Year: 1863

tesans, garroters and blacklegs. Is



The Restoration of the Democratic
Party to Power


A good many of the old Democratic
newspaper organs are insisting, as often


as they are issued, and with such empha-


sis as they can command, that the essen
tial thing to be done in order to pacify


the country, is to restore the Democratic


marty TO power. There is a strange for


getfulness on their part, OF the very I'M


portant fact in our political history, that
the Democratic party ceased, more than


year before the war commenced, to be


an entity. Not only were all its old prin-
ciples abandoned during the administra-
tions of Pierce and Buchanan, but it was


disrupted, and actually had in the last


National election two candidates for the


Presidency, in the field, standing upon


distinct and hostile platforms. Which
wing of the party is it that gentlemen


propose to put in power? Certainly, as


the Douglas wing did not obtain power,


that which it never had, cannot be restored


to it. Is it then the Buchanan and


Breckenridge party that gentlemen pro-


pose to reinstate in the high places of the


nation? Have we not had enough of Bu-


chananism? Is it in the programme to


run Breckenridge for President in '64?-


Are Yaneey and the rest of the leading


traitors in the South to be the leaders OF


the new party? If not, how is it TO be


national? Yancey and Andy johnson


were both Democrats. Are both of them


to be of the Democratic party of the fu-


ture? If so, how are they to reconcile


their principles? If only one of them can


be recognized as true Democrat, which


stand now for the sound doctrine? These


are Questions which gentlemen, who are


talking of the restoration of the Democrat


ic party to power, should be enabled to


answer promptly and positively.


Just now the cry is that the Democrat


ic party is for "the Constitution as it Is
and the Union as IL was" But have gen.


tlemen forgotten that the. Democratic
State Convention of Indiana, held on the
8th of January, demanded, as the basis
of a Union party in the South, '''additioAai


Constitutional guarantees" to slaYery2 This
doctrine is expressly laid down in the 7th
resolution of the Indiana Democratic
platform. Are gentlemen who construct


ed that platform, and sustain 1t, stickIers
for the Constitutions szs itisS if 50, what Con-
stitution is referred to-the Constitution
of the United States, or that of the Con-
federate States? The latter document is
certainly the one that contains the ''addi-
tional constitutional guarantees" The
Democratic party, as it was in latter days,
had no distinctive characteristic principle,
aside from that of allowing or aiding in
the employment of the power of the Gen
eral Government for the propagandism of
slavery Does the proposed restoration of
the party to power, mean that the Gov
ernment should again be used in that
direction?


The broadly apparent truth is, that
those who are laboring for that which they
are pleased to call the restoration of the
Democratic party to power, mean opposi-
ton to the war for the restoration of the
Union They propose to charge the re-
sponsibility of the war upon Northern
agitators," and doing so to make wing
Of their party of the original Secesh ele-
ment in the South. They can do this no
other way than by recognizing the right
of Secession and denying the right of the
to coerce q refractory. State
This would be, if the restoration of their
party to power follows, to place those now
in arms against the Government in pos
session of it. Is this the entertainment
to which the people are invited, who are
now giving their blood and treasure for
the vindication of law and the firm es-
of our nationality?


Now, how is an anti-war party to man
age the affairs of the future? If by such
a political reVulsion as sympathisefs with
the rebels predict, the Democratic party
should be restored to power on the ideas
that the war was unnecessary unjustifi
able, that the rebels were wronged3that
the "Abolitionists" were to blame-and
that the Union must be restored to its for
mer condition THAT is, to say with the
governing class in the minority section)-
what becomes of the war debt? Will it
be part of the Democratic policy to re-
pudiate that debt? Would the Democrat
ie party-by which it is impossible now
to understand that anything else than
the anti-war party IS meant-Yote and
collect the taxes 10 pay that debt-and
insist that the insurrectionary States shall
nav their share of il? Would they vote
for the support OF such an army as would
be necessary to preserve order in the Re-
public? Would they stand firmly for the
ounishment of the leaders in Southern
treason? How could they do this if de-
pendent for the right arm of party power
Upon the Secessionists Of the South who
we're restored to the Union by compulsion?
Dr. would they compromise the matter by
the debt of the Confederate
States. and placing Confederate notes on
par with our treasury notes? We do
not see how the financial policy of such
party could fail to reach one or two points
the reputation of the war debt of the
United States, or the assumption of the
var debt of the Confederat States. Are
the people prepared to be so taxed as to
make Confenerate notes legal tenderf


The path of duty is straight enough for
The truly loyal citizens, who, thinking OF
heir country first and ali the time, are
not endeavoring to make political capital
FOR the future. The Government must
crush the rebellion or be crushed by it
There is no alternative. The question Is
% be decided by war. Peace parties ara
ioolishness. Anti war partizans are dis
oval. The party of the Government is,
,f course, a war party, for the Govern
nent is at war and lighting for honor and
ife. The Government must be admins
ered now and hereafter upon the basis
that the war was provoked and made by
he enemies of the Union, now in arms
eeking its oyerthrow-that those enemies
nave been guilty Of the grayest Of crimes,
and must be punished accordingly. No
,ther policy is compatible with national
general welfare, or the
,afety Of the citizen in life or property.
This integrity, this welfare, this safety,
are certainly not to be conserved, would
most certainly be deeply imperiled, if not
ltterly destroyed, by the restoration of
The Democratic party IS to say, the
elevation Of the anti-war pagty-to power,