The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-09-05
The Mule i'm Politics.

The remark of Mr.. Horace White at
the Golden Club celebration at Green
witch, that 1.-The Democrats would not
do anything heroic,' was one of those
small chunks of hard sense which the
sparing and sententious cable corre-
spondentS occasionally hurl across the
Atlantic. Taken as the reporter gave
it, apart from its immediate context,
the observation struck US as an axiom
attic truth hardly TO be looked for, per-
haps, at whitehall dinner, but all the
more impressive from its isolation and
unexpectedness The Democrats will
not do anything heroic. They lost the
capacity for doing anything at all twen-
ty odd years ago when they ceased to
act upon political principle, and instead
of pursuing apolicy of government gave
themselves up 10 the thirst for admin
isteFing Office. Before 1861 the Demo-
cratic party had a policy. 1t was
mischievous and shameful policy; but
at least it was one in which m4n could
believe; it was an animating principle
with sincere but mistaken voters; and
if we admit that there can be heroism
in the support of bad cause, it did
lead the party to heroic disaster. But
since that catastrophe the Democracy
has been politically impotent; and the
reason is obvious.
While the maintenance of slavery was
National issue tine Democratic party
was directed entirely ny its Southern
wing. In the South there was a gen.
uine political purpose, sustained by
strong convictions, and followed with
extraordinary persistence and energy.
Theories of society and government
were cherished there with a fervor like
that of religious belief, and were even
erected into standards of moral right
That the principles of these proud, pas
sionate and domineering Southern Dem
ocrats were absurd, is true enough;
none the less they were an effective po-
litical force; they created a school of
statesmen who entered public life not
merely from a vulgar desire to advance
their personal interests. but also with
an honest ambition 10 advance the in
terests of their section; and when the
crisis came these men proved capable
of sacrificing to their mistaken ideas
their lives, their fortunes, and we will
not say their sacred honor. They had a
cause to fight for. The men who served
them at the North had none. The
Northern Democrat could not pretend
to admire slavery, or to wish for its ex-
tension. or to believe that in his section
it would be anything but disgrace and
curse. Far from directing his politi-
cal conduct by principles, either false
or true, his action in politics was neces-
sarily in opposition to the principles
which he must avow. ii he avowed any
at all, and the public interests which he
knew to be those of his State. He was
not guided by convictions but by appe-
tites. He acted with the South, not be-
cause he believed its doctrines or liked
its practices, or had any common cause
with it, but because by its help he could
get office and salary. To put the case
in brutal English, he was not an ally
but hired servant. The South furn-
ished all the principle, policy, intelli-
gence and moral purpose; the North
voted according to instructions, and
took its pay in offices.
The war brought about a different
state of things. The old relation of
Southern master and Northern servant
has been dissolved, and there is now,
what there never was under the old
order, an equal alliance of parties, both
destitute of an ineligible political OBJ
ject. On the one hand we have the de-
feated Confederate, cling'ng with an
honorable and almost pathetic con-
stancy to the shadow of sectional inter-
ests whose substance has departed, and
offering, with foolish yet with chivalric
-abnegation, to accept any leader
| the North may select for him, and pro-
fess any creed, political or economical,
which the North may deem expedient.
On the other hand-well, to what sort
of politician has the spirited South
erner been mated? 1t is not too much
to say that the type of the Northern
| Democracy can be found nowhere but
in Tammany Hall. More than once
that organization is supposed to have
| decided National issues, and If political
| prophets are not wTGng. it j. to be a
controlling influence in the next Presi-
dental campaign. The alliance out of
which the new Democracy springs
is between the impoverished aristo-
crat-a little too pompouS, n little
| too fiery, n little too proud of his birth
and connections, but high-m uded and
sincere-and the blatherskite Of the rum
shops, with narrow mind and spacious
features, who never lad Il o'tical idea
in his life, nor an impulse that was not
| vulgar.
The progeny of such an unnatural
connection between those who have lost
| their cause and those WHO never had
one, can only be what Mr.. Disraeli once
called ''the mule in politics, which en-
genders nothing" Industrious agents
of professional candidates may labor
over ingenious combinations, bat Re-
publicans can afford to watch the strug-
| gle OF personal interests VITA serenity.
No matter who may lead the Demo
cratic party, it will only he barren
and unhappy union o: :ncompat bic
partners, incapable of harmonious pur-
poses or political aims; and we have not
so mean an opinion of our countrymen
as to believe that party without pol
icy can govern the United States.-M
Y. ITTGItne.