme
unlimited authority over all and holding
thirteen of the States as subjugated prov
inces, to be kept under military surveil>
,uce and not to be trusted with the man.
c.lc"- Of ,l"ir own y c.i1Ns. 4" ie-