The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-06-06
A Useful Hint to the Democracy.

An exchange very correctly informs
the Democratic papers that their conf
dent talk of a great victory of their
party in 1884 is but the repetition OF
their predictions of every Presidential
election for the last twenty years, and
tells them that such talk will never elect
a President. And the same paper gives
the Democratic party a useful hint,
namely: If it will merely cure itself of
its chronic habit Of blundering, secure
harmony on at least two of the vital
questions in National politics, convince
the country that the Democrats have
greater capacity to govern than the Re
publicans, and that the business of the
country would be safer in their hands
than in the hands of the Republicans,
they will have no great trouble in elect
ing the President. g.
There are great difficulties embodied
in this hint, no doubt; and yet it states,
in substance and form, the price and
condition of Democratic success. The
want of confidence on the side of the
people is its greatest weakness, while
the faith of the people in the ability and
integrity of the Republican party is its
greatest strength. The blessings which
the latter has conferred on the country
are as astonishing as its career has been
unprecedented and brilliant. May be
those who would attempt to recite the
history of its achievements will differ in
their estimate of the effect of its emf
nent services upon the progress and de-
yelopment of the country; but all will
agree that the overthrow of the slave
holders rebellion and the emancipation
of the slaves were the most far-reaching
in their consequences. These two events
will always form a crown of glory for
the Republican party. After that come
reconstruction, the maintenance of the
public credit, the rapid payment of the
National debt and the reduction of the
current rate of interest. The financial
policy of the party is indeed wonder
full one, and to-day forms a subject of
admiration for countries who are yainly
endeavoring to reach equally successful
results. Many things the party has
done, and the student of political liberty
finds it difficult to tell which of these
great feats of craftsmanship and legisla-
ton resulted in the greatest good to the
greatest number. And he will, also on
close investigation find that the Repub-
lican party has always been the party of
the people, which fact, is probably its
greatest claim on popular confidence.
From first to last, in victory and defeat,
in peace and war, through good and
evil report, it's one steady object has
been to promote the general welfare.
From the day of its foundation
to the present time, it has never
been inspired by principle or a
policy, except to benefit the masses.
No National Republican Convention
has ever met that could not consistently
adopt the preamble of the United States
Constitution as the preface to its plat
form: .'We, the people of the United
States, in order to form a more perfect
union, establish justice, insure domestic
tranquility, provide for the common de-
fense, promote the general welfare and
secure the blessings of liberty to our
selves and our posterity, do ordainn and
promote this political creed. 1t formed
a more perfect union by striking down
secession, it established justice by free
ing and enfranchising the slaves and
giving them equality before the law; il
insured domestic tranquility by nation
alizing the Federal Government; it pro
vided for the common defense by de-
monstrating how speedily armies canbe
enlisted, equipped and drilled, and it
has promoted the general welfare in
many ways. These are the Republican
merits against the Democratic claims
Burlington Has1keye. 'a7sl1.i,s