The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-09-17
"LET 1T DEF.
The Democratic Party Never Can and
Never Ought to Win Another
National Victory.

lFrom the Chicago Times, Dem.) Now, lSs0.l
The recent presidential election has
shown that there is an invincible reason
why the Democratic party can never win
a national victory. 1t is that the youths Of
this republic are not Democratic. The
sons of Democratic fathers have grown up
Republicans. So long as slavery and the
war linger within the memory of Ameri.
cans, the youths of the republic will con.
tinue 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 text books. 1t is In vain
for statesmen TO declare that there were as
many Democrats as Republicans in the
Union army. il is vain to affirm that the
war for the preservation Of the Union
could not have been carried to a success
ful close without the aid of the Democratic
party. 1t is idle for philanthropy to sug.
gest that the attitude of the 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
spilling of brothers blood by brothers
hands avoided. The Democratic party
has been ideally identified with slavery
and slayeholding. The Republican party
is ideally identified with emancipation
and the war. Therefore are the youths of
the country incapable Of being Democratic.
Therefore the Democratic party can never
win national victory. It's old men are
dying away. The boys who catch the
ballots that fall from their stiffened hands
are Republicans. This fact cannot be
denied. II will do no good to quarrel
with il. All other causes which have
operated TO diminish the number of Demo.
Gratis and increase the number of Repub.
licans are Insignificant beside this one
tremendous 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
palsied its brain. The young wife who
held the babe up to kiss the father as he
hurried to the tap of his departing regi
ment has not sucked a Democrat. The
weary foot OF the gray grandmother who
watched the children while the wife was
busy, has not rocked the cradle of Demo.
Gratis.
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 jsckets, but not one covered the
heart Of Democrat. The ratified musket
that fell from him at his last shot became
the thoyghtless toy Of his boys; but not a
hand tnat played with 1t was the hand of
a Democrat The babe he kissed crowed
and crowed for his return, and ITS unwit.
ting and unanswered 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, blended
with the mothers weeping, die not make
Democrats of their brothers Perhaps the
father had been Democrat all his liiel
The children go to school. There L.
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 a Democrat. In the
pranks of the school-gro6nd the name
silences the irolicsome and makes the
jolliest, grave. The name never made a
Democrat. In the pictures that light up
the geography are the firing on Fort Sum.
ter and the death of Ellsworth. Those
make no Democrats The first page of
the history contains representation OF
Lees surrender at Appomattox. No boy
gazes on that and ever after avows him.
self Democrat
In the higher grades the same subtle and |
unresisted influence is at work. The text. |
books contain extracts from patriots
speeches during the war. Those speeches
make no Democrats. The great battles
are briefly described; the narrative has no
Democratic listeners. The strain of mar.
Iial music runs through the readers, and
hat music makes no Democrats. Sketches
'i the great generals are given; the brave