Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-08-06
" LET 1T DIE -,
Ihe Democratic Party Never Can and
Never Ought to Win Another National
Victory.

IRON the Cn1cago Times Dem. J Nov. 1891
The recent presidential election has
shown that there is an invincible reason
why the Democratic party can never
win national victory. It 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
Republicans; and slavery and the war
will be remembered as long as the
public school system exists. The public
schools have slain the Democratic party
with the textbooks. It is in vain for
statesmen to declare that there were as
many Democrats as Republicans in the
Union army. 1t is vain to affirm that
the war for the preservation of the
Union could not have been carried to a
successful close without the aid
of the Democratic party. It is
idle for philanthropy to suggest
that the attitude of that party toward
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 peaceably removed,
and the spi[ling of brothers blood by
brothers hands avoided. The Demo
cratic party has been ideally identified
with slavery and slaveholding. The
Republican party is ideally identified
with emancipation and the war. There
fore are the youths of the country in
capable of being Democratic. There
fore the Democratic party can never
win a national victory. It's old men are
dying away. The boys who catch the
ballots that fall from their stifened
hands are Republicans. This fact can
not 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 be-
side this one tremendous and in
vincible fact. The curse of slavery has
poisoned the blood and rotted the bone
of the Democratic party. The maledic-
ton of the war has palsied it's 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 climbed
upon by Democrats. The old blue coat
that his comrades carried back was cut
up for little jackets, but net one covered
the heart of Democrat. The ratified
musket that fell from him with his last
shot became the thoughtless toys of his
boys; but not hand that played with
it was the hand of Democrat. The
babe he kissed crowed and crowed for
his return and It's unwilling and unan-
swered 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 weeping, did not make
Democrats of their brothers. Perhaps
the father had been a Democrat all his
lifel
The children go to school. There is
not Democrat on it's benches. The
first reader contains the portrait of
Abraham Lincoln-that kind and sturdy
face never made Democrat. On it's
simple pages, in words of one or two
syllables, is told the story of his birth
and death. That story never made
Democrat. In the FRANKS of the play
ground the name silences the froicsome
and makes the jolliest grave. The name
never made Democrat. In the pict-
ures that light up the geography are
the firing on Fort Sumter and the
death of Ellsworth. Those pictures
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 after
avows himself Democrat.
In the higher grades the same subtle
and unresisted influence is at work
The textbook contains extracts from
patriots speeches during the war. Those
speeches make no Democrats. The great
battles are briefly described; the narra-
tive has no Democratic listeners. The
strain of martial music runs through
the readers, and that music makes no
Democrats. Sketches of the great gen
erals are given; the brave deeds arouse
the enthusiasm of the lads, but there is
no Democrat among them. The hor-
rors and suferings of the slaves are told;
the maddened blood that mounts the
boys cheeks is not Democratic blood.
The curse of slavery has pursued the
Democratic party, and bounded it to
death. Therefore let it die; and no lip
will be found TO say prayer over the
grass on its grave.
The late defeat need not be attribut-
ed to any other causes. Other causes
were at work, but they were only Incl
dental. The tariff was one. Sectional
ism was a second. "Let well enough
alone" was a third. The October fail
ure in Indiana was a fourth. But all
these were trivial, and together could
not have accomplished the result The
result was accomplished because the
youths of the Republic are not Demo
cratic. That party is therefore without
a future and without hope. The male
diction of the war has palsied its
brain. The curse of slavery has poi
soned it's blood and rotted its home.