Arkansas democratic banner., 1851-07-01
THE CONTEST.

The contest IS going on baavely. The Demo- cratic candidate, Hon. Robert W. Johnson, strong and popular with the people is gaining friends whever he goes. The people like the generous bearing of the man. and they like his principles and although it is special election they mean to turn out in masses and vote for him. They are not to be gulled by such barefaced and miserable faSehoods that he is a disunionist or secession ist. The Whigs knop the charge to be false schen they make it. The idea is absurd and Whig inven- tion should have produced something more plau- sible than that-even if Mir. Johnson had not in- dignantly denied it over his own signature. In his letter recently published he says, "I have been, I maintain, the truest and best friend of this US- IGN, and am yet for have sosght to preserve it as we received it, from our fathers, and if elected, shall continue the struggle so far as my humble voice can manifest my will. But the compromise measures are now the law of the land. do not propose disunion as the remedy. I do not propose secession. l know the divisions among us through out the whole South and the folly of such Propo- sitions. But am called upon to endorse and ap- prove those measures In my heart can not dc it. and will not. What do I want is asked I want the South to expect coatinued aggression, and expecting 1t I want her to unite and prepare herself in a spirit of Union among ourselves to re- pei and forever to arrest it; that the constitution and our rights guaiantied by it may be preserved. Who is there among us that will advocate not only submission to the wrongs already done us but that is prepared submissvely to see the Constitu- ton set aslde and to be treated by Congress of 4ha ii. treated her West India subjects' Now if those who have been true to the South to be destroy ed for defending the rights of their constituents heretofore involved and lost. those who may at tempt it hereafter have little to expect and should should be destroyed too''
 There are no disunionistS in Arkansas. It is false issue. No body is in favor of dissolving the Unon-no body is in favor of secession, so that the Wings will not make much capitol by their late invention. The issue IS between De- moeracy, on one hand and whiggery on the other. Robeit W. Johnson is the Democratic and John Preston. IT,, the Whig candidate, and the Whig papers call on their party to rally as one msR on the latter and we invoke the Democracy as par ty to rally around Mir. Johnson.
 The party lines are drawn and the importance of the election may be appreciated when it IS known that if the next presidential election should go into the House of Representatives which is by no means improbable, the Representative elected now will cast the vote of this State and that Yote will count as much as the vote of New York, Pennsylvania or Ohio, Shall 1hig then cast thas pote : What hos Arkansas done that she should be punished with the calamity of haTing a whig Representative in Congsess Why should Arkan- sas at this late day in her history renounce that noble old democratic faith 10 which she adhered from the rst and turn the State to the tender
 nercies of the whig party-a party as unprincipled as any thnt exists on earth. Is not Mr. Johnson a true democrat, and has he not made an able ana faithful Representative of hts Statel What req son can be urged why he should not be again tri- umphantly elected, as he has been twice before. There is too much apathy in our party respecting elections. We call on the democracy to turn out at this election and sustain their candidate, be- cause in doing that they sustain their cherished principles. It is onlya day-a part ofa dayspared from upoR laborS aAd in good cause. Do lnot suppose becaase we are of the majority that 10 exertion need be made. In that consists the dan ger, For minorities are always more active than. maionties. Let every democrat then exert himself, remembering that " eternal vigilance is the price of liberty" Let every democrat feel pride and pleasure as well as regard it his duty to be active and vigflant. Let the nominee of our convention receive in August next such an overwhelming ma jority as will be rebuke on whiggery and its false hoods and tricks and deceptons tn all time to come.
 The democrats have the power and can do it. '' To your tents, ohl Israeli!