Year: 1872

VENTION AT BALTIMORE?


Surely the regular Republican par
ty was not converted to the Democrat
ic faith at the Democratic convention
at Baltimore. There was no author
lied representative of the Republicans
in that convention. And the Liberal
Republicans were not supposed to be
in attendance. If any conversion took
place at that time and place it must
have been a conversion of the Demo
cratic paaty.


WAS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONVERT
Ed AT BALTIMORE?


This is an important inquiry. Did
"the representatives Of three millions
Of Democratic voters" abandon the
principles of their party and become
Republicans? If so, there is to-day
no Democratic party, and the reputed
three millions Of Democratic voters
are bound by no party allegiance as
Democrats, and may honorably attach
themselves to the personal fortunes of
any political aspirant for notional
or local Office. This is the attitude in
which they are placed by the former OF
Mr.. Summers recent letters. He iusti-
fies his abandonment of the regular
Republican organization and his at
tachment to his new found friends on
the grounds that the whole Democratic
party has become Republican.


THE TESTIMONY OF GREELEY AND THE


DEMOCRACY.


But Mr.. Greeley, more sagacious
and tender to the feeling of his Demo
cratic allies, is careful not to shock
their sensibilities by a premature an
nouncement Of their conversion.
When informed of his nomination by
the Baltimore Convention he told the
committee that brought him the wei.
come tidings that he was "as much a
Republican as he ever was" and that
they "were, if possible, more Demo
cratic than before" The cheers which
greeted this announcement demonstrate
ed that these leaders of the Democrat.
ic party ard the official organ of their
national convention understood that
they had not surrendered aught of
their political faith. We have the
supporting testimony Of the recognized
standard-bearers Of the Democratic
party throughout the country. Such
men as Senator Thurman, of Ohio,
Senator Hendricks, Of Indiana, Sena.
tor Buckalew, Of Pennsylvania, Gov
Whyte, Of Maryland, declare that
they have not abandoned either their
party organization or its principles.
Thoy do not admit that their party is
either dead or converted to Republi-
canism. They, on the contrary, ex-
cuse their support of Mr.. Greeley on
the ground that he Is the nominee of
their party, whose commands they must
obey. The Democratic press is equally
tenacious in maintaining the identity
of the party; and equally earnest in
exhortations addressed to the Demo
critic masses for votes for the reason
that Mr.. Greeley is the Democratic
nominee We witness also the complete
organization of the Democratic party
in the several States where they sup.
pose themselves to have Democratic
majority they nominate straight Dem
ocratic tickets. And where they are
confessedly in the minority they keep
up the party organization, and only
unite with the boiling Republicans for
a division Of spoils. With this array
of Democratic testimony no candid
man, with unclouded Judgment, can
believe that the Democratic party is
either dead or converted to Republi-
canism. If it is in fact dead, to adopt
the pertinent language of another, it
is very lively corpse, and if convert
ed it is so stupid as to be unconcious
Of the miraculous renovation. We
have not yet heard from Democratic
lips the confession of the converted,
''The things which we once loved We
now hate, and the things which we
once hated VIC now love-"


REPUBLICANS.


On the other hand we have boiling
and discarded Republicans only testi-
flying to the death or conversion of the
Democratic party. Mr.. Sumner thinks
it has been converted because it agrees
with him in his one idea of opposition
to General Grant. With him this on.
position has become a mania. His
hatred of the President has so engross-
ed his whole intellectual and moral
nature as to overshadow every other
consideration. With him party prin-
ciple dwindles into insignifcance in
the heat of his rage against the man
whom he cannot control. He is APP
parently laboring under the hallucina-
ton that the United States are not
large enough TO hold two such men as
himself and the President. Like the
old Roman Senator, who came to the
forum every day with the excIama-
tion, Carthage must be destroyed"
Sumner makes the welkin ring with his
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