Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 October 1880 — What Denicracy Means. [ARTICLE]

What Denicracy Means.

General Hancock in hia Glover ■ letter following the democratic eon vention of 1868 that nominated Seymour, denying the imputation that he was disaatisfiied with the result of the convention; wrote: “Principle* anti not men, ia the motto for the rugged crisis in which we are now struggling. Had I been the Presideudtial nominee I should have coaldered it a tribute,

not to me, but to the principles whichlbul proclaimed and practiced. I shall ever hold in grateful remembrance the faithful friends who, hailing from every section of the union, prefered me by their votes and other expressions of confidence, both in and out of the convention, and shall do them all the justice to believe that they were governed by patriotic motives, that they did not propose simply to aggrandize my personal fortunes, but to save their country through me and that they will not now suffer any thing like personal preferences or jealousies to stand between them and lheir manifest duty.’’

It is no plain that he who runs may read* that Gen. Hancock In this letter plainly and unequivocally avows hia acquiesenee in the declarations of the pl at folrm of 1868. •‘Principles,” he declares, “not men, is the motto for the rugged crisis in which we are now struggling,” Let us see what some of those priciples were which General Hancock so heartily endorsed. One of the planks in that platform provided fora repudiation ot the contract ot the government with its creditors for the payment of the public debt, a principle carried ont by more than half of the -Southern States in the repudiation ot their State debts. Another plank dorsed heartily the soft money theory of the democracy in the West and consequently th£ payment of public obligation* in inrCweemable paper currency. P ai ’t the platform “We regard the reconin-uction acts (so called) of as usurpations aud as unconati<h|ional, null' and void.” These principles of the party to as they were in 1868, General Hancock aa freely indorses the of 1886 and declares. ?‘My policy shall be the democratic policy ofcdurse.’* The platform of 1860 reaffrin* democratic confidence .and adherence to the “doctrines Hud traditions of the democratic Party as illustrated by the teachings of a long line ofillua

trious patriots! and- st atesmen.” Hancock's majority in the Cincinnati con ven t Sun came from- the South. Hampton, Toombs, Hill, Colqnit, a long lint) »of Southern Brigadier patriots aad statesmen solemnly affind, Tauntingly boact, that they are figlAing tor the same principles Wlfich actuated Lee and Jackson* and for which they fought idUr long years. Southern all declare allegiance to the confederacy and filial ivve for Jcfr Duvia, and declare eternal hostility to thosAnbo dare oppose their political <«B»iion. They do not hesitated to cliOtn thai they are entitled to and dd expect remuneration for their locmw during tbe war. These are the priciples, according to Southern declarations, that Hancock, brave, am sgallant 1 soldier as be was, so re? wly endorsed. Can honest men Jove a nation of undivided who desire the right of °qili ion, free speech, a free ballotj f a j r coynt in every paftbfthr u,| i|pn be •|ece3\r-i‘t by the glimme<| M s -w#nion

sword itnd off 'ul**t Ar to *><• choose and cast their ballots ay to place irt .power Who tried by every means availably to destroy the government and / ssjear allegiance to no United hatioo'bnt to a league ot petty so rcroigiltiee? Il is high time for ea* *t>ber thought time to Pr the right despite forrZw^fio^ns — lime to wake up toL/T fj® before us—the issue— >* A i^lue—whether we have// Bail ourselves a natiov/t. • L