The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-07-04
NOT GOOD IN PEACE OR WAR.

In what we are about to say concerning
the Democratic party and in what we
NAV saw in regard to it in future issues OF
the Journal, we wish it to be clearly IN
derstood that we make a wide distinction
between the Democratic party and lndl-
yidual Democrats The latter average up
yery we'll with individual Republicans, at
least in Waldo county and in the State OF
Maine. Our average Democrats are ex-
cellent citizens, pleasant associates and
are brim full of simon-pure patriotism
It is unfortunate for them that they are
only the tail of the party kite, which zig
gags its way in the political atmosphere
south of Mason and Dixon's line.
Secretary Daniels North Carolina
found statement to it's readers: eff the
Democratic party is good thing in peace
it is a good thing in war;" When an
hypothesis has neither logic nor fact the
conclusion necessarily lacks both these
important elements. The hypothesis in
the above instance has no basis of fact
The Democratic party has never been a
good thing in peace. 1t opposed resump-
ton of specie payment; it endorsed Mr.
Brvans free silver idiocy; it was smitten
bv the greenback dementia; and, when
ever it has been in power, since James
Buchanan aided and abetted the South in
preparing for the disruption of the Union,
business has been stagnated and financial
distress followed. This is the record
which the Democratic party has made for
itself in peace.
Its record in war has not been much
better. During the Civil War more than
half the Democratic party was fighting
des perately against the government, and
in the loyal part of the United States
copperheads were more abundant than
German sympathizers now are.
The only good thing which can be
said about the Democratic party in the
da VS. of the Civil War is to note the fact
that had it not been for the loyalty of 95
VI
Sherman could not have marched to the
sea, nor could Grant have forced Lee to
surrender, and most of those Democrats
who marched with Sherman and fought
with Grant, and lived to reach home,
voted the Republican ticket for the re-
mainder of their lives. We do not yet
know how good a thing the Democratic
party has been in the present war. Mr.
Baker assures US that it has been super
ex cellent, but President Wilson seems to
have doubted that assertion and has in
duced Mr.. Hughes TO investigate and re-
port to him and to US. Mr.. Wilson is to
be recommended for his action in this
matter, but it is doubtful if the findings
will show that the airplanes, the ship
building the ordnance, the equipment and
the munition departments have been
f'good thing in time of war;" The people
of this country should not forget that
during the reconstruction period follow
ing the Civil War, the Democratic party
was On the wrong side of every import
ant measure proposed After the present
war is over there will be another recon-
struction period. This will be for the
most part along economic and business
lines. The Congress elected this year
will hold office till March 4, 1921, when
the war will probably be over. The
Democratic party is committed to free
trade or near7free trade policy. This
policy has been tried several times and
has without exception been found to
initiate against labor and AGAINST BUSH
ness. This fact has been so often proved
that it is useless for anybody to dispute
it. 1t is therefore important that Repub-
iicans, not only for themselves individ-
ually but for the whole country, should this
year elect members of their party to the