Year: 1869

policy that can be called Acknowledgement


CouTieT-JotTndL.


Never was truer statement made


We only wonder that the leading or
gan of Democracy in the most Dem.


Ocratic State of the Union should


make SO frank confession. TIC


confess the utter decentralization oi


the party is to weaken its prospects


of success in the pending campaigns,


If any such prospect exists. The


confession is not, however, so impo-


litic as one would at first suppose,


for the truth itself is too obvious to


be ignored. There is only one
point in common, and that is hostili-


ty to the dominant party. In a gen.


eral way they concur in denouncing


the Administration and its friends.


But even here it is not safe to be


very explicit, because that would


bring up the clashing opinions of the
party.


The Democracy Of Massachusetts,


is opposed TO reputation, and is in


favor Of throwing up the sponge in


the combat against impartial suf-


irage. In other words, j. Q. Adams
and company are stunning the rock
on which their bark had previously


been wrecked, and also the whirl-
pool which threatens to engulfit. In
Kentucky the other extreme is adopt
ed. Let us, is practically the Ian
guage of those old Bourbons, try to
perform the astonishing feat OF at
once dashing against the rocks OF
nesrophObia ana being gulped down
by reputation. The difference be-
tween these two positions can readily
be explained. In Massachusetts, the
party has fed upon the ashes of dis
until it is ready to sur
render every distinctive feature, in
the hope that clad in the armor of
Republicanism, it might achieve vic
tory. But in Kentucky the Democ-
racy is so strong that there is no
need of concealing or borrowing.
On straight Democratic Issue the
State can be carried beyond doubt.


1t is obvious that the real charac-
ter of political party is to be studied
in localities where it is dominant.
Where it Is in minority it naturally
tries TO hide its peculiarities, seeing
they are offensive TO a majority OF
the voters. This fact invests the
Kentucky Democracy with an unus
ual interest, and justifies the state
ment that il the party only dared to
show its cOlors, the two hemispheres
of its political creed would be hostil-
ity to negro suffrage and repudiation
OF the national debt.


Tennessee, judging from Andrew
Johnson, the leader Of the party in
that State, will go with Kentucky on
the latter point, but the negro having
the ballot in that State, it will not
DO to ride the hobby, at least for the
present. 1t may be that as the State
once before gave Sambo the right to
vote and then deprived him Of the
privilege, so it will again. At least
it is quite possible that the Democ-
racy will attempt it. But not at
present. AS matters now stand the
party in that State is midway be-
tween the other two States named.


Ohio comes the nearest to Ken
lucky Of any State. 1t is opposed to
The Fifteenth Amendment, and is for
virtual reputation of the five-twen-
lies. In the nomination of Rosecrans
an attempt was made 10 adopt the
policy, but the party
soon got back into the groove of
Flounderlng in the
sea of popular contempt, 1t has not
found and cannot find place of safe
.y. Reputation is the resort of
without honor. There
,re those who shrink from this
either through principle or policy,
ind hence the party has mo common
ground to stand upon, and no policy
% Offer" 1t is wreck that drifts
in q troubled sea, kept
rom sinking only because the lead
,rs persist in adherence to the old
iame and organization, even at the
Expense of continued disaster.-Chi-
ago journal.