Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-09-25
"Let 1t Die!o

The Democratic party has always
conducted its campaigns on the theory
that anything and everything lis fan
in politics" Hence, their party organs
resort to SANDER and falsehood in, wha,
of late years have proved, vain at.
tempts to get back into power. The
canvass over, some of them are frank
enough and honest enough to tell the
truth. AS an instance of the kind, we
call the attention OF our readers, and
especially the young men, who know
nothing of the record of the Democrat.
ic party of twenty years ago, except
from heresay, to the following frank
article, which appeared as a leading ed.
itorial in the Chicago Times, Demo.
cratic organ) of Nov. Z, 1880, when the
election returns had shown that the old
pro-slavery, states-rights Democratic
party was again overwhelmed with de-
feat:
The recent Presidential election has
shown that there is an invincible reason
why the Democratic party can never
win National victory. 1t is that the
youths of this Republic are not Demo-
cratic. The sons of Democratic fathers
have grown up Republicans. So long
as slavery and the war linger within the
memory of Americans the youths of the
Republic will continue to grow up Re-
publicans; and slavery and War will be
remembered as long as the public-school
system exists.
The public schools have slain the
Democratic party with the textbooks.
1t is vain for statesmen to declare that
there were as many Democrats as Re-
publicans in the Union army. 1t IS
vain to affirm that the war for the
preservation of the Union could not be
carried to a successful close without the
aid of the Democratic party. 1t is idle
for philanthropy to suggest that the
attitude of that party towards the War
in the beginning was humane one;
that it was inspired by the higher and
better wish that the cause of the conflict
should be peacefully removed, and the
splitting of brothers blood by brothers.
hands avoided. The Democratic party
has been ideally identified with slavery
and slaveholding. The Republican party
is ideally identified with emancipation
and the War. Therefore are the youths of
the country incapable of being Demo-
cratic. Therefore the Democratic party
can never win National victory. Its
old men are dying away.
The boys VINO catch the ballots that
fall from their stiffened hands are Re-
publicans. This fact cannot be denied.
1t will do no good to quarrel with it.
All other causes which have operated
to diminish the number of Democrats
and increase the number of Republicans
are insignificant beside this one tire.
mendous and invincible fact. The
curse of slavery has poisoned the blood
and rotted the bone of the Democratic
party. The malediction of the War has
palsed its brain.
The young wife who held the babe up
to kiss the father as he hurried to the
tap of his departing regiment has not
sucked Democrat The weary foot
of the gray grandmother who watched
the children while the wife was busy
has not rocked the cradle of Democrats.
The chair that the soldier father never
came back to fill has not been climed
upon by Democrats. The old blue coat
that his comrades carried back was cut
up for little jackets, but not one covered
the heart of Democrat. The ratified
musket that fell from him with his last
shot became the thoughtless toy of his
boys; but not hand that played with
| it was the hand of a Democrat. The
babe he kissed crowed and crowed for
his return, and its unwilling and IN
answered notes were not from the
throat of Democrat. The tear-soiled
camp letters which the mother read
aloud in the long, bitter evenings, while
the boys clustered at her knees, did not
fall upon Democratic ears. The girls
sobs, blending with the mothers weep
ing. did not make Democrats out OF
their brothers. Perhaps the father had
been n Democrat all his life
The children go to school. There is
not Democrat on its benches. The
first reader contains the portrait OF
Abraham Lincoln that kind and sturdy
face never made Democrat. On its
simple pages, in words of one or two
syllables, is told the story of his birth
and death. That story never made q
Democrat. In the pranks of the play
ground the name silences the frolic-
some and makes the jolliest grave
The name never made q Democrat. In
the pictures that light up the geography
are the firing on Fort Sumter and the
death of Ellsworth. Those picture:
make no Democrats. The first page Of
the history contains representation OF
the surrender of Lee at Appomattox
No boy gazes on that and ever aftel
avows himself Democrat.
In the higher grades the same subtl,
and unresisted influence is at work
The textbook contains extracts from
patriots speech during the war. Thos,
) speeches make no Democrats. Tn,
great battles are briefly described; tn,
, narrative has no Democratic listeners
The strain of martial music run
; through the readers, and that music
makes no Democrats. Sketches of tn,
great generals are given; the brav,
deeds arouse the enthusiasm of the lads
but there is no Democrat among them
The horrors and sufferings of the slave
are told; the maddened blood tina
mounts the boys cheeks is not Demo
cratic blood. The curse of slavery ha
pursued the Democratic party. and ha
I bounded it to its death. Therefore, lie
4 it die; and no lip will be found to say
/ prayer over the grass on its grave.
, The late defeat need not be attribute,
: to any other causes. Other cause
i were at work, but they were only Incl
e dental. The tariff was one. Sectional
ism was second. Let well enoug
alone" was third. The October fail
= ure in Indiana was a fourth. But a
: these were trivial, and together coul
: not have accomplished the result. Tn
/. result was accomplished because th
youths of the Republic are not Demo
cratic. That party is,therefore, withou
a future and without a hope. The ma
ediction of the war has palsied il
brain. The curse of slavery has po
soned its blood and rotted its bone. LIE
d it die.