Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-10-08

I ~ 4
and the people, by a large majority,
decided that the day had not come TO
trust the Government in Democratic
hands.
In 1872 Democracy was so demoral-
lied that it dare not take a Presidential
candidate from its own ranks, or frame
a platform for itself. In its Conven-
tiOn at Baltimore It adopted the ticket
and the platform Of the Liberal Repub-
liCan Convention, previously held at
Cincinnati. Horace Greeley, the life
long hater of Democracy-the man who
had said more bard things about the
Democratic party than any other man
in this country-had the weakness to
seek its nomination; and the party, as
an organization, welcomed him to its
bosom and tried to elect him. The
great body of the people were filed
with inexpressible disgust at such an
unnatural and false coalition. They
both pitied and condemned "poor
Greeley and thoroughly despised the
Democratic party. The signal defeat
which followed was simply the fore
gone conclusion of popular contempt
The American people were not made up
of such stuff as this senseless coalition
assumed.
The Democratic party, having in
Congress opposed the Resumption Act
of 1875, and thereafter denounced it as
the "Sherman sham," in 1876 demand
ed in its National Convention the re-
peal of this act, and after this passed in
the House of Representatives a bill re-
pealing the act, and would long since
have repealed It if all branches of the
Government had been in its hands.
The act still lives, and has done its
great work Of beneicenco in maintain
ing the public credit and reviving the
prosperity of the country; not by the
favor or even the tolerance of the Dem
Ocratic party, but in spite of its per-
sistent opposition thereto. The party
has been continuous grumbler against
this act. Had it been in power, the
great financial blessings of resumption
would have been postponed to a remote
day.
This same party comes before the
country in 1880 with General Hancock
for its Presidential candidate and with
the Solid South for its right wing and
center. II asks the great North and
West to give at least forty-seven Elect
oral votes for its candidate, calculating
that the one hundred and thirty-eight
Electoral votes of the Solid South,
made sure by bulldozing, false count
ing and ballot-box stuifing, will then
do the business and place the party in
power. All the experienced statesmen
of the party are passed by, and DEM
ocratic Union General is selected as a
standard-bearer in the hope that his
military fame will somehow drag
| n - f,tr nria
repudiating, MISREPRESENTATION and
anti-specie-re party safely
through the mire and dirt of
its own history. General Hancock
has been nominated for this rea-
son and for no other He has no civic
experience worth mentioning; and the
little that he has had is not to his
credit. We have nothing to say ad-
verse to his personal character; yet,
like poor Tray, he is found in bad com
pany. He heads the ticket of party
whose record his military fame cannot
disguise or condone. That record for
the last twenty years is matter of
history, and by it tho party must and
will be judged.
Who got up the RebellionP The
Democratic party at the South. Who
during the war sympathized with this
RebellionP The Democratic party at
the North. Who advocated repudia-
tiOn in 1852 The Democratic party.
Who opposed the Constitutional amend
ments and for long time after their
adoption declared them to be uncon-
stitutionally ratifedP The Democratic
party. Who are opposed to legislation
for carrying these amendments
into effectP The Democratic party.
Who are opposed to Federal cleo
tion laws to protect tho ballot-box
when members Of the House of
Representatives are electedP The
Democratic party. Who hold the doc
trine of State-rights in a sense incon-
sistent with the supremacy of the Ma
tional GOvernmentP The Democratic
party. Who has suppressed the Negro
vote at the SouthP The Democratic
party at the South. Who has failed to
protest against this outraged The
Democratic party at the North. Who
has sought alliance with the Green
backersP The Democratic party. Who
attempted to coerce President Hayes to
sign appropriation bills which ne did
not approveP The Democratic party in
Congress. Who tried by fraud to steal
party in Maine. Who tried, after tho
election, TO buy the Electoral Colleges
of Oregon, Florida and South CarolinaP
The Presidential candidate of the Dem
Ocratic party.
These questions and answers, aud
many similar ones, have their basis in
the solid facts of history. There is no
doubt about them. The Democratic
party has made the record. 1t has pre-
served its own organic identity while
making it, and is to be judged OF by the
whole of it. 1t is the same party that
was false during the war, and has ever
since been false to the proper results
thereof. Good and honest men there
are in the party; but the party itself, as
n political organization, has an exceed
ingly bad character. 1t is not fit to be
trusted with the management of this
Government and can nominate no ticket
that ought to be elected. No matter
who heads It's ticket, il is the same old
party and there stands its record.
General Hancock, II elected, would be
Its Obedient servant and do its will. Ho
Is simply a mask to hide the deformi-
ties OF the party.-M y Independent.
| -----s-s -
BaS- The Washington Post has an i'm
teresting story about the first meeting
between Secretary Sherman and Gem
eral Garfield after the latter's nomina-
tion at Chicago 1t has leaked out"