The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-05-03
An Evil Party.

Without an exception, by q tendency
as fatal as death, the Democratic party
invariably gets on the wrong side of
every great public question. When, in
1850, it became evident that the strug-
gle was between African slavery and
the Government, the Democracy shoul-
dered slavery. That split the party, but
its brains and organization went with
the South. When the contest eventu-
ated in rebellion the party took sides
with treason. The better elements have
endeavored to shake of the memory,
to rid themselves of the body of death
then tied about its neck, but without
avail. In ali the questions developed
out of the war the Democratic party
has ever been upon the wrong side. 1t
fought the constitutional amendments,
it fought the restoration of sound cur
rency, it fought the laws for conserva-
tion of equal rights, and wherever it
had the power it has used it to dis
criminate against the negro and to null
hfy, so far as possible, the results grow
ing out of the arbitrament of arms, to
which the South unsuccessfully ap-
pealed its cause. In the State of Ken
lucky the Democratic Legislature passed
law putting a poll tax upon colored
people for the purpose of creating a
revenue for the education of colored
children, thus compelling the colored
taxpayer not only to pay his proportion
ate share of the general tax out of which
the white children were educated, but
compelled them, as well, to psy special
ly for the education of their own chill
dren. Judge Baxter, of the United
States Circuit Court, has Just decided
this law to be unconstitutional, and the
common-school system of Kentucky is
thrown into confusion. The Democratic
Legislature has declined to pass bill
bearing equally in its provisions upon
all classes of people, and there is every
Indication of chaos in the educational
system of the entire State, simply be-
cause of race prejudice against the ne
gro. In Indiana the Democratic party
overthrow the Common-School law and
| closed the doors of all the public school
houses in the cities of the State. In
South Carolina to-day the Democratic
State government is in opposition to the
National authority on the Federal Elec-
ton laws which seek to prevent such
frauds and crimes as have for years dis
graced not only the Palmetto State, but
nearly every other of the Southern
States, and made suffrage a mockery, if
not curse. The Democratic party has
placed itself in the wrong upon the po-
! fygamy question. So far as it was at all
prudent its Congressional representatives
have arrayed themselves against remedial
Legislation, and its principal National
organs are now decrying the Edmunds
bill, declaring it to be an invasion of
the constitutional rights of a set of law
defying, bestial criminals. The Demo
cratic party naturally allies itself with
all the agencies and tendencies in soci-
ETY. which cause social disorder, increase
criminal and pauper expenses, enhance
the cost of government, depreciate the
value of property, repress the spirit OF
enterprise and development, retard inn
provement, cripple business, reduce the
wages of the laboring man, make Gv-
/ ing dearer, and the comforts of life few
er and more precarious. If, within the
past third of century, a single impor-
tant issue can be named upon which
the Democratic party has taken the
right side, the side of the people. the
side of honest, pure, economical gov
ernment, we would like to have it
named. The tendency of the party is
in the wrong direction. and the Repub-
lican party can make nothing by follow
ing it into the shadowy border land,
where the distinctions separating the
two great political organizations will
become comparatively indistinct. Not
in that course lies the road to victory
indianapolis Journal.