The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-07-21

be looked upon as mere tehueI 70 u
Democracy.
Now / desire you to put before you
mind with impartial candor the question
whether the Democratic candidate and III
party behind him can be best depended
upon to protect that which Is good in tn,
present condition Of things, and develop
It in the direction OF Improvement
wish 10 state the question mildly, for
am not PARTISAN enough-indeed my or
thodoxy IN that respect has now and ther
been questioned to deal in wholesale and
indiscriminate denunciation OF our oppo
nents. l do not mean 10 incite youl
prejudices and inflame your passions, but
10 discuss facts, and draw from them legit
innate conclusions. | do not want the
party TO which belong TO depend for it,
success upon the failiDgs oil it's opponents
and am not inclined to exsggerate the
latter. While adhering to one party ! de-
sire the other 10 be as good as possible, SC
as to compel my own TO do its best. In
this respect, therefore, sincerely declare
that wish well 10 the Democratic patty,
once participated in an attempt, which
attempt miscarried, TO move 1t up 10 the
progressive requirements oil the times. Tie
contending political parties in Republic
should be such in point OF mental and
moral constitution and capability that the
Government may be intrusted to either
without serious apprehension for the safe
ty fthe public interest. l hopeit will be so
some day, and / wish 1t were 50 now. Let
US see whether it is so now. To speak in
all candor, it appears to me that the Dem
ocratic party labors under historic as well
as constitutional difficulties. Since the
downfall and disappearance OF the slave
power as q compact political interest from
which the Democratic party more than
twenty years ago derived its morals, Its
logic, itB political skill and craftsmanship,
that party has been laundering about,
out oil logical connections with the ques-
tons OF the day, never knowing the time
OF day; always looking for something to
turn up, and when something did turn
up, spelling 1t, tamely tagging in the rear
OF the events and requirements Of the
day. Always behind, denouncing as i'm
possible things that were already &C.
complished facts; with strange incapa-
city to understand the present, and TO
measure the future, making itself the re-
cipient and rallying point for all dangerous
and obstructive tendencies and elements,
and thus committing blunder after blum.
der, which at the moment OF their birth II
uniformly giOried in IS great strokes OF
policy, from the secession movement OF
1881 down 10 the nomination OF General
Hancock in 1880.
There are many good and clear headed
men in the Democratic party, men whom
personally esteem, and whose friend.
ship | value, who deplore this condition
OF things as much as do, but are unable
to control the obstreperous elements and
tendencies OF the organization and to fit II
for the tasks and responsibilities OF Gov
eminent. It Is not my habit to rake up
the embers OF past discords and TO substi-
tute for the living question. OF the present
issues which lie behind usI butif we want
10 ascertain the prevailing tendencies and
the present capacities for good government
Of the Democratic party In accordance
with the spirit and requirements OF the
present day, it is not unfair TO review some
striking experiences as illustration. Look
ing back to the year 1854, the fourth year
Of the civil war, when the Southern Con-
federacy was near the total exhaustion OF
its resources, we find the Democratic party
In National Convention, solemnly deplar.
ing that the war was failure and must
be abandoned. A few months afterwards
the triumph oil our arms vas decided, and
collapsed, the restoration oil
our Union was assured, and the Democra.
~ was forced to acknowledge that the
war had been success. The Democracy
has proclaimed its despair Of the Repu6.
lie just ut the time when the triumph OF
The Republic was ripe. 1t became evident
10 everyone, that had the Democratic
policy been then adopted, the war would
have indeed become failure and the
Union have gone to wreck and ruin. When
slavery breathed its last and its abolition
became an evident logical necessity,
requiring nothing more than the form Of
law, the Democratic party declared that
the abolition OF slavery would be the ruin
Of the country and must by all means
be ayerted. Who Is there to deny now
that the abolition OF slavery was not an abb
solute necessity and hasturned out bless
ing; the Democrats are compelled 70 I'D.
NIT it themselves. when, as measures OF
tine thirteenth, fourteenth and
amendments were passed, the
Democratic party declared them void and
entitled TO no respect, and almost imme.
diately after found ITSELF compelled to ad-
nit that for the peace OF the country and
a. the basis for future developments, these
amendments had TO be
Coming down TO more recent
history, when the Republicans in Con-
gress had passed resumption act, In
1875, and tho irpit Of the restoration Of
specie payment was almost ripe to be
plucked, the Democratic party, in its
National Convention OF 1875, thought it a
rtthlng to DECLARE thatthev very act pass
ed for bringingspsCie payments was an lm'
pediment in It's way and must be repealed.
And who is there to deny now that had
the act been repealed under the pressure
OF all the initiation elements in the coun-
try, the confusion Of our financial policy
necessarily ensuing would have prolo uged
the evils OF an irredeemable paper curren-
cy, under which we were then suaering7
I need not accumulate further examples
TO show how incapable the Democratic
party proved itself TO understand and APP
preciate not only the immediate require.
inents OF the times, but facts that had been
virtually accomplished, and how Its great.
est efforts were directed TO the end OF OBJ.
structing things that had become ineyita.
BILE, and which 1t afterwards found itself
compelled TO admit IS good.
And now, in this year 1880, when the
war issues are fairly behind US; when by
It's conclliatory spirit and its strict OBJ
servance OF Constitutional principles, the
Government has removed all the elements
Of discord between the sections which it
wasin its own power able to remove; when,
aided by wise and successful financial
policy, general prosperity is again blessing
the land, and when the people look above
all things for enlightened, practical statos.
manship that well understands the ques.
tons 1t has to deal with, to foster and de-
yelop that prosperity; now, the Demo.
cratic party knows nothing better to do
than TO set aside all It's statesmen OF
known and settled opinions, political ex-
perience and training, and to nominate
Tor the Presidency Ma Ior General sol.
der, who has meyer been snthing else bat
- T. Al i