The Irish standard., 1893-11-04

,e found in the Democratic ranks.

eentation involved in the CLAIMS OF the
Republican leaders to the monopoly OF
patriotism and the glory of our war time.
For my part. I would be ashamed to be-
lieve for one instant that our nation was
saved by one alone of our great political
parties, and would be more az ehamed OF
the party who made the claim. :. as the
Republican party has done for the last
twenty-five years. Ask any one of them
for proof of the claim and he will give
you a few names of men who, living in
the North and being Democrats, were
dis]oyal, and he will also claim that a
majority of the people of the southern
states, prior to the war, were Democrats.
Neither of these facts proves anything at
all. Why from the great Democratic
city of New York, as from the other
great centers of Democratic people,
whole regiments were sent out, in which
there was not man who ever voted the
Republican ticket either before or dur
ing or after the war. So you can ima-
CINE how annoying it is for Democratic
soldiers to have had to listen for twenty
five years to the incessant prattle OF how
the &. q. P. saved the Union. An hon
est judge of the Republican claims will
say that the raison d'etre of the Republi-
can party passed away with slavery. 1t
had no possible reason for existence
after the war; but then came the era OF
spoile, the era of reconstruction and OF
gigantic speculation. The Republican
party was able to hold itself together by
the glamour of it's assumed patriotism,
by it's misrepresentation of itsopponents,
and by means of the great and ever in"
creasing patronage Of the government
they were enabled to control. Then tho
natural result of the condition of a party
having no reason for further existence
was reached. They searched out reasons
for existence. True to their nature and
history, they became the party OF protec-
tion. the party of class, the party OF the
manufacturer, the party of the pro"
tected, and the protected party.
Now, the only purpose IT the govern
ment is to preserve order, nothing more
or less. This is the Interpretation which
the Democratic party places upon the
constitution. When a government de-
parts from or goes further than this pur-
poss, it is simply prostituting it's high
uses and hurrying itself on to destruc
tion. 1t also departs, of course, from the
rules OF Democracy Thousands and
thousands of Republicans, recognizing
these acts, have joined the Democratic
party, with results which We all know
and now that the country has SO spoken
against the Republican party, do not
see how it can live. It cannot we'll in
vent new issues without demoralizing
itself still further.
It is fact that no party in the United
States has ever undergone three success
sive defeats without ceasing to exist,
with the single exception of the Demo-
cratic party. The reason for this is that
the Dem ocratic party is founded on the
same rock where rests our national llber-
ty, and that rock is the constitution. 1t
places itself in tone with the existing
condition of things, supports the existing
laws until repealed, and trusts to. the In
telIigence and patriotism of the people to
repeal obnoxious laws by constitutional
methods and TO make such new laws,
from time to time, as their own needs
demand.
The Democratic party believes that
when the framework of the government
was first made, it was we'll made, and,
with the single exception OF the tolera-
tion of slavery, a mistake amply atoned
for by the blood of great many OF it's
own members, the Democratic party has
ever been true to the highest ideals tf
national liberty and Christian life. It
believes that the original device of the
government prepared by the founders
needs but little revision, and from the
earliest adoption of the constitution
down to today, the Democratic party,
ever true to the constitution, has been
the conservative party of the country
of maintaining the princi
pies of liberty, eminently conservative
for the rights of the states and the peo-
ple. In other words the Democratic
part, has been the only republican party
Of the country. 1t has proclaimed,
established and maintained the absolute
right of the people to govern themselves
by their own selected representatives,
and to govern themselves in per-
feet liberty and equality, without
giving to one man, one state or one class
any special favor OF protection that is
not equally extended to all the rest.
4 The protective policy OF the Republi-
can party is subversive Of the very prin-
ciples Of liberty. Favor tism and equal
ity are absolutely ncompatiblel Follow
ca % ite only legitimate onelusion, the