National Republican., 1883-09-12

OF the blood of tho soldiers of the union.
The fate of tho confederacy was decided at
the ballot boxes in November 1864. The de-
mocracy fought and lost the decisive battle of
the rebellion on that day. A democratic sue.
cess would have ended the war upon terms
dictated by Davis and Lee.
Upon the collapse of therebelliont the follow
ing spring the northern democracy continued
to be simply an annex to those Of the confed-
crates who were impractical enough to suppose
that they could by such aid rule the country
they had failed to odismember. Indeed the ex-
istence ofsuch party at the north, filed with
intense bitterness toward the government
simply because it was in republican hands, was
probably the sole cause for the formation of
the party in the south bent upon ignoring tho
results Of the war. But for northern demo-
cratic scalawagism, there would have been no
considerable southern bourbonism.
Tho assassination of Lincoln and the
course pursued by his successor gave the do
mocracy the administration of tho federal
government for the four years Immediately
following the war, and they improved the
opportunity as became them. A large pro.
portion of the federal officers who had been
appointed by Mr.. Lincoln were badgered into
the service of the bourbon cause of the south,
or into resignation. Those whose appoint.
ment was dependent upon the president.
without tho consent of the senate, were
mere political slaves, driven to their tasks
like field hands, and were finally degraded
and humiliated by being huddled to-
gether in a grand round up, better known
as the bread and butter national johnson
party thus organized bent all its internal
energies toward the prevention of the protec-
tion of the emancipated blacks. Tho southern
states were turned over to the moro violent
and implacable Of their people. with an in
junction by the President to defeat tho ff-
teenth amendment to tho constitution then
pending before the states. That amendment
which merely guarantees equal civil rights,
and which every democrat now pretends fl
deity to, was opposed then by the democrats
north and south with as much ferocity and
avowed hatred of the negro as was exhibited
later against comforting upon him tho right
to vote
the black friends of the union was less the
result of race prejudice than of bitter hos
tility to the cause itself. This was made
evident by the equally fierce attack made on
the creditors of the government whose faith
in its power had induced them to loan the
money with which tho war had been carried
negroes, and were known only MS "bloated
bondholders," whose pockets must be rified of
the profits they had made through their
willingness to trust their fortunes OH the re-
suit of the war.
Was not this democracy from 1865 to 1869 I?
What has it been since but continued re-
sistance to the DEGREES of fate and to tho
amendments to the constitution? It has not
had and has not now pulsation that was not
born of hatred of all that the American peo-
pie have done as a nation since 1861. l9r b..
The democracy went down in 1863, not
withstandng its possession, through assassina-
ton, of all the power of federal patronage
aud plunder, and despite the theft of the eject
oral vote Of New York through the crimes OF
the Tweed machine, aftorward abundantly
proven and confessed by Tweed himself
During the five years following the in.
auguratiou of Grant tho exploits of
the democracy were confined to the southern
states, where the property class, acting under
northern democratic inspiration, had refused
to participate in reconstruction in order that
carpetbag leadership might serve as an ex-
cuse forwhatevor violence might be necessary
for its overthrow. The southern white people
could have made carpet bag rule impossible
had they not listened TO their old tempters,
tho northern democrats, for they could have
honestly prevailed in every election in the
south under the reconstruction act. II
was only because they abstained from
voting, and refused to counsel and
direct the ex-slaves, that the northern men
just located among them wero enabled tc
take the lead of tho negro. What woe ought
to be pronounced against the 6re-eating dem.
agogues who first made Mr.. Lineolns election
possible by dividing the democratic party fol-
the purpose of preciphating civil war; and
on the northern democratic demagogues who
made secession possible by promising thai
they would prevent any resistance to it by
the north2 And what additional woe should
be pronounced against the now crop of north
ern demagOgues who would not let the war
end with Lees surrender, but kept the south
ern people heated and excited will
false hopes that they could win by
political Inaneuvring what they had lost il
!. the field. Aud thesv are tho mon who tall
about turning the rascals out, in order thai
they may again confuse and debauch tn,