Year: 1867

A Revolutionary Party.


State Democratic Conventions have
recently been held in Connecticut,
Ohio, and New Hampshire, and the
Democratic purposes for the coming
political campaign may reasonably be
supposed to have been now fairly an
nounced. The speeches made and
the resolutions offered at each of these |
Conventions show that the Democrat
ic party place strong hope in the prob
ability Of a revolution in the country.
Their warmth in offering the support
to the President; their earnestness in
talking about the war (which shall be
general and internecine, and whose
great theatre shall be at the North,
and the vehemence with which Con
gress and the Republican party are
denounced for presuming to think diff
ferently from the President upon ma
tlonal political questions show that
their whole aim and purpose is to en-
deavor to secure party success by a |
civil revolution. The very men who |
denounced the war of the rebellion !
as an unholy and oppressive crusade
of the North against the South, and
who were only deferred from joining
the rebel army and fighting for JEFF:
Davis and slavery by the fear of final
defeat and dishonor-these are the
men who are now pledging the Presl-
dent their armed assistance and ear
nest y endeavoring to induce him to
defy the power of Congress, set him.
self up as the Interpreter and admin
lstratOr of the laws and Constitution


and rely upon the Democratic party


for support and victory. This is the
plain Interpretation Of the leading Ut


terance of these recent Conventions.
and those that are to follow will I'M
doubtedly reiterate these alterances


and enlarge upon the texts that have
already been given by such Demo


cratic leaders and expounders as


Pendlet0n of Ohio, Seymour and Ea-


ton Of Connecticut, and Burke of New


Hampshire


The Democratic leaders would
gladly undo all that has been accom-


plished by the war and place the con


troll of the country in the hands of
those who have been openly or covert


ly hostile to all that has been done in


the last five years to make our Gov


ernment republican in fact as well as


in name. They are impatient for the


party support Of all the ex-rebeIs,a ,and


their eagerness for votes is so great


that they would regard a party victory


as cheaply purchased if it should be


gained by forcible revolution of the


Government. The Democratic inter-


probation of the opposition of Con


gress and the Republican party to the


reconstruction purpose OF the Presi-


dent is " Consolidated Despetism, "


and it is to break down this .'despot-


ism that they urge the President. on


in his course and promise him the sup


port Of themselves and their whole
party constituency.


Whether or not the President will


be induced, by the advice and promise


of his Democratic supporters. to place
himself in open opposition to the


dominant sentiment of the country
the future only will determine. 1t is
| difficult to suppose, however, that a
man who, a few years ago, was in pro
, fessed sympathy with the Republican
party and gladly received their suf
| frages for the second executive Office
: in the country, can be persuaded now
, to attempt to revolutionize the Gov
' ernment for the sake of gratifying
, the party that could find no Language
t strong enough to express their con
t tempt for him until within 3 few


months past. For Andrew johnson
t as a loyal Southerner the Democrat
e had no word of sympathy or encour
|, agement. They did not urge him t.
e stand fast against the powers Of re
It bellion and promise to give him thei


active support in taking such cours
d and it is only his recreancy to th
e party which elected him that turn
i Democratic support toward him now
d When man places himself in oppC


sition to all progress, when be turn
IS backward rather than forward, whe
E. he strives to block the wheels of Re
r publican Liberty, and when he seek
al to destroy the effectiveness of the n
t. suits brought about by great politics
ID epochs-in short when a man-be
IN President or not-places himself a
at on platform of negatives and spene
s. his time and strength in pulling dow
d. and destroying what other men haN
is built up, he will find himself in felio'
I'd ship with the Democratic party. 1t h'
a. come to this in the position of poli1
D. cal parties, that the Democratic pa
r. ty only aims at opposition to the Il


publican party and its principles
1k 1t has become party of negatl'
IT. ideas and purposes, and at neither
ar the State Conventions to which '
h. have alluded was there a word sa
of in favor of any progressive moveme
sv- that would render more complete al