Year: 1868

In point of perspicuity the Republican
platform has greatly the advantage OF that
formed by its opponents. It's declarations
upon each of the questions in issue are
clear in language and in method /;
whereas it is necessary to place together
many scattered phrases before one can be
sure of having before his eyes all that the
Democratic Convention has said upon q
given subject. One illustration of this is
in the New York Worlds patchwork of
the declarations of the Democracy on
financial topics. Then, again, the platform,
after making eight demands" proceeds
to "arraign the Radical party" but in the
same paragraph pays a ahypocritical tribute
to the national soldiers and sailors, and
declares in favor of the pre-emption and
homestead laws, which were passed by
Republican Congresses, and signed by q
Republican President, after they had been
vetoed by Democratic President, and
which are, for the first time, announced to
be Democratic measures. The Republican
Convention did not allude to them, as it
did not allude to the abolition of slavery
and the overthrow of the dogma of States
Rights, because it believed all three to be
permanently settled, and settled upon
right principles.


The Republican party did not lumber
up it's platform with dead issues, as the
Democracy have DONE Andrew Johnson
is arraigned before the people less as
Andrew johnson than as representative
Democrat, and the praises bestowed upon
him in the Tammany platform proves the
correctness of that assumption, proves that
the election of Seymour would be a con-
tinuance of the Johnson dynasty. But
they do not arraign the Democracy for
its crimes of commission or Of omission
previous to the war or during it, because
they are willing to leave to history the
duty of burying that putrefying past,
having themselves work enough to do in
the present and for the future.


But the Democracy, while not daring
to say in their platform what their
candidate for the Vice Presidency said in
ton, not daring to threaten the nation
with another civil war, recognizing, by
silence, the admission of the States, lately
in rebellion, to representation in Congress
upon the terms and conditions of the
Reconstruction acts, yet take the pains
to denounce this great accomplished
fact" and beat the air with the impotent
malice of words that do not signify 8 pol
icy or a purpose. So, too, the Democracy
to please yet again their Southern
brethren "-go back four years to assail
the men who prosecuted the war to sue
cessful termination, and, with only little
less anachronism, protest against the sub
ordination of the civil to the military
authority in the Southern States-now
happily done away with almost every
Where-and demand the reduction of the
standing army-which has been reduced
by General Grant and is likely soon to be
reduced still further-and the abolition of
the Freedmen's Bureau, which is already
removed from several States and is soon
to be abolished in all.


On several points it is gratifying to per-
ceive that the two platforms are as one,
the Democracy having followed in The
footsteps of the Republicans. Both de-
mand that the Government beadministered
with economy and honesty, and that the
taxes be equalIzed and reduced; and the
Democratic platform also judiciously sug-
gests a simplification Of the system and
discontinuance Of inquisitoTial modes Of