The Republican journal., 1884-09-18
Why the Democratic Party cannot be
Successful.
THE YOUTH OF THE REBUBLIC Is NOT DEMO-

| THE YOUTH OF THE REBUBLIC Is NOT DEMO-
CRATIC.
Shortly after the election of 1880. the Chica-
go Times, an independent Democratic paper,
published the following:
| The recent Presidential! election has shown
that there is an invincible reason why the Dem
ocratlc party can never win national victory.
1t is that the youth of this republic is not Dem
ocratlc The sons of Democratic fathers have
grown up Republicans.
So long as slavery and war linger within the
memory of Americans, the youth of the Repub-
lie Will continue to grow up Republicans; 3;
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 text books.
1t is vain for statesmen to declare that there
We're 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 successful close without
the assistance of the Democratic party. 1t is
IDLE for philanthropy to suggest that the atti-
tude of that party toward the war in the begin
ming was humane one; that it was inspired by
the higher and better wish that the cause of the
con1llct should be peaceably removed, and the
spllllng of brothers blood by brothers hands
be avoided. The Democratic party has been
Ideally identified with slavery and sayehold
ing The Republican party is ideally identiti-
ed with emancipation and the war. Therefore
Is the youth of this country incapable of being
Democratic. Therefore the Democratic party
can never win a national victory. Its Old men
are dying away. The boys who catch the bal
lots that fall from their stiffened hands are Re-
pubcans.
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 Dem
ocrats and increase the number of Republicans
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 pal>ied its brain.
The young wife who held the babe up to kiss
the father as he hurried to the tap of his depart
ing regiment 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 Democrats. 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 up for little jackets, but not one in
closed the heart of Il democrat. The ratified
musket that fell from him with his last shot
became the thoughtless toy of his boys; but not
a hand that PLAYED with it was the hand of
Democrat. The babe he kissed crowed and
crowcd for his return, and its unwilling and
unanswered notes We're 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
So5s, blending with the mothers weeping, did
not make Democrats of their brothers. Per-
haps the father had been Il Democrat all his
life.
The children 90 to school. There is not
Democrat on its benches. The first reader con
tains the portrait of Abraham Lincoln-hat
KIND and sturdy face never made a Democrat.
On its simple pages, in words of one or two
sylabes, is told the story of his birth and death.
That story never made Democrat. In the
prank> of the playground the name silcnces the
frolicsomc and makes the joiiest grave. That
name never made a Democrat. In the pictures
that light up the geography are the firing
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 ami ever after uyows himself i
Democrat.
In the higher grades the same subtle ANA I'M
resisted influence is ut work. The text books
contain extracts from patriots speeches during
the war Those speeches make no Democrats,
The great battles are briefly drscribed the
narrative has no Democratic listeners. The
strain ot martial music runs through the read
els, ana that music makes no Democrats.
Sketches OF the great Generals are given; thtlr
brave deeds arouse the enthusiast >ln of the lads.
but there is no Democrat among them. The
horrors and sultcrngs of the slaves are told;
the maddened blood that mounts the bows
cheek is not Democratic blood. The curse of
slavery has pursued the Democratic party and
has bounded it to its death. Therefore, let it
die; and no lip will be found to say Il PRAYER
over the grass on its grave
The late defeat need not be attributed to any
other cause. Other causes Were at Work-but
they We're only incidental. The tariff was one
SectlOnAllSm was Il second. Let well enough
alone was third The October failure in
Indiana was a fourth. But all these were
trivial and together could not have accomplish
ed the result. The result was accomplished be
cause the youth Of the republic is not Demo-
tl.I 'll.tT