Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-01-30
OUR NEIGmBoR THE pENlocRAT

OUR NElGHBOR the DEMOCRAT
The Augusta Democrat assails our article in
tho last Spectator upon the duty Of the present
General Assembly to make an election Of Senator
with some fury, though with little or no argu-
ment. ltplants itself upon the Democratic ma
jority in the late Presidential election, and voc-
ferously insists that it would be monstrous for
Wing to be elected. This is the burden of it's
song; but il does not pretend to point out how
such result may be regularly and constitutions
ally prevented, if the Wings have majority in
the Legislature. 1t certainly cannot be by the
Democratic members refusing TO 60 into an cleo
tion.-That fact il was our object TO show. in the
article upon which the Democrat comments and
we do not deem it necessary here to recapitulate
our arguments. But the Democrat says our doc
'rines are federal" Very well-we think we
have shown satisfactorily that they are those of
the Conaitution.-'rherei is certainly nothing of
"Dorrisns" abou, them. II seems to think, too,
that every candid mind must be forced to admit,
from the tenor Of the second paragraph of our ar
tcle, that we "doubt the capacity of the people
Tor selfgovernment." We said in that para
graph that "ihe people may sometimes err" and
that 'it is truth which is declared by the whole
structure of our government" How our neigh
Dor could draw an inference like this from such
language, we confess we do not exactly see.
Pray, MIR. Democrat, in what school did YOU learn
your logic2 We had supposed that it was an u.
Universally admitted fact that there could be such
thing as reguhuted liberty; nay more, that there
can be no liberty, without !aV Ergo, as M,o is
in itself restraint, the necessity for it must arise
from the fact that "the people may sometimes err.
This is our logic.
But there is still another little piece of injus-
tice which our neighbor does us, 1--WE hope unin-
tentonally) in this connexion, which we deem il
proper TO notice. The Democrat says in one
breath, that "the Spectator has shown its hand,
and we see Federalism Of the deepest, darkes,
dye. plainly impressed upon it, and in the next
breath that "he shrinks from on open and candid
declaration of the sentiments Of his party" VIVA,
Is the precise idea which is meant to be convey
ed here, we do not hnow-but it does not seem,
from any reading which we can give il, altoge,h-
er consistent in itself. If zoe have shown our
hand' what right has it to complain of us Why
should 1t charge US with shrinking from respon-
sihiliy! Because we have not the arrogance to
speak on any and all occasions, in the name and
for the whole Wing party? That would be un-
reasonable. Is ii fair them TO tear one Of our ex-
pressons from its context, which is calculated 10
make false impression upon the minds of its
readers and reason upon it, too, as if il evinced
disposition in us to conceal our "true principles
Tor the purpose of deceplion?" The Den. ocrat
well knows that we assumed all the responsible
ty which justly belonged to the sentiment ex-
pressed by us, 'that the people may sometimes
err 1t IS true that we said, (perhaps a little
mschievously,) that we did not feel called upon
to "assume the entire responsibility of the SEN
timent, as the Democrats themselves had SO loud
ly proclaimed it by their jeers and sarcasms upon
the poor, ''deluded people, in 1910! If the Dem
ocrat had only seen fit to give us the benefit of
this, our 0Un reason, for declining the ''enfire
responsibility" its reasoning on the subject
might perhaps have been spared. But let that
Pass-As old Stapleton says, "Beter luck 1--WE
hope] next time!''
In regard TO the alleged misconduct of the
Wing party in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and
Maryland, which the Democrat urges as sort of
offset to the iniquity which it wishes the Yir-
GINA Senate to commit, we happen to have read
other and different versions of those transactions.
But we have not time or room to enter upon them
now. 1t is enough for our present purpose to
say, that let these disorders have been originated
by whomsoever they may, whether by Wings or
Democrats, they have never yet invaded our own
orderly commonwealth, and that it ought to, and
we hope will be. the object and earnest effort of
us all to keep them out of it.