Year: 1879

The Belfast journal Declares for Davis.


The Belfast Journal the ablest Democratic
paper in the State, puts the name of Daniel F.
Davis at the head of its columns, and an
nounces its intention of supporting him for
Governor. In the following leading article it
gives strong and unanswerable reasons for its
course.


THE FUTURE COURSE OF THE JOURNAL.


To-day we place at the head of the Journal,
as its candidate for Governor, the name of the
Republican nominee, Daniel L. Davis. Ever
since the present managers of the Democratic
party abandoned its sound position on the cur
rency question, and made a shameless and cor
rupt bargain for spoils with advocates of the
Greenback folly, we have felt that we could
have no sympathy with their purposes The
breach has since grown deeper and wider, until
we feel that the time for a complete sundering
of the bond has come.


-Four years ago the Democratic party of
Maine had given its adhesion to the sound and
wholesome theory of currency based upon
specie redemption. The dark days of doubt
and despair were passed. Under the mastsry
policy of the Republican party, directed by the
clearest and soundest minds of the country
by men who thoroughly understood its great
resources, and who knew how to SO gather up
and apply its abundant streams of revenue"
as to give assurance to the country and the
world of its financial future-t has emerged
from the dark cloud into the clear sunlight of
assured prosperity. That which seemed i'm
possible-and which, in common with those
with whom we years ago acted, we belieced i'm
posslble-is now an indisputable fact 1t is
to-day reality.


1t has CHANGED that number of times in its
recent history the Democratic party has been
mistaken-gr -grievously and radically mistaken
The belief that the rebellion could not be con-
quered; that slavery could not be abolished by
force OF arms; that the State governments
could not be reinstated, through universal suf-
frage, within restored union; and that peace,
plenty and security would fail to go hand in
hand with our progress-have each in turn
been happily disappointed. The conductor of
this paper has no desire to conceal the fact, as
has been said before, that he had part in this
unbelief. He was aforetime of those who per-
secuted the believers. He has lived to see the
day in which those contemned by the Demo-
cratic party, and by himself, must be acknowl-
edged to have had higher courage, more
abiding faith and deeper conviction in re-
spect to the country's future than those whom
the annual Democratic resolutions have queru-
lously assailed We say that the men who
have led in this contest for the restoration of
national prosperity-who have dragged the
country from the slough of despond, and with
it the fortunes of those who fought against
their own salvation-are entitled to the grat-
tude of every citizen in the broad land. Party
rancor asSailS them now-but justification and
lllc lllceU Vi praise awaits Ine1n III Inc near
future.


''We need an issue with the Republican par
ty,' has been the cry that has led the Demo-
cratic party in this dance of folly and injustice.
As though men could not disagree and parties
divide upon questions of public policy without
assailing the pillars that support the national
faith and sustain its prosperity.


1t is true that the Democratic party i'll the
past has invited contest upon many fields in
which it had the choice of position, and has
c,1ffa 1afa in oil D,,ff fhara in,
something like reason that went to its support
In its positions upon the slavery question; in
respect to the war; even; upon reconstruction;
down through the Andy Johnson alliance, and
the wretched Greeley folly-there was some
thing that served to break the gnominy of de-
feat.


But it has been reserved for the Democratic
party of Mane in all the light of this year of
grace, to seek to win its way to power by adopt
ing and advocating the exploded and almost
forgotten humbug of paper money gambling,
John Law and his Mississippi scheme, and de-
lusions akin to the South Sea Bubble. The
''tiat money" notion which lies at the founda-
tion of the scheme by which the Democratic
Greenback alliance seeks to capture deluded
voters, is device so wretched and stale. and
so at war with reason and common sense, as to
be worthy of nothing but contempt. And yet,
Intelligent men are sought to be lured into
this snare by the use of the word Democrat
ic." There have been times of doubt and



try, when even the best-disposed failed to see
their way clear to a better state of things hut
that exists no longer. The country is now in
the full flood of successful resumption and GER
tain prosperity; the mission of the croaker is
gone. He is thing of the past. Those who
aforetime doubted. and we were among them,
must now see and acknowledge their error.
There has been strange perversity, con-
tradctiOn almost past belief, shifting and pur-
poseless vacillation on the part of the Demo-
cratic leaders in fn tbiS uuactinO which
would be past belief but for the testimony of
the record. In 1874, the old time hard money
traditions of the party had so far regained
their ascendancy that the Maine Democratic
convention of that year declared its financial
principles in the following decided language
ReSoired, That an inflated and irredeemable pa
per currency is among the worst evils that af-
fict community. 1t enables cunning and unscru-
puous spectators to rob producers of the fruits of
their lahors and afficts every reputable business
with the peril of continued panic and disaster. We
regard curreGcv based on specie redemption as the
only one upon which the business of the country
can be safely transacted, and hold that should as
rapidly as possible approximate to such circulat-
ing medium.


The Maine Democratic convention of 1875
was equally emphatic on this point, i'll the fol-
lowing words


A sound currency coin or its equivalent essential
to stability in business and restoration of prosper
ity; steps toward specie payment and no steps back
ward.


In 1876. the Maine Democracy tcrSely re-
corded its declarations upon the monetary
| question as follows


Resolred, that we are opposed to an imitation of
our national currency and that gold and silver
form the only.safe basis of our monetary system.
| In 1877 the Democrats of Maine reatiirmed
| the st. Louis platform, whatever that may
mean. In 1878 a weak and wishy washy reso-
luton was adopted, one intended to mean any
thing, and everything. In that year the proud
and decided old Democratic party was tempted
of Satan and fell. The exact manner and
place of the event is not recorded. But it is
supposed that, following the Scripture prece-
dent, the leaders of the Democracy were taken
up into high place and shown innumerabe
presses printing inflated currency, and that
they fell down and worshipped. At the cleo
tion they were found in the closest alliance
with those whose soft money delusions they
had 50 repeatedly, vigorously and recently de-
nounced 1t is more than matter of delusion
it is a record of disgrace and shame
The Democracy of Misunderstanding the
trade and dicker leaders-is quite largely made
up of honest and honorable men. Can they
interrogate their conscences, and justify them
selves, in view of their duties as citizens and
honorable men, in following the file leaders
who face any way and every way that holds
out the least hope of success, at any peril to
the country?


For year past we have looked with moro
than diStrust upon the course of the Democrat