Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-04-26
A Word to Democrats.

! chicago sentinel
We have a word to say to democrats
and inasmuch rs we are not behind
the-do0r, Chew-your.ear sort of person
we propose to talk. right out loud sc
that all can hcat.
In the year 1860, what is known as
the democratic party went out of power
You had become corrupt, rotten, de.
based, debauched, arrogant. oycrbear'
ing, tyrannical, mean, coutemptible
you were in fact as mean and corrupt
as the present republican party-and
that is the strongest language we can
possibly use.
From Jacksonian party Of the pco'
pie You had descended TO dn Office
seekers party, 4 shareholders party,
Il moncy-powcr's party. You packed
courts, you blibcd jurirs, you plundcred
treasures, YOU corrupted the ballot
box. You were no longer fiji TO hold
the leigns Of government, and in 1866
an uprising of the people dethroned
you.
That portion of the country which
constituted the stronghold Of dpmOc'
racy rebelled against the government
but for that we charge up nothing
against you, because we believe in the
divine right of rebellion. The rebel
lion was Il wicked one, and as q boy we
shouldercd Il muSkct and helped put it
dCwn-but yet we repeat that the
south had n perfect right to appeal to
that last resort, the arbitrament Of arms.
Gu" fOrcfathcrS were rebels; we believe
in rebels; we glory in rcbcllions; they
purify politics as thunder storms puri-
fy the atmosphere; rebels are never
slaves; rebels have nerve and pluck,
and are lovers of liberty. Again we
will not fling in your faces the charge
that the dominant faction ofyour party
were secessionlSts and rebels. In fact
we do not forget that the northern
d mocracy did rs much to put down
the rebellion as the republican party.
There were as many democratic boys in
blue as there were republican.
But since the war, what have you
been?
You have been trimmcrs, ollicG-scck.
crs, political huckstcrs and towards.
You have been hard-money here and
soft-mOncy there;
You have been high-tartl in the east
and free trade in tie west;
You have nominated monOpoliStS on
anti-monopoly platforms;
Nn,, bnt.. h.,,, g., ..vnf,,,, - utl got
wherever you have had control You
have been as rapacious Il horde Of
plundererS as ever lived;
Your votes have helped greedy bond
holders plundcra taX-burdened people
as no other nation was ever plundered;
Your votes helped 10 dcmonctize
silver and re-charter the national
banks:
You lent u willing hand in the dam
nable scheme of rObbiug industry to
enrich shy locks and fund-holderS;
You have been ready to do anything
to get into office, to once more obtain
supremacy in politics.
Instead of being what your name i'm
plies, party of the people, there has
been nothing that you would not stoop
to do in order TO gain your ends.
As an organization You are no long
cr fit TO have an existence.
You are as unfit to take control of
the government rs the devil himself is
to be superintendent of a sabbath
school.
1t would be an everlasting disgrace
to the country if YOU should ever again
become the ruling power in American
politics.
Your rank and file are good, honest,
patriotic, liberty.loving men-but your
leaders are rs corrupt as he'll itself.
They are boon companions of the lead
ers of the republican party. They are
all oil the same piece,
So much for what you have been,
and what You are.
What of the future?
What are your prospects?
Here and there brave little band of
pioneer grccnbackers have gone forth
like David of old and slain the rcpubl-
can GOliah of corruption-and you,
like the hyenas and iackalS of the
battlefield, have skunk in the rear
ready to feed upon the carcass,
In Maine, in Michigan, in Iowa, in
Illinois, in Wisconsin and in other
places, for a quarter of Il century you
have had just barely life enough 10
stand up and be kicked by the repubIi-
cans. And even when the greenback-
ers have stepped to the front, YOU have
Tdiculcd, bclittled and abused them
TIN by main strength they have pulled
yon along with them, and then YOU
have had the sneaking impudence to
shout democratic victory and at
once begin to plan and intrigue to III,
vert the results to the benefit of the
democratic party.
This Is particularly true of Maine,
Michigan and Iowa. After these states
were revolutionized by greenback work
YOU have been contemplate enough to
betrHy and slaughter greenbackers in
cold blood. More than a dozen green
hackers might have been sent to con-
gress from these three states alone
last fall in place of republicans had il
not been for the base troachery, the
malicious cussedness, the unuttcrablc
stupidity of democratic managers and
leaders.
But the greenbackers are learning
lessons.
They will develop the ability to or
ganize as well as to educate.
While you may temporarily steal the
thunder and mislead the recruits of the
greenback party, the time is coming
when you will have to confront that
party as your principle opponent-and
greenbackism will be the rock upon
which our old hulk will at last founder
and 90 down beneath the waves of de-
served oblivion. The spirit of genuine
democracy has passed out of your or
ganization and passed into the ranks of
the greenbackers.
The greenbackers have become the
true diciples of Jefferson; they are the
exponents of Jeffersonian democracy.
For time you will revel in the
"spoils of office" but for short time
only. You will win victories, not be-
cause the people believe in the demo-
cratic party, but because they have
lost confidence in the republican party.
You have lost your golden oppor-
tunity.
The chance has been presented to
you time and again within the last few
years to espouse the cause of the peo-
Pile and wrest the government from the
hands OF harpies and corruptionists,
'ut you have been too stupid, too dull,
90 dead to do it.
You have failed.
Yo,, will ,,,;, r.. . ,... l,,,l