Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1845-04-30
Frora the Democratic Review. for April.
i MUCH-NEEDED REFORM.


thoughtful minds and patriotic hearts a.
rnong All our political parties, though, in.
deed, il is chiefly from our own, the party
Of Democratic freedom, movement and
openncss 10 such suggestions Of refotm,
that we must expect any favorable hear
ing for such suggestion as we desire to
make. @
In the first place, all will agree with us
in one thing ~ that our Presidential cleo
tons have become tremendous nuisances.
That they seem 10 be growing worse and
worse every time, is equally clear. Only
reflect upon the recollec.ions Of 1910 and
1874. Is il not monstrous evil that the
whole country should be agitatcd with such
desperate struggle Of parties, as that
which, in both these years, has ragged over
the whole length and breadth of the land,
from centre to EXTREMIST circumference
Are not these frequent shocks loo violent,
TOO conyusing, too dislocaling2 Is it a
trifing mischief, that our population; dvi-
ded into two almost equal numerical
halves, should be every fouryear thus pre-
cipitated against each other, with all the
luminosity, bitterness, reyilings, and resent
ments which now mingle all their elements
to swell that huge evil of Party Spirit,
which all deplore, yet all share, and all
contribute TO stimulated That so much
time should be wasted, so much capital
squandered, SO much energy misapplied,
so much bad feeling mutually excited, so
much Generalization, public and private,
engendored? Surely, on this point, at
least, all of our readers will heartily agree.
But, how is the evil to be remedied?--
is the next consideration; or, if not sus-
ceplible of remedy, at least mitigated?
Fewer eleciions-a longer tenure Of the
Presidency-will probably be the answer
of most to whom the question for the first
time presents itself. The suggestion once
made by General Jackson, of six years
and single term, will doubtless occur to
almost every reader. Would that change
mend the matter? Far, indeed from il;
and General jackson never made great.
or mistake in his life.
For what's il that has swelled our Pre-.
sideniial elections into what we see them
now? What is il but the immense impor-
lance already attaching to them9 If the
Importance Of the Office, from its control
ling veto influence on Legislation for four
wears, is increased-if the interests in
voved III IT. by converting the general le-
nure of all the benefits of its patronage
from four years 10 six, are magni6ed in the
proportion of those figures other
effect could be produced than 10 swell the
very evil which is thus sought to be reme-
died by process akin, in wisdom, TO thai
of exlinguishing fire by the addition of
fuel?
But, ii may be said, we should at least
have long period Of intermission. Allow
one or two years for the actual contest,
there would be at least four or five of
something like repose. This is falacy.
Have we any notwithstanding repose---
anything better than slight, momentary
lul in the perpetually raging storm? And,
surely, it would be proportionate'y worse,
if the fury of the storm were 10 be in
creased, by the stimulation Of the causes
TO which it is chiefly to be ascribed. 1t is
not every four years that we hold Pre-
sdenlial Election now II is every year;
in some States every halfyear. Mt only
every member of the federal legislature,
but, as general rule, every officer Of
every State government, executive and
legislative nay, every town-clerk and
every village constable lis elected on Pre-
sidential principles, Presidential interests,
Presidential tendencies. Wing songs for
lS4S are already set to music--aIready
sung by the registering patriotism Of bar
room politics. The echoes of the shouts
which greeted President Folks inaugural
are yet in one year, while the other is al
ready sauted with party clamors and par
ty discussions having reference 10 the for
nation Of issues and organizations for The
election OF his successor. Gentlemen may
cry rest, but there is no rest! And all this,
or large part of it, grows out of the
vast magnitude Of the consequences Of an
election, on the present tenure Of power
BY a victorious party. This is the great
motive - this the perpetual stimulus.
Hence the hope and the efiort--hence the
anger and the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES the.
strong excitement Of the ambitions, int.
rests, inirigues, and passions which attend
one Of these great struggles Of parties,
and which become Immediately transfer
red--wilh scarcely diminished violence,
even though the loudness Of their express
sion may subside for while--to the next
renewal of the same still beginning, never
ending contest.
The true remedy lies exactly in the op.
poslte direction. Attack the effect in IFS
causes. Do not dream Of reducing the
former by magnifying the latter, but in
proportion as you reduce the latter the for
mer will subside, if we may never expect
osee it wholly disappear. Make Pre-