The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-09-23
THE DEMOCRATIC RECORD.
They Have Always Taken Sides with
the Enemies of This
Country.

In the light of the record of the dem.
ocrstic party, there is nothing surpris-
ing in the attitude of the democratic
leaders who are taking sides with the
enemies of this country against the ma
tional administration. Those men mere
~ demonstrate again their party's fac
ulty for getting on the wrong side of an
issue. They are pursuing the same
course which the democracy pursued
In 1864 when the internal strife in
which the integrity of the union was t
stake had been going on for nearly
three years and a half. The union army
had suffered great losses. but its even
tual victory had never been doubted
by loyal citizens. Yet. when the dem
ocratic national convention met in
August of the year mentioned, plat
form was adopted in which the war was
denounced as failure and the demand
was made that the cause for which
thousands of men had fallen under the
stars and stripes should be surrendered
and the government should sue for dis
honorable peace. These were the words
the men who at that time in convention
represented the national democratic
party:
Resolved That this convention does ex-
plicitly declare, as the sense of the Amer
lean people, that after four years of failure
to restore the union by the experiment of
war. during which. under the pretense of a
military necessity of a war power higher
than the constitution. the constitution it.
self has been disregarGed in every part. and
public liberty and private rights alike
trodden down. and the material prosperity
of the country essentially impaired justice,
humanity. liberty and the public welfare
demand that immediate efforts bemade for
a cessation of hostilit!es, with view to an
ultimate convention of all the states, or
other peaceable means, to the end that, at
the earliest practicable moment. peace may
be restored on the basis of the federal
union of all the states
In short, the democracy declared that
the union forces should retreat and lay
down their arms before the forces of
the states which had seeded and risen
in arms against the government.
This declaration was made, moreover,
ut time when AT last the tide of war
fare was turning decidedly in favor of
the government troops and when all in
dications pointed to speedy termina-
ton of the strife, with victory for
those who fought for the preservation
Of the union. President Lincoln had
Just called for 100000 additional volun-
teers. The time was critical, yet hope
full; but the democracy denounced the
war as failure and demanded that the
union forces should be Withdrawn from
the field.
What followed is recorded in history.
The democratic candidates sustained
defeat. and several months after the
traitorous declaration had been made
by the democratic convention. the war
was completely successful and the ma
tion entered upon an era of peace and
prosperity.
1t may be mentioned in this connec-
part i'm the election of 1s6i. the demo.
cratic candidates carried only three
Kentucky, Delaware and New Jersey.
One might think that the democrats
OF to-day would remember the conse.
quenccs of the unpatriotic action OF
their party of IS years ago, and profit
thereby; but it is well known that the
democracy never profits from expert
ence. In its laundering it is conspicu-
ously consistent.
But who will doubt that as demo
cratic history now repeats itself in the
attitude taken by William Jennings
Bryan, John p. Altgeld. Congressman
Lentz and other men who occupy n
prominent position in the democratic
party, so national history will repeat
itself in the rebukc which the American
people will administer to the party
which takes sides with those who assail
the country's fag?-Albany Journal.