Year: 1868

would see with pleasure this party re-
established on those old and time hon
Ored principles which made it, before
it was debauched and corrupted by the
shareholders, the party of the people,
the party of justice and liberty.


These citizens like to call themselves
Democrats; War Democrats many
Of them were during the late struggle.
They adhered to the Democratic par
ty-many of them even after they
saw with sorrow that the party lead
ers had become corrupt, and that
craftsmanship and patriotism had
alike died out in it. Those who left
their party did so with sorrow, and
hoped for the day when they might
again act with it; when patriotism
and craftsmanship should once more
be found among its leaders; when it
should again be the true party Of pro-
gress; the party Of broad and gener.
Gus ideas.


To such men what was called the
"Chase movement" held out hopes.
They recognized in Judge Chase a
statesman of sound principles, a wise
and faithful lover of liberty; man
Of broad views, sincerely devoted to
the welfare of the whole country.
They saw in him a man who, by his
career, by his character and by his
present exalted position, was fit to be
the leader ola party which should en-
brace the best wisdom of the country.
And no doubt if Mr.. Chase had receiv-
ed the nomination of the Democratic
party on such a platform as befitted
him, the large and worthy class of
citizens of whom we speak would have
IjOyfuily supported him.


But the Tammany Convention
would not have either Mr.. Chase or
the principles which he represents,
and to which he could not prove false.
1t might have nominated d statesman,
but it preferred a small POLITICIAN
man notorious for indecisiOn, whose
policy has never been founded on
great principles and it gave him a
platform to stand upon which not
only reasserts all the old heresies
which have for some years taken the
place OfsOund truths in the Democrat
ic party, but went further, and aband-
Oned every principle and point of pol
icy which Was fOmerly counted Demo
cratic.


The Democratic party once boasted
itself "hard- money" party-it is
now committed to an unlimited issue
of deprecated paper money; it was
once the party of free trade-but tire
Tammany Convention did not seru-
pie to commit it to protection.


What, under these circumstances,
are true and thoughtful Democrats to
do? For whom shall they vote ?
They are not satisfied with the Repub-
lican party, which has in many things
disappointed them. They have hoped
for a thorough reorganization of par
ties, but have been disappointed in
that. They have fOndly expected to
see a purified, ennObIed Democratic
party arise, party worthy of the
grand old name-but they see the
Democratic party still under the con-
troll of men who lack both statesman
ship and principle. What, under
these circustances, shall they do?


A good many of them have already
made up their minds. Mr.. P. IL.
Sibley, a member of the Democratic
State Committee of California. writes
that he feels himself compelled to vote
for Grant:


''In remembering that l am a DEM
Ocrat, cannot forget that l owe a
higher allegiance to the American
Union. I should be glad to remain
in the Democratic party, could 1 be-
lieve that in doing so 1 am not sacri-
ficing those principles of patriotism
that are higher and hOlier than any
sentiment Of mere party fealty."


Mr.. George M. Weston, of Bangor,
who was in 1866 the Democratic can
didate for Congress in the Fourth
Maine district, writes that he must, as
a good citizen, vote for Grant. He
opposed the reconstruction policy Of
Congress, believing that
-"uniyersaI amnesty should have
gone hand in hand with universal suf-
frage at the South, and that if the pro-
lection of the rights of the blacks re-
guired that they should be armed with
the ballot, the protection Of other
rights and interests required that the
numerical ascendanCy of the whites
should not he nullifed by disfranchise-
ments, and especially not by such
sweeping acknowledgements Us are con
tained in the Reconstruction acts Of
Congress.


"But in practically dealing with af-
fairs, we must take things as we find
them. This reconstruction policy of
Congress, strongly as l resisted it, and
obnoxious as it is to you, is an accom-
plished fact. The effects Of it may be
modified by events and the policy it.
self may be sOftened, with the gradual
subsistence of the passions connected
with the late struggle. But over
thrown it cannot be, except by TevO-
luton and another civil war, and the
issues of the pending Presidential can
vass are SO made up as to present the
question, necessarily OvershadOwing
all Others, whether the country is ready
for so desperate a remedy as that, for
any grievances which exist"


He points out that the Democratic
policy would force the blacks into a
separate party, which could not fail to
be mischievOus


"The policy of Mr. Blair tends di-
rectIy and inevitably to band and con-
solidate the blacks into a phalanx i'm
penetrable upon every front. 1 see
unredeemed mischief in all its aspects
The flag with which he marches at
the head of the Democratic column is
the black flag of discOrd and civil war
for the country, and of war Of races
for the South. The mass of his mis-
guided followers are honest and well
intentioned, but it is none the less true
that he is leading them in a broad and
straight road to ruin"


General Devens, of Massachusetts,
who ran against Governor Andrew as
Democratic candidate for Governor in
1852, declares that he must vote for