Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-01-06
The Real Party Issue.

existence, the Democratic party finds
great difficulties. New issues, unsettled
questions, or questions which somebody
hopes are still unsettled, may be found
by the score. But none of them it DEM
ocratic capabilities and necessities. The
party cannot hope to gain anything, so
long as it continues to exist at all. by
any course which will drive off an i'm
portant part of its present adherents.
The reason is that the Republican party
Will not go to pieces, nor will any con-
siderable portion of its voters separate
from it, so long as the Democratic party
continues in existence, a perpetual men
ace. as it is and necessarily must be, to
loyal men and free government. Unable
to gain anything from that quarter to
compensate for the loss of votes which a
new course would involve, the Demo
cratic party is forced to remain in its
false and fatal position as mere aggre-
cation of negatives, block in the way
of everything, brake on the car of pro-
gress, a blind and mulish resistance to
every good work or healthy effort. That
any party should grow, holding such a
position, in this country, is out of the
question. The NEST that it can do is to
keep up resistance, make continual
fuss, and get beaten in every serious con-
test.
The Democratic party does not repre-
sent the majority in this country, either
in popular votes, in electoral votes, in
brains, or in influence. 1t succeeds in
polling nearly as many votes as the Re-
publican party only by fraudulent sup
preston of about 100000 votes at tine
South, and by fraudulent counting of
the votes that are cast. 1t succeeds in
carrying only three small Northern
States, by Insignificant pluralities, and
by means of an infamous forgery. 1t
has not a member of ordinary intelli-
gence who does not continually bewail
the astonishing lack of brains that char
aeterizes Democratic management 1t
has contrived to array against itself, in
yielding and uncompremising hostility,
most powerful combinations of capital
throughout the land, and leagues and
unions of workingmen numbering their
voters by the hundred thousand. And
yet it wants to live.
1t apperrs that at Washington the
opinion still prevails, in some quarters,
that the Democratic party may "ulti-
mately' succeed, because it can keep
the South solid, and will need little 9TH
er strength. The South it is said. is
growing faster than the North, because
the colOred race in a state of freedom
increases faster than the white race, and
interesting figures from the recent CEN
sus are given to establish that assertion.
When we ask what is to keep the South
solid, we are told, "the desire for decen-
tralizatiOn.' Nowhere else in this coun-
try-it might almost be said, nowhere
else on this eaIth-is political power so
centralized as at the South. Yet the
voters of that section are supposed to be
passionately opposed to Capitalization of
power. In plain truth, the South is uni
ted in nothing except to hostility to the
Constitution of the United States as it
is, in its true intent and meaning, and
to the laws made in pursuance thereof.
What is called desire for "decentraliza-
tion' is simply disloyalty. 1t is de-
sire to cripple the United States Govern
ment and break down it's power, so that
its authority can be resisted with impu-
nifty. What the South really wants, and
the only thing thus far for which it is
solid, is to get the power of the United
States into such hands, or so emasculated
that it shall be utterly unable to protect
any of its citizens in demanding equal
rights, free elections, or fair count.
Whether the South will remain solid
for such an object remains to be seen.
Some of its leading men know that a
more suicidal course cannot be proposed.
They see that the North perfectly appre-
ciates the real and only reason for
Southern solidity, knows that the intent
is hostile to the Constitution and the =
laws, and realizes that, if the South re-
mains solid at all, it does so because it
remains disloyal. Hence, so long as
there is Solid South there will be
Solid North to resist and overpOwer it,
to uphold the spirit and intent OF the
Constitution, and to enforce the laws.
Against this barrier the angry waves OF
Southern resistance will break in vain
When the South gets tired of being
beaten, and hungry for material pros
perity, it will cease to be solid. How
long hence that will be, Southern men
must decide for themselves.
Meanwhile, the real issue between the
two parties does not need to be searched
for, cannot be manufactured, and will
not be hidden. The Republican party
means to have enforcement of the laws
and loyalty to the Constitution; equal
rights, free ballot, and fair count for
all. The Democratic party resists, re-
fuses to obey the laws, is dislOyal to the
Constitution, and wants the Government
so "decentraliZed' that any raScally
judge of elections in Alabama, or any
brutal mob in Louisiana, can set it at
defiance with impunity.-N n. Y. Tribune.
A MONUMENT to the memory of Gen
Phil. Kearney was unveiled Tuesday of
last week, at Newark, n. J. A large
coneourse of people were present.
Among the distinguished guests were
Gems. Grant, Sherman and Mcclellan.
The address was delivered by Hon.