Year: 1873

The Connecticut Election.


When Voltaire, who had been all his life |
immoderately addicted to coffee, heard |
some one remarking, in his eighty-third
year, that coffee was noxious, he quietly
murmured. ut has been long time kill
ing me-" The Democratic party of Con-
necticut might make the same reply to the
owlish politicians who have been so long
insisting that the party must soon die of
its record and its principles. Cards have
been out for the last ten or twelve years in
viting guests to assist at the Democratic
funeral, but we suspect that those who are
most experienced in obsequies have seldom
seen quite so lively corpse. 1t is only
the other day that the political owls and
goslings took up their parable anew, and
told US that the Democratic party had had
its day that its name, fame, and organi-
zation, must presently be consigned to for
getfulness and utter oblivion /; and now it
starts up in Connecticut like young giant
refreshed.


What is the explanation of this endur-
ing tenacity of life, which has falsifed so
many predictions It would almost seem
as if the party bore charmed life, or as if
it shared the exceptions promised to the
first disciples: "they shall take up serpents,
and if they drink any deadly thing it shall
not hurt them" But really this victorious
survival of the party is no miracle, nor
even marvel. 1t results from the fact
that there is large body of the people
who inherit from their parents a robust,
independent character, and who, being
neither office-seekers nor parasites, do not
concern themselves with politics except to
express their convictions. The fact that a
general without civil capacity is followed
by the shouts of multitude, does not
change their opinion of his character. The
oppression of the South does not seem to
them any more just because a strong party
indorses it. They will not sing the praises
of lying paper money, having seen the ad-
vantages Of gold and silver. They cannot
be convinced that a government which
raises nearly four hundred millions year
in taxes is as good and economical as one
that used to raise only sixty Millions
They refused to glorify great national
debt and consider it a blessing. They see
no advantage in paying double prices fo-
everything they eat, drink, and wear
Making slow gains in property by hard
labor and economy, they do not believe
that the colossal fortunes suddenly gained
by upstarts in and out of Office are honest
ly acquired. They have sufficient senpofse
and steadiness of character to see things as
they are, in the light of common sense; :;
and 50 they are not tossed about by every
wind of political doctrine.


It is men of this sturdy make and stable
purpose that form the bulk of the Demo-
cratic party. They have been just as true,
loyal, and steady in adverse as they ever
were in prosperous fortune, held from drift
ing on the waves by the strong anchor of
opinions which can be changed only by
evidence. Whether they chance to be in
a minority or majority, you always know
where to find them. When a moderate
portion of the Republicans get disgusted
with their party and come to this inlexi-
BILE Democratic phalanx, they make it a
majority. If they happen to be seduced
back again, the Democratic Old Guard still
stands immovable as rock, voting steadi-
ly on in obedience to its convictions. Even
its enemies must confess that there is some
thing morally respectable in this unyield-
ing tirmness of purpose, which stands al
ways by it's colors without any sign of
finching.


This strength of purpose which is char
acteristic of the Demoratic party would
411fC OSCu VI
mediate political results if the party had
been smaller. Throughout these long
years of adverse fortune we have always
been formidable enough to put our enc
mics in fear, and keep them united where
as if we had been but resolute handful
instead of an infexible host, the Republi-
cans would long ago have split, and we,
holding the balance, could have extorted
concessions from one side as the price of
making it victorious over the other. But
the Democratic party is too large, and
made of too unyielding stuff, to conquer in
this way. At the very time its enemies
were talking about. lis funeral, they stood
in such mortal fear that they made voters
of all the negroes to protect themselves a.
gainst the reascendancy of the Democratic
party. We shall overcome even that OBJ
stacle. But our path to victory will nev-
er lie in any other direction than straight
Democratic course, leaving honest Repub-
cans TO join us when they can no longer
stand their own party. We shall never
sink into mere balance of power party.
Our success will come everywhere, as it
has come in Connecticut, by recruits, not
by an alliance. The Christian church
might as well make an alliance with one
sect of the Mahometans, instead of bap-
tizing them as converts.-N 7. World.