Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-10-04
ron THE ePECTAToR.
WHAT is DEMOCRACY

originating IN the necessities and prescribed by the
wisdom of the past, we cannot feel too deeply the
Importance of awakening the public mind to the
dangers which threaten our own. This Importance
Is, OF course, in proportion to the intrinsic worth
and practical advantages Of our own peculiar and
complex form of government-tle offspring DINA
Ter minds familiar with the character of our people
tho circumstances, resources, and capabilities of
lheiT country-a country for which they had per.
ed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred no
nor, with no motive TO deceive and with all the
ight which The experience OF ages and tho pages
OF history could shed their pure and patriotic
minds, whose combined and concentrated powers
uader dicne guidance, produced, after much de-
hoeraton, toll and anxiety, that wonderful piece of
political mechanism, which has been the peculiar
blessing oi our own, and the admiration of every
other county, mean the Constitution of the u
Siates.-Ihat Sun of our political armament under
whose Illuminating and vivifying influence we have
attained In little more than alfa century TO such
gigantic proportions, and Il position so exalted a.
mong the nations Of the earth, that the great and
only source of our danger will be in SUFFERING that
Sun TO be over Swallowed by those party preiudces
and popular passions which ever since the mornino
that 1t first arose has been endeavoring for personal
and party ends TO obsiruct and obscure its pht I'M
til 1t has been seriously threatened with total e.
chpse, and that by the very Democracy for whose
protection it had been so wisely. so benipnly and
lngenlously fabricated by federal hands What was
me charge brought against the old Federal party
That they were in favor of strong Executive
that those pure and brave spirits who first won by
their valor the liberties they subsequently cnshrin
ed and rendered sacred by giving YOU Constitution
intended 10 shield them alike from the selfish en-
croachmcnts Of the Executive and the suicidal pas
sions OF the populace-that these men were the adj
vocates oil executive power against popular rights
in word, were onarchsts-odous monarch
isis. So strong and groundless was this party pre-
judlce that one of the Electors of John Adams. ST.
tod in thn Rtnlp nj L,. 4
"God save the King for old Col Powcll.o who
participated In that revolution which gave you your
Iibertles-enjoyed the confidence and received for
Congress the vote Of the father of his country |
mention this circumstance, as one point, show
TO what lengths party prejudice and animosity may
carry us IN their perverting and binding influence
upon the popular mind. Now, inasmuch rs facts
are the strongest arguments, let us test by their
unpreJudiced light and impartial testimony the re-
sPectve claims OF tho two great conflicting parties
to being the peculiar friends of the people, or, of
popular rights against Executive power and en-
enactment The Wings, and let it be rccollect-
ed that these very much abused and misrepresented
Federailsts were the Wings of the Revolution a
gainst the Vetoes of George III. and his Cabinet
alias Ministry, the Democrats, who. after first
counting the people at the husngs play the same
game for Executive favor that they do for the IA
vor oil the people, and uniformly found arrayinp
themselves on the side Of the Executive and his
Veto against the popular-the Democratic branch
OF the Government-the immediate representatives
OF tho people, while the Wings seeing the dancer
Gus abuse of this power in Inc hands of unprinci-
pied men, sustained by the immense and growing
patronage OF the government, would fain curiail
this one man pOlcer-this monarchical feature of
our government for the protection of the rights of
the people. If the House of Representatives be as
1T is, the Democratic branch of our government and
the EXecutlve-the monarchical-I would call upon
the common sense of the people to decide which
party has the best claims to being Democratic-the
party which would control the legislation of the
country, and drown the voice of majority Of the
peoples immediate representatives with the Exec
utlve Veto. thereby moulding the laws TO the will
or caprice OF one man, sustained by his drilled and
pensoned satellites, or the Wings, who propose
ccniinng this Veto power-this monarchical fea.
ture OF our government within the limits or inten-
ton OF the Constitution, which designed its exercise
simply as check upon hasty legislation, or as
shield of protection for the Executive against the
entertainments OF the popular branch, certainly not
as sword OF invasion placed i'm the hands Of tho
Executive to be welded against the popular branch
10 the entire peryerson of the character of our 90
Vernment from representative Republic to De-
! nocratlc Despotlsm, recognising the President as
Its sole representative and Congress as the mere
register OF his edcts ? But who can compare the
| cautious and conscicntlous--ihe rare and modest
exercise OF this Veto power by Washington and
MS immediate successors, with its impudent ty-
rannlcal, and profligate abuse for personal and par
| ty ends by jackson and those that succeeded him
without being struck with the olarinr and dapper
Gus departure of our government, under the auspi-
| ces Oh Modern Democracy from its original charac-
| ter as representative Republic whose will was to
be declared by It's representatives in Congress as
semoed and respectfully signed and executed by the
President, into that very odious monarchy or snpre
macy Of the Executive over The Legislative branch
OF the government which had been so much depre-
Gated by one of the early fathers of Democracy in
us pristine purity, before its age Of honest fear in the
infancy OF our untred experiment had given place to
the bold Tecklessness OF jackson, the insinuatinp
and undermlndng cunning of Van Buren, and thai
party dIctatlon, cupidity, and usurpation which Sill
PeTsedng the national Legislature and it's Consti
tutona action with party and partial Conventions
-subYertlDg the Constitution which they swear
to protect, and substituting party legislation and
party ends for practical legislation and national ends
thus dverting the power and resources of the ma
ton from the pacific channel of public improve
mens and the general good. to exhaust them upor
wild schemes of unprlnciped ambition and FOREIGN
conquests making the general welfare and internal
prosperity of the nation subordinate to President
making aud official spoliaiion. Such is Modor,
Democracy In vain do we look for either ;ts
source or sanction IN the Constitution Of Your coun
try-t is not there 1t has its source in The selfish
cupdliy and the aggressive passions Of human ma
ture and unfortunately for The legislation and the
true interests of this country its head quarters ma,
be found at the White House in Wasbinrtcn-tha
hlcca OF Modern Democracy, whittier IFS devoteet
delight every four years to make their pous ant
patriotic Pilgrimage.-There is the grand chappa
rel from which, with Taylor for your leader. il
must be dislodGed, or your Constitution becomes ?
nullity. Let Wing principles, the principles Of
10, ne your powder, Wing votes your grape. and
with "Never Surrender" for your atrspiciou.
and inspiring motto, let them see that Mexcso
Wings, as you have in dcrision been called. are the