, 1842-05-28
From the Tennessee Waterman
PARTY SPIRIT.


So vile has become the almost
of party spirit of recent that it is dt
> basing to the morals of our country
, its practices which have grown int
vogue, are destructive, and dcstoyIn
: the force Of yirtuous examples, an
: levelling the influence of all men Il
, that vulgar standard which acknowl
edges no superiority but brutal force
Principles, consistency and truth, arr
almost disregarded in the madness o
party-such has been the agitation.
of the public mind, in relation to oul
political affairs, that neither piety. mo
rality, nor patriotism have any check
upon the unbridled course of party
spirit. its vortex has absolved them
all; whirling mems minds into Il rech'
less passion and fury that have over.
whelmed every barrier.
Fracid violence, profanity and per-
Jury have stalked even to the ballot
boxes. in violation of every principle
of Justice; and men in authority cor
rupted by the love OF office, have de-
cendcd from their high stations to en-
gage in the vulgar and selfih scram-
bIes, while the ramiiications o! social
and private life have been invaded by
all manner OF bitterness, strife, and
prejudice. i
Seeing such TO be the ends Of party
spirit, are there not vast motives
pressing upon us for a lofty effort TO
maintain our principles? What SOL
emn warnings, at once demand our
vigilance in the cause in which we
we are battling, (''the pnb'ic good a.
bore pariy.') for upon the maintain
ance of which depend the liberties Of
our country.
As IN example Of the destructive
ends Of party spirit, we have only to
examine the unsealed books Of the old
world, exhibitingthc marvellous strug-
giles in the of human liberty.
Greece, the land Of scholars and the
nursery of arms, which once sung the
songs ofliberty. Whcrei is she? Her
sons are no more. She fell not when
the mighty were upon her. No, her
sons were united 1T Thernnpoica and
and Marathon. where the tide of her
triumphs rolled back upon the l~icllcs-
pont. Her liberties were lost by the
d~eScension and corruption other own
people. Rome, Republican Rome.
whose eagles gazed on the rising sun.
Where is she? She, too. more than
eighteen centuries ago, fell 4 victim
to party spirit; and where, we might
ask, are the Republics that clustered
around Italy? They exist but in name.
having long since fell a prey 10 the
demon Of party spirit, which is ingrait-
ing itself into the vitals of our own
Government, and alternating the ties
of attachment, so highly essential for
its preservation and perpetuation.
Can it be that Americans will suffer
themselves TO be led by the faction of
party, until they will have opened the
flood gates Of ruin upon our country?
VIII they heap upon their own heads
animosities whitening and blight
ing, in moral and political effects, than
the desoiation of the fearful syrocco?
Will they convert our political Eden.
now exuberent with flowers of pros
perlty and happiness. into a wilder
ness desolate and forsaken, and forev-
or destroy and break up the social
and civil relations of or free i%nstitu-
tons? Such would be the ultimate
end, if pursued, of examples already
set, and which would forever obIiter-
ate the name Of eur Republic from
the record Of nations, and add her to
the catalogue of those whose inscrip-
tons, are. "Me werc bu, arc not"
= = i 4
We call upon you all, without dis
tInction OF party, as you regard your
country and her institutions, and as
you value the happiness of your pos
no longer TO be deceived by
the sweet sound Of NAMES, void of the
realities of that which they mean, but
let us unite upon the principles of
Republican liberty, and h~enceforth
be the followers ofpRINcrpLEs, (instead
Of men, misguided by blinded zeaI.)
evcr bearing in mind the public good
by SO doing, we may preserve the
asst beacon light of freedom, which is
10 guide other nations of the earth to
The requirements and possessions of
he same high destinics to which we
nay, if united, arrive.