The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-10-01
Good Reading ut this Juncture.

The recent Presidential election has
shown that there is an invincible reason
why the Democratic party can never
win a National victory. II 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 textbook. 1t is 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
Enion could not have been carried to a
successful close without the aid Of the
Democratic party. 1t is idle for philan-
thropy to suggest that the attitude of
that party toward the war in the begin
ming was humane one; that it was 10
spired 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
slaveholding. The Republican party is
really 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 q National victory.
The old men are dying away. The
poys that catch the ballots that fall from
their stitlened 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 insigniii.
cant beside this one tremendous and
nvincible fact. The curse Of slavery
has poisoned the blood and rot.ed the
bone of the Democratic party. The
malcdiction OF the war has palsied its
brain. The young wife who held the
babe mp to kiss the father rs 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 Dem
ocrats. The chair that the soldier
father never came back to I'll has not
been climbed upon By Democrats.
The old blue coat that his comrades
carried back was cut uD for little jack
cts, but not one covered the heart of a
Democrat. The ratified musket that
fell from him with his last shot became
the thoughtless toy of his boys; bW
not hand that played with it was the
hand of Democrat. The babe he
kissed crowed and crowed for his re-
turn, and its unwitting and unanswer-
able notes were not from the throat Of
q 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 emocratic ears. The !ir's' sobs.
blrni'ng with the mothers wrrp.ng,
dill no, make Democrats OF their broth
ers Perhaps the father has been \
Democrat al his lie!
Tue children 60 to school. There is
not a Democrat on its benches. The
| fiat raader contains the nnrtrait of
Abraham Lincoln that kind and sturdy
face never made q Democrat. On its
simple pages, in words Of one or two
syllables, Is told the story OF his birth
and death. That story never m.de 4
Democrat. In the pranks Of the play
ground the name silences the lroicsome
and makes the iollieSt grave. The name
never made Democrat. In the pict-
ures that light up the geography are the
firing of Fort Sumter and the death Of
Ellsworth. Those pictures make no
Democrats. The first page Of the his
tory contains representation Of the
surrender Of Lee at Appomattox. No
boy gazes on that and ever after avows
himself a 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 narrative has no Democratic listen
ers. The strain OF martial music runs
through the readers, and that music
makes no Democrats. Sketches Of the
great Generals are given; the brave deeds
arouse the enthusiasm Of the lads, but
there Is no Democrat among them.
The horrors and sufiierings Of the slaves
are told the maddened blood that
mounts the boys cheeks is not Demo-
cratic blood The curse Of slavery has
pursued the Democratic party, and has
bounded IL TO its death. Therefore. let
il die; and no lip will be found to say a
prayer over the grass on its grave.
The late defeat need not be attrib-
uted to any other causes. Other causes
were at work, but they were only incl
dental The tariff was one. Section
alism was second. "Let well enough
alone" was third. The October
failure in Indiana was fourth. But
all these we're trivial, and together
] could not have accomplished the result.
The result was accomplished because
the youths Of the country are not Dem.
ocratic. That party is, therefore, with.
out II future, and without hope. The
maledicton of the war has palsied Ia
brain. The curse Of slavery has poisoned
It's blood and rotted its bone. Let 1t die.
-Chic1go Tunes, November, 1880.
A Curious Claim.
IN.Y Evening Postl
A curious claim pending in the Pension
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