The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1848-08-05
citizens Of New York. 10 accept this

citizens Of New York. to accept this !
candidate OF ours. We intreat you ID =
reflect on this one fact, that the democ.
racy Of this State constitutes one SIKH
part Of the democracy Of the Union ~. .
We ask you to deeply pc onder and con-.
slider what are likely to be the terribIs Z
consequences, not to the democratic
party alone, but TO civil liberty in thiS
country. If by your divisions, by your
local chickering's, between some few on
one side and some few on the othet---a'
il, from this cause, this ticket Of oul par.
" should'b defeated. ! beg you 70 10. y
fleet on the consequences that may FOL.
low. This election may 60 10 tho
House Of Representatives, and, Ia that
event, your half million Of voters are
put on a par with the ten thousand Va. = ,
ters Of Delaware. Will you suffer this
election to 60 10 The House Of Repre- ( |,
sentatives? [Cries Of ''no, no.'l VIII
you thus paralyze the energies Of New, I,
York? Renewed cries Of .No no."1
Will you reduce yourselves in point Or
political influence to one-if,ieth part of
your just weight? [Cries of"Neverr'1liil
If not, struggle then to sustain tho
names of Cass and Butler. sTCries Of
tive will" and loud cheering.} I'couId q
desire, my friends, to say much more
on the subject. could desire to call
your attenton-not speaking as ons
who has right 10 say moro than
friends may say when communing with
friends, but speaking as democratic
speak in the name and on the behalfof
your democratic brethern elsewhere
and appeal to you. democrats Of New
York, TO remember the day when tho
democracy Of New York placed the
democratic party Of the Union in pow
er by deciding the election in favo, Of
Jefferson. lappeal to you whether Or
not this itself does not impose on you
the obligation to avoid, so TAR as lies ia )
you, putting in power the whig party
by the defeat of General Cass. There
are no other parties in this country;
there can be no other. You may have
segments and semi.circles cut of from
the great body Of the two parties; but
the mass OF the nation are, and forever
must be, until nature shall change the
heart Of man-until it shall please God
to expel the present passions Of thos
heart, and friendship from the bosom
Of manhood until that time comes, Il
is morally impossible that there can Be
but two great parties in the United
States. These parties are founded sn
opposite views Of government. Ono
OF them believes, most soIemnly and
sincerely, that on all political questions
the masses of the people are the safest
judges; and they believe SO on the
ground that the masses have not only
no inducements to judge wrong, but
every incentive to Judge right; that,
with the means Of kno wing tho truth,
and interested in the promotion Of truth,
they are for that reason the fittest tri-
bunal TO whom the great question, Of
what shall be the law, should be submit
ted. On the other hand, there is por-
ton OF our couptrymen who doubt this.
They may be honest as men--as public
men; but the fact canno, be concealed
that there is a large portion Of our
countrymen who doubt the capacity Of
the people for selfgovernment; which
the democrats claim for them. These
parties are the only ones that can b.
formed under the constitution both Of
government and Of human nature. AN
other organizations are but outside Or
CARNATIONS. They cannot subsist ex.
cept as mere factions. You might a.
well undertake TO make third distinc-
tion between right and wrong, AZ to
, make third party between the demo-
i cratic and whig parties. Hence, the
old Scripture law is good law-4good,
not only because II is in the Bible, for
it would have been true without being
) in the Bible, and il is true with the dem.
] ocratic party-that all who are not for
us1 are against us. (Cries Of ~good!
i good" M. ~. axag 1o ~,
Il Remember, then, fellow-citizensc that
you have in this contest much at stake.
: You have the liberties Of your country.
4 lfyou put men in power who entertain,
principles hostile TO the free, full snsa
/, equal liberty Of the people, you put men
in power who, though not desiignedly.
will prove substantially, and 10 all in
tents and purposes, the enemies Of tho
people. Remember that. And IS this
a time for the democracy Of the Union
to be defeated? In this era Of ls4s.
when the examples Of the American de-
mocracy has spread throughout Europe.
lstiring up oppressed millions 10 The a.