Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1848-11-03
From the Washington Union.
TO THE DEMOCRACY OF THE UNION

;mnortance. The spirit of federalism, which
was prostrated by the election of MIR. Jetfer,
son to the presidency in 1900, is again revived
II has assumed some new guises. and made
some new issues, but it is the same spirit
which developed itself fully under the rule ct
| the elder Adams. 1t seeks now, as II did then,
ga stronger government" It is in search o.
the cementng powers of a central influence.
It distrusts the wisdom and prudence OF the
| people. It seeks, by an upIlfted governmental
arm, to guide those questions OF the relative
| conditions of production and consumption, I'M
| port and export, the raising and the dIStrbu-
| lion of a revenue, the internal police and 60
vernment of the public domain, and the con-
struction of the true powers of tie constitution:
which have from that important epoch. 1orm-
ed lines of separating policy, and placed dem
ocracy at the nadr and federalism at the re
NTH of c0nstructjonism, or political iahtudlna-
rianism. It's tendency is habltually to Glstrust
and Circumscribe Il government OF the people,
and to place great relances on selected classes
of men who, possessed of fiscal power, affect
superior wisdom and comprehension IN the
discovery Of g new checks and balances" i'll
the Interpretation and administration OF affairs
| Yet, when these affairs are committed to then
hands by the people, as they were IN 1910
what scenes of wild political riot, fiscal expe-
riments, and public extravaganza did we moi
behold? Who has forgotten the shackles with
which they bound down agricultural labor. by
a high tariff? Who has forgotten the wild
glee OF official patronage by which they aim
ed to perpeuate their power, in the re-dlstrl-
button, among themselves, of the whole class
of official office bearers, from the highest tc
the lowest? Who has forgotten the extraor-
binary policy of adding to the Juror of spoils
by bringing qChole States into the vortex, and
proposing to divide among them the avails OF
the public lands? Who has forgotten, or will
ever forget, their false and repeated attempts
10 wrest banking from its proper custody in
| the power of the States, and striving to make
the United States treasury gigantic office OF
discount and brokerage'
Four years experience OF the development
of these principles, in their hands, convinced
the people that they had been deceived by
false promises, and in 1874 they restored the
administration TO democratic hands.
| But another and more determined effort is
now making TO Wrest back hat power which
the had SO grossly abused between March Al
and March '45. Yet who is so weak as tC
imagine that they have changed their princi
pies of action-that they have taken lower
seat by the side of the peopie-that they have
become convinced of the anti-democratic influ
ence of high tarifS-of governmental banks
of the distribution of the proceeds OF the pub
lie lands-and the whole list Of corruphng
and demoralizing measures by which the pub
lie offices were, in effect, set up TO the highest
bidder, and struck down to those who shouted
loudest for the reign of federalism, and eXulted
most arrogantly over the discounted friends
of democracy? Who believes it? we repeat
Not one! not a man, who has calmly consd
cred the operations of the government as ad
minstered under the fixed and limited prnc
Piles of the constitution.
A few new issues are attempted to be made
by one or two factions of the mixed whig par
ty, who now oppose the democracy. But thu
great mass of that party appear 10 have beef
so hopeless OF success in submitting plat
form of their principles for the decision OF tn
people, that they offered none whatever at th
nomination of THEN candidate. And who diC
they nominate at this convention, in which nj
principles We're laid down for their govern
ment? An officer in the army-a man of 81
little energy or aptitude, that he was som
forty years in rising from lieutenancy to tn
head of q regiment, and who has only within
few years been promoted to the command O
a division, without ever having exercised th
> functions of civil office in his whole life
man against whom there is no objection in tn
line of his profession, at the head of his troops
a man, not one hair of whose head would W
touch not a leaf would we take from tn
wreath of Iaurels which adorns his brow; bu
: who, like GaIba, is called, with his sword il
his hand, to take the chief rulers seat VIII
is merely Il military man, and nothing else
and does not even profess TO know the princi
pies of the government which they have seec
ted him to administer There is but one legit
innate conclusion to be drawn from such
selection 1t is evident that the wings wante
no man at he head of their government VIII
could not be managed by wire-pullers, TO WHOM
they could not say, 6 Do this, and do that,
and it should be done The more profoundl
ignorant he may be Of the principles of tn
constitution; of the great and iealing interest
of the country of the true causes of the pros
perity of agriculture, commerce, and naviga
, ton; of the policy of banking, tariffs, 1even
, ues, and exchanges, the better for them. TIL
more obscure these vital topics were to him
the less he knew, in fact, of the great and in
tricate circle of commerce and resources OF tn
globe, of the varied and conflicting systems O
: the policy of foreign nations, of the grea
workings of the progress of civilization anon
men, so much the more completely would h
subserve the purposes of that party, and tn
louder and more eXultingly can their leader
and followers unite in shouts to Zachary Tav
!, Ior. The explosion of gunpowder, not argu
ments-huZZas, not reasons-availability nc
: fitness, are the means by which the canvas
for such a candidate is sought to be promoted
To VOTE, and not 10 THINK, is the act whic
our fellow citizens are called to perform.
And whom does such man oppose ?
= Whom have the democracy selected to be thei
standard bearer? Lewis Casa man ais
known in early life in the armies of his coun
Il try, at an era when it was invaded by Ian
and sea by foreign enemies man who step
ped boldly forward when the savage scaIping
knife was welded on our frontiers--whe
British ships hemmed in our spreading shores
from castine 10 the Mississippi on
coasts were bombarded, cur towns sacked i
> many places, and our capital set in flames
At this period he was soldier; but his rip
civic talents gave him a still higher claim t
\ his country's regard AS the executive office
e of vast frontier territory, he exercised cor
;. trolling influence on its prosperity. Unde
It the auspices of Gen Jackson, one of the grea
:, est of our rulers, he presided over the Wa
{ Department at period of great difficulty, an
,. with the highest credit. AS American mini:
IL n