| Show HISTORY REPEATED the new york sun recalls some political history that Is opportune because it Is very much the story of the present attitude of the democratic party in its criticisms ot the war in the philippines under the heading lest we forgot the sun says 3 the democratic national convention met at chicago on the ot august that IB it assembled at a time when the armies of the union were everywhere ery where fiercely contesting with the army of the secession southern confederacy the war or the union bad been goloff on or about three years and five months and tho losses in it had boen appalling but the union army had persistently maintained its cause in salta of many defects and drawbacks when however the democrats met in convention at chicago at the end of august 1864 to nominate candidates lor the presidency and vice presidency for the election of that year and to frame a platform of party policy the tide was beginning manifestly 1 to turn in favor of the union forces the southern confederacy was drawing near to its last gasp it had exhausted the military resources of the secession states to keep up the armies which nearly three and a halt years of war had depleted terribly and its brave fight for existence was going on against odds which were irresistible in the lace of these facts what did the national democratic convention do it adopted a platform at chicago on the ath of august 1864 which denounced the war as a failure and demanded that the awful slaughter of union troops during its continuance should be made of no avail that the living should surrender the cause for which tha dead had died this was the language of that forever infamous declaration la by an american political party and it cannot be too often quoted as a warning to pusillanimous politicians resolved that this convention does explicitly declare as the sense of the american people that after four years of laflure to restore the union by the experiment of war during which un der the predence pretence pre tence of a military necessity of a war power higher than the constitution the constitution itself has been disregarded in every part and public liberty and private right alike trodden down and the material prosperity of the country essentially impaired justice humanity liberty and the public welfare demand that immediate efforts be made for a cessation of hostilities with a view to an ultimate convention of all the stales or other peaceable means to the end that at the earliest practicable moment peace may be restored on the basis of the federal union of all the states this shameful demand that the union armies should retire before their armed enemies was made moreover in a year which had been distinguished by bloody battles and had been notable tor union victories ominous in their significance for the secession confederacy only seven months after it had declared that the experiment of war to restore the union was a failure it proved to be completely successful with the consequence that thereafter the american republic made a bound forward in prosperity and potency unexampled in the history of states on nov 8 1864 the national election occurred lincoln carried twenty two states and mcclelian three only new jersey delaware and kentucky we recall these events of a generation ago not to revive the animosities of the civil war but because there are now leaders in the democratic party who are actually meditating the repetition in 1900 of the stupendous blunder of they are again imagining that there Is political capital in calling on the american people to surrender ig to their enemies and infamously to throw away the fruits of victory won in war by the valor and self sacrifice of american soldiers and sailors |
