Year: 1873




Democratic Party Stands.


On Friday evening last William Allen,
the Democratic candidate for Governor Of
Ohio, was serenaded at his home in Chill
icothe. A large number of his enthusi-
astic friends were present, and to short
address from L. F. Neal the next Cover
norresponded as follows:


Ny Friends and FeZZca0 citizens


During my life have had much ex-
perience in the ebb and flow of political
sentiment and feeling in the United States.
l have seen the people constantly arrayed
against each other, actuated IN their feel
ings, and formed into opposing masses by
conflicting ideas and interests, and these
masses have always been dignifed by the
name of parties. Absolute unanimity of
feeling and sentiment is not to be expect
ed among mankind on any subject, be-
cause of the different views they enter
tain, and which difference of views organ
ize them into hostile array-the one side
against the ether. As long as mankind
enjoys free government, free thought, free
speech, and free press, there must be a
division of sentiments. There are always
two broad distinctions taken with regard
tc party. In every free government there
must be two parties, and outside of these
parties will always be found little factions
and ephsmeral knots of dissatisfied men
that spring Hp in q single night and as
suddenly pass away in the morning. We
will, however, never see the day when the
two great original parties will cease to
exist, though their names may and un-
doubleday will be changed. If you sup
pose that IL Is great calamity to have
two great parties you are mistaken.
When any party, no matter of whom COM
posed, has no restraint, its leaders abuse
the power entrusted to them. 1t has been
said that the Democratic organization, to
a certain extent, acted unWisely in at
tempting to restrain the unbridled fury of
the opposition in the late great struggle
in this country. This is a grave mistake.
The passions of the other party carried
them beyond what their sober prudence
would have dictated in their conduct of
the late war, and 1t was necessary that
while the Union should be preserved in
tact, and the supremacy and dignity of
the Federal Government Vindieated, the
matter should not be allowed to run into
the channels of bloody revenge; therefore
1t became necessary that the Democratic
party should enter protest, and that
Northern feeling should intereede when
these ends had been accomplished, and had
it not been for this protest on the part of
the Democracy, let me ask you, where
would the war have ended? You can an
sWer in the destruction of the whole South
and the Southern people But the des-
tructive feeling found its check In the
North, and mainly IN the Democratic or
-, hi
friends IN the other party, prosecute the
war to that point that is necessary to in
sure the salvation of the Union, and then
stop the shedding of blood. In that case
the sentiment so expressed was the saliva
ton of the country. The Democracy of
the North sent forth large numbers of
their young men to aid in fighting the
battles for the preservation of the Gov
eminent, but when that end was accom-
phshed. and the Southern people checked
IN their keadlong career, involving the
disruption of the country, the Democratic
party believed that it was time to stop,
and implored the Federal Government not
to devastate the whole country. The
mistake was not so much in the war as In
the conduct pursued when peace was de-
clared. Then the taxes should have been
reduced and everything put upon peace
footing, but the Republican party dld not
try to conciliate or soothe the people of
the South, neither did they try to reduce
the expenses or put stop to the rapid
and unnecessary accumulation of the pub
lie debt. Flushed with victory, victory
they were aided in acquiring by the Dem
oeratic organization, they carried the
power they had acquired during the war
into their government of the Southern
people in time of peace. But II Is not nay
purpose now to go into a general discus
sion of these matters. The time has now
come for action, and say to you, my
friends, that next to the act Of aoolishlng
a free government would be the abolition
of the Democratic party. What Is Dem
ocraey? Is it not a government Of the
people2 1t Is simply government for the
whole people, and not for any special or
particular class. We, as Democrats, are
IN favor of no special laws that in the least
look to the favoring of classes. The great
point now at stake is whether the Gov
ernment shall be carried on by the people
rs unit, or by few persons who i've to
| fill their Golfers and enrich themselves and
their descendants at the expense of the
people; sucking away at the public mon
| eys until they resemble the rat IN the
| meal-tub, that had eaten so much that he
could not get out at the bung-hole, and
all these men are retained in Office and
aided il their plunderings by the Federal
machinery. Not one in fifty in the Re-
publican party-and by Republican party
l mean the masses, and not the ofhcehold-
ers-wil cry ogt that they want things
to remain as they now stand. No human
being in the United States, who Is not q
| paid officer of the Government, can deny
| the fact that the corruptiOns existing have
dissatisfied nine hundred and ninety-nine
out of every thousand in the country, and
the Democracy intend that they shall have
an opportunity of remedying these evils.
Do the gentlemen who hold public offices
propose any reform? Net one of them,
We want it changed, but they have nc
change to propose. If these things are
to continue as they arc, what IS the use Of
the people voting at all? WhaL Is the use
of holding annual elections? all these
Office holders want is to be let alone. Il
they do not propose to listen to the re-