The Russellville Democrat., 1882-03-09
A REPLY.
Editor Russeilville Democrat ::

questions in your issue of the Ssh ult., and also several other editori- als which seem to have grown out of the discussion. A departure from i the custom of ignoring almost every important issue, and permitting one supposed to differ widely from your self, to use your columns is com. mcndable, and I thank you for the opportunity.
 am glad that one man has told us. or attempted to tell us, what di- vides the two great parties.
 do not object to your lawyer like definisions, and conclude that you are nearly as good a greenbacker as myself, without being aware of it yourself; but that I am better dem ocrat than you are. Why? Because 1 never have, and never intend to vote for, or support, for any politi cal office, any man who is not TRUE DEMOCRAT at heart, ,thoughone may be justified in choosing the lesser evil by voting for the one the least o0 jectionable.
 Now, believe YOU have given YOUR honest opinions, but I do not concede that your opinions are the opinions of the leaders of the so call ed democratic party. Let us review the history of parties, party politics, and party POLICY, for the last twenty years. Let us do this candidly, with sincere desire to knov exactly what we are talking about. Let us discard prejudice and the silly idea that every politician in our party is an honest statesman and that every one in the opposite party is a knave, fool or thief. Let us nothing eX- Lenuate nor aught set down in mal- ice"
 Now for some of tue facts. In 1868 the democrats naminated Horatlo Seymour on a "greeDback plat form'-yes, on grecnback platform. Mr. Seymour is an honest man and q statesman. but assert that from that day to this the "party" has never nominated true, genuine dem ocrat, nor adopted a democratic plat. form, and even !n that nomination Mir. Blalr was but poor specimen of a democrat. No one ever claimed that the good old whig, abolishionist and tariffite, Horace Greeley, was a democrat. Mr. Tilden was one of those milionaires you speak of, who haI ri i.In 5,f h ~ r., the toiling democratic masscs,--a man who acquired his immense for tune by some means unknown to the millions who work in fields, shops and mines,-a man who will never endorse your views on bonds and banks. nor tariffs.
 The last bluuder was in taking for a candidate a burly West Pointer who repudiated the ONLY democratic plank in tue platform-"tarllf for revenue only"
 Sc much for can lidatPs and plat forms, now let us see what has been DONE in congress. In that famous extra session, with majorities in both houses, the whole session was wasted in passing bills for His Fraud ulency to veto. It was a useless fight over questions settled against us, right oT wrong. (Nothing done towards paying the bonds or wind ing up the banks.
 The democratic party had nothing to gam by such agitation at that time, for it was really but discuss ion of states rights, which with northern people means secession.
 But the party was hopelessly di vided on those very questions you claim as doctrines of the party, bonds, banks, tariffs etc, and they dared not discuss them, but united with the republicans and ignored ev erything but U. $. Marshals and "soldiers at the polls" Have you forgotten how democrats and repub. licans adjourned over from Saturday to Tuesday, for weeks, to prevent greenbackers and greenback demo crats from presenting bills and reso lutions on Monday, the only bill day in the week?
 If the democratic party is, and was, actually in favor of relieving the industries of the country from the enormous and infamous burdens imposed by the creation of bonded, untaxed aristocracy, why was so little done or attempted when the party was in majority in congress? The truth is, as look, at it, there IS no democracy east of Ohio. Nearly every member from the eastern states is doing his best for the grea banking, bondholding, manufactur. ing and speculating robbers of that section; and to day, Plumb and In. gols of Kansas, and Windom of Minnesota, are thousand times bet ter democrats, all but in name, than Bavard or Randall. It is well known that Bayard and most SO called east ern democrats, and even Lamar and Hampton. have always been opposed to the "Oho Idea" and that Lamar voted against the remonitization of silver.
 By their works shall ye know them" is scripture and good sound sense, and if the politicians who lead and control the parties, democratic and republican, are weighed in the bolorn, onI iulun1 bv thnir work .