The daily gazette., 1881-08-08
The virginia Democrats.

In the recent convention of the Wiz
ginia Democracy two things were es
peclally noticeable. The convention
repudiated the Bil'y-the-kid Malone
doctrine OF refusing to pay honest debts,
and adopted an exceptionally strong
plank in the platform favoring equal
rights to all. The Virginia Democracy
has been termed by the Northern Re-
publican press the "Bourbon" Demo-
cracy, and the Inference was Intended to
apply that Virginia Democrats "neither
learned anything new nor forgot any.
thing old"
This was resolution In their plat
form:
First That we adopt the following
articles of political faith: Equsllty of
rights and exact justice 10 all men; spec
tai privileges TO none; freedom Of relig.
ion; freedom OF the press, freedom o:
the person under the protection OF hab-
sas corpus, trial by juries impartially
| selected, aud OF an upright and non-par-
| tIsau judiciary; elections by the people.
| free from force or fraud by citizens or BY
| the military or civil officers OF the Gov
ernment, and the selection for public
OuctTs vi tUOSt W uO uOuceb huu Dc't
tIted TO fill them; the support OF the
State Governments In all their rights as
the most competent administrators OF
our domestic concerns and the surest
bulwarks against tahti-republlcan tend6n-
cies aud tie preservation OF the general
Government in its whole constitutional
viRor as the sheet-anchor of our peace
at home aud our safety abroad.
No Northern Republican platform
ever formulated so admirable an expires
sion of principles. 1t includes all that is
necessary, In national sense, to the
maintenance ofthe liberty which George
Washington urged In his various ad-
dresses, and which was embodied In the
Declaration of Independence. 1t is a
mastery condensation of the prin clples
of that greatest of statesmen, Thomas
| Jefferson.
| Ifit is worth while to consider the oh.
| lection to this conve ention which Is made
by the Republican press in the North
we have only to say that these are tht
objections: "The convention Is oompos-
ed of Bourbons." "The men who com
posed the convention and the candidate
named by 1t are rebels."
We do not propose to burden our CO.
, umns with the exact words, but thes
| quotations contain the actual import o
Republican criticism on the Democrat
| Convention held in Richmond on Thurs
4 day. As to the Charge that the CONVEX
e ton was composed OF "Bourbons," III
reproduction Of tue first article of the
political faith Is answer enough. Me
who favor equal rights for ali and ih
preservation of the General Cover
> ment, alter they have been fighting fe
e the overthrow of the Government, al
certainly not "Bour bons" In any sens
= OF the word. They have learned a gres
Il | deal.
10 But all the men composing the CONVEX
ton were rebels" That Is Another
j. the objections OF the Republican pres
n suppose the men composing that col
~ vention loere rebels. One Of them WI
so the son and another the nephew Of u
nj greatest rebel of all, Robert e. Lee. b
as The Hebrew prophet said when
he viewed the desolation OF his countr
oi "Shall the sword devour foreverW A
ter sixteen years of peace are only u
Mahones, the LoDgstreets aud the Nc
Dys to be received into the Union as re
No Union men? Let the Republic can pre-
nide Its head, or answer tbat question
)n fairly as 1t is put.--N. Y. Star.