Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-05-15
A MAGNIFICENT EMPIRE
Democrats Contribution to the
Wealth and Glory of the
Country.
An Appeal TO the First Voter.

: II was wise man who first expresses
, the phrase, fraught with most preg
: nant idea, that there was strength II
4 an educational campaign. 1t vas de
parture from the policy that has act
8 uated all opposition to the Democratic
= party and in direct opposition to it
I The strength of the Republican party
of to-day has lain and does still lay IL
!. its ignorance that is, its majOrities o.
prepOnderance of vote, where it ha.
J one or the other, come from that elias:
: of our people who are naturally ignor
ant, and purposely kept so, of the great
and overshading questions of politics
The more enlightened men become, the
! closer and truer they grasp the issues
which divide the parties--the greater
becomes the Democratic strength
Thus the salient difference between the
two parties is seen. One fact will illus.
trate, though many could be cited.
During the campaign of1884, the Re.
persistently proclaimed that should
Cleveland be elected the aforetime
slaves would be remanded to slavery
the rebel debt would be paid by the
government, and the rebel soldier pen
stoned to the exclusion of the Union
soldier. In the face of the constitu-
tional provision that prevented in
voluntary servitude Except for crime);
in the face of the fact that the rebel
debt was binding upon no one, not even
a Confederate State; and in the face of
the fact that the Democracy of the
country, north and south, and accepted
and approved in good faith all the re-
suits of the war, including the conse-
quent constitutional provisions, these
decorations were constantly made
Many believed these utterances, and
many voted for Mr.. Blaine because of
them. The vote based upon that be-
lief was an ignorant vote. Had the
exact truth, as intelligent people then
saw it, been as persintently taught,
Blaine's vote would have been decreas-
ed by just the number that accepted the
truth.
Just now, in preparation for the next
great political struggle, the same pro-
gramme is being pursued-this time
having for its object the capture of the
young man, the first voter, to the
ranks of the Republican party. The
salient feature of the scheme is, as
heretofore, suppression-to educate the
young voter in ignorance. Many over
the country are essaying this role, not
ably Speaker Reed, who in Philadelph-
ia few evenings ago made an appeal
to young men, the strength of which
lay in false presentment of the char
acter of the Republican party. Some
times the appeal takes the form of de-
nunciation of the Democratic party
the end sought and the mode employed I
being the same, to win the young voter |
by grounding his mind in ignorance. |
1.-THE bourbons," "a negative party,n |
"unprogressive rebel, Ignorant" ETC.,
are some of the very many denuncia-
tory epithets and phrases applied these |
Republican educators to the Democra-
cy.
The Democracy stands on so firm a
foundation that no mouthings of this |
sort can rob it of its good character ex-
cept in the estimation of those who
are ignorant of its history, and it is in
this purpose of clouding the young vo-
ter's mind as to its history and good
achievements that lies the hope of these
emmissaries of false teachings. In on
ly one particular are the Democrats
bourbons. They early learned and i'm
oiloCu tHC opllIO vi Luo COuSIlLuIlOu.
Its meaning in the early days is in no
sense different from its meaning now.
To that instrument they have clung
through all the changing years. AS to
it they have learned nothing new, nor
have they forgotten its spirit and its
teachings. Thus far and no farther are
they bourbons
IA negative party?" Let's see. 1t
put its impress upon the Declaration of
it materially assisted in
originating the Government, providing
those wise measures and supporting
them embodied in the Constitution,
under which the country has passed
through 100 years of unexampled pros
perity and happiness, under which the
country has been brought safely
through every trouble that is likely to
froWn upon any government, and un-
der which, aided by supurb stateman-
ship, indomitable courage and conf
dence in mans ability for patriotic
elf-government, it has avoided the
rock on which other countries have
split. While these are material achieve
ments, whose influence envelope us by
night and make the air pure around us
by day, they are not such things as up
on which a measure may be put and
their value calculated by dollars and
cents, or their extent measured by
leagues and furlongs. But the party is
to be credited with achievements of
this character, too, and it is more par
ticularly of this phase of the subject
that this is written.
Take map of the United States.
Trace line beginning near Fernando
ma, Fla, west, with an offset to the
north at Chattahooche river to the
thence with that to its
source, and over a sketch of country
still further north till the line inter-
sects Rainy Lake river, near its issuance
from the lake of the woods; from this
point east along the lake line, st. Law
renee river, and the northeast boundary
to the ocean, thence along the coast
line to the place of beginning. Within
this boundary is found the original
area of the United States, embracing
S37 ,0SO square miles Of territory. In
this calculation have been placed 10000
square miles as fair approximation of
that portion of Minnesota included in
the original area. Since this calcula-
ton was made, it is learned, by con-
suiting an authority, that this figure is
too large by nearly 10000 square miles.
But let it stand.
The total area in square miles of the
United States and territories, as stated