Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-12-06
SOLID REASONS FOR DEM
OCRATIC DEFEAT. boz

The Ghicaqo Times. an independent
paper, usually leaning to the democratic
side. recently published the following,
which a friend asks to have published
in the MONITOR:
The recent presidential election has
shown that there is an evincible reason
why the democratic party can never win
a 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 linger
within the memory of Americans, the
youths of the republic 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 vain for statesmen to declare
that there were as many democrats as
republicans in the union army. It is
vain to affirm that the war for the, pre-
servation of the union could not have
been carried to a successful close with
out the assistance of the democratic par
ty. 1t is idle for philanthropy to sug-
gest that the attitude of that party to-
ward the war in the beginning was
humane one that it was inspired by
the higher and better wish that the
cause of the conflict should be peacea-
bly, removed. and the spilling of brothers
blood by brothers's hands avoided. The
democratic party has been ideally iden-I
tilted with slavery and slaveholding.
The republican party is ideally identi-
fed with emancipation and the war.
Therefore is the youth of the country
incapable of being democratic. There
fore the democratic party can never
win a national victory. Its old men
are dying away. The boys who catch
the ballots that fall from their stiffened
hands are republicans. 'iij #5a
81 This fact can not be denied. It will
do no good to quarrel with it. All
other causes which have operated to di-
minish the number of democrats and
increase the number of republicans are
Insignificant beside this one tremendous
and invincible fact The curse of sla-
very has poisoned the blood aud rotted
the bone of the democratic party. The
maledietion of the war has palsied its
brain. 1ya
The young wife who held the babe
up to kiss the father as be hurried to
the tap of his departing regiment has
not suckled democrat. The weary
foot of the gray grandmother who
watched the children while the wife
was busy has not rocked the cradle of
democrats. The chair that the soldier
father never came back to fill has not
been climbed upon by democrats. The
old blue coat that his comrades carried
back was cut up for little jackets, but
not one inclesed the heart of a democrat.
The ratified musket that fell from him
with his last shot became the thought
less toys of his boys; but not hand
that played with it was the hand of a
democrat. The babe he kissed crowed
and crowed for his retarn.. and its un-
| whiting and unanswered notes were not
| from the throat of a democrat. The
tear-soiled camp letters which the
mother read aloud in the bitter even.
Ings while the boys clustered at her
knees did not fall upon democratic ears.
The girls sobs. blending with the moth
er's weeping. did not make democrats
| of their brothers. Perhaps the father
had been democrat all his life 5
The children 60 to school. There is
| not democrat on its benches. The
FIRST reader contains the portrait o.
Abraham Lineoln--that kind and stur
dy face never made democrat. On it
simple pages, in words of one or tw'
| syllables. is told the story of his brit
and death. That story never made {
democrat. In the pranks of the play
ground the name silences the frolicsom
and makes the jolliest grave. Tha
name never made a democrat. In th
pictures that light up the geograph,
are the firing on Fort Sumter and th
death of Ellsworth. Those picture
made no democrats. The first page Q
the history contains representation 9
the surrender of Lee at Appomoattoz
No boy gazes on that and ever afte
ayows himself democrat.
In the higher grades the same, subtl
and unresisted influence is at worl
The textbooks contain extracts frol
patriots speeches during the war. Thos
speeches make no democrats. Th
great battles are briefly described tf
narrative has no democratic listener
The strain of martial music runs throug
the readers, and that music makes I
democrats. Sketches Of the great gel
erals are given; their brave deee
arouse the enthusiasm Of the lads, b'
+baro wae NO democrat among ther