Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-02-28
From the Boston Post
Position of the Democratic party.

Until the downfall of our institutions there never
can exist but two parties in the United States-one
in favor of strict construction of the constitution
the other claiming for Congress powers nowhere con-
fded to it by this law for governors
The republican party. it called itself at the
commencement, or the democratic party, as 1t was
called by its opponents and the democratic republ-
can party, it has since called itself, the tory
and loco foco party, it has of late years been sty
led by its opponents are one and the same party,
based on one and the same principle viz adherence
to strict construction of the constitution denying
the exercise by Congress of any power not deegateu
to it in express terms, and jealous OF any 10
deprive either the State governments OF the exercise
of any of their reserved powers or lndxduais OF any
of the rights retained by the people Hence IL Is IN
it's very essence conservative party-a party guar
dino with vigilance the violation of any provision OF
the constitution truly federal party-a party Jeal
ously checking any attempt OF congress TO erect IT.
selfinto an omnipotent body, ike the British Para
ment with a consolidating, concentrating policy;
State right party-protectng the States IN the ex-
elusive exercise of all powers not ceded by our or
ganic law to Congress; republican party-a party.
guarding the equal rights of Individuals agants the
tyranncal attempts of the federal and State Legs-
atures to establish maintain exclusive privileges
democratic party-upholding all the rights retained
by the people as rights not safely to be trusted to the
tender merces of incompetent or corrupt legislators
either in Congress or in the State legislatures
Whoever does not belong to this party belongs to
an opposition and sectional party-to some party
seeking for special reasons subscribing private and
exclusive or local interests to get the ship of state
out of its republican and constitutional track, and
steer it into pratical and plundering voyage.
The history of parties for the brief period of
their existence under our constitution is full of in
struction.
The party which STYLED itself federal was in fact,
an anti federal party In favor OF the concentration OF
power into the hands of: what it enthusiastically
called it, the national government, in order to de-
prive the States of the powers they jealousy
served, and the people of the rights they were so
bent on keeping under their guardianship
Hence it was monarchical in its tendencies, antire
publican in its feelings and aims, and anti-democrat-
ic in its spirits. much that it considered the
term democratic" given by it to the republicans,
the most offensive term of reproach it could posi-
bly, invent. Its fundamental ethical principle was
ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY: e. the right of government
to do its own will and pleasure-a notion borrowed
from feudal Europe resisted there for centuries
poded partially in practice by the most enlightened
governments, but blasphemous y adhered to IN full
rigor only by the most wful and unchristan tyran-
MES of that doomed continent. This party was SIN
cere and honest in its creed The reflected ideas of
all European literature, and, particularly, of the
English mind, were too strong for men who had not
vet dgested the home born truths which filled the
American head and heart. They really believed IN
absolute human sovereignty. Hence, in the construc-
ton of new government, after the revolution, they
sought to make the governors irresponsible. This
principle alone betrayed their secret creed Such
party could i'll succeed in country like ours, set
tied by who had heard the doctrine OF sOvereg On
ty discussed from boyhood, by men who had fled
from a continent, where much practically
based upon these doctrines, to the world tC
build up and en- Joy new order Of hingS-an order
of society and government based upon the supremacy
of human laws for the preservation Of order and fol
the establishment, on firm footing. Of the equality
of human ghtS in the presence of these laws IL
that of the only sovereign they acknowledged. The
descendants of such men, deeply imbued with The
ideas thus newly introduced into practice, could
be cheated by the miserable trick of nicknaming al
opponent
Theessentally monarchical principles and feeling
of this sef-styled federal party openly repudi
ated and resisted by most of the great and leadin!
men of the day, and by an overwhelming aiority
of the people They utterly refused to recognize the
idea of absolute sovereignty in their constitution, o.
in the institutions thereby established That kings
or governments of any sort could do ncrong-coulC
usurp the prerogative of the Almighty to do one'
own will and pleasure-was precisely the opposite
of the doctrine they laid down and acted upon thro
out with the utmost cOnstancy and consistency
This European notion did not at all square will
their idea either of religion government Thei
doctrine was, that kings and governments, not onl,
from their position but from the frailty of mankind
which kings and members of governments laboreC
under in common with the governed inclined to d.
rrong, to violate the rights of the governed ant
that, therefore, A LAW WAS NECESSARY TO GOV
ERIN THE GOVERNMENT. They wanted strict law
plain that none could fail to see when it swerve
from the line of duty-a responsible government
that should confess its accountability to the PEG
pie and not set up any higher law any highe
WISDOM any higher g holiness as the STANDARD
of political acts-a free government-one that d
not mix church and state, cutting off thereby an
chance of the church controlling political power un
der any higher law principle of divine right The
wanted, let it be repeated, law to govern the gov
ernment Hence constitution, not like that of Grea
Britain, where the government itself parceled GU
such powers as it fit, and had means to usurr
among the different departments thereof as thes
departments could by agreement arrange with eac
other, but constitution where THE PEOPLE gave
the government such powers the people saw Fl
and retained for themselves all others among the1
that OF changing their charter of government power
thereby asserting the Democratic principle in drec
opposition to the divine right of kings.
What an august spectacle was this. whole pee
pie acknowledging its own imperfections, not bias
phemously asserting the perfection of its wsdo1
and power, as kings, emperors and popes, who ha
heretofore got the reins of political power had done
but on the contrary, (by providing for change
even their constitution, the result of deep, anxiou
political science,) confessing that this instrumer
was the result of only frail and imperfect wisdom
and offering up in the eyes of the whole world tn
substitute, of mutual human control over 0utmar
actions and relations, for lessenng the evils cause
by human passions and crimes as in itself an inpe1
feet sacrifice compared with perfect obedience
their True Sovereign. And what dignity was show
in the act of retaining under their own control til
guardianship of their rights, instead of stupdl
intrusting it to the hitherto boosted superioritv
this respect, of governors