Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1851-11-12
Essny ON Democracy.
wnIrrrN Ion rnr RnelsrEn, ~ :. 4.

WRITTEN ron THE REGISTER, ny E. A. W.
In observing the various phenomena of
our age, world-critic would tell us that
spirit is abroad, whose tendency is to
agitate old theories, and to experiment on
new-to overthrow present organizations,
and remodel them after its own ideal
1t says the world wants; it inquiries what
those wants are. 1t opens the vestibule of
world hitherto unknown by us-that
world, the mass. 1t brings us in connec-
ton with the people," the divine peo-
pie" the people who think, reason, and
decide on all matters pertaining to their
interests; and we are astonished to find
that there existed so much of intellect in
what we had considered, the syoophytes
of society. We stand rebuked when we
hear them pronounce judgement on our
government, when we hear them assert
that the future is-Uflaeir's. They have lis
tened with interest, and decltted- With ris; =
partially on our legislations, and we trem.
BILE for our conservative policy before the
high resolve-the harmony of effort which
they present us. awe want" say they
ga Democracy! Nota Democracy ofworis
but ideas,-not oftheory but practice
You lcgiSlate for us, but you refuse to 4
the iconoclasts which corrupted legisA4
ton demands You worship men, ut
facts! You make laws for yourselves ri
for us! A true Democracy representsts
people, you represent yourselves A
Democratic government, is governmpt
by the people! You, would govern us--
You Withhold from us our inalicnable Fe
negatives, land and labor, by imposing
tariff whose word is protection" ut
whose idea is MONOPOLY; "A system dega
ding in its results, inasmuch as it miSe Is ,
the rich, richer; and the poor, poore, Ill
1t forces us to pay more in proportion TO :
our property, than you. You pay DO :
more for your imported satins, than Nc :
fol. our calicocs. You levy duty MY >
on the necessarics your luxurics Are !,
nominally taxed to please those of usv ho .
cannot understand You can do J is, i,
'DScduse we1rttEU- vrr,rssgt tod revN will thc /
power, and you have taken ADVANTAGE of !
our righteousness, by arrogating en-
irely to yourselves. When the poweis on
one side, there must be subsection OF The =
other. Such subsection implies tyahy, :
,yrany precludes the idea Of frccdn.- 4"
Where there is no freedom, there cd be ."
no Democracy. =
This then is the want of our acca the :
fact of a Democracy. We must no niger y
point the people, when they compln of =
this want, to ruinous presidents. say +
ruinous, for the political policy of d past
age, cannot be the policy of a presnt.- O
The laws of an age should be sui ID ct a
that age. So will the happiness 81 the L
people be secured and true DENT cracy r
be established. The people know what n
they want, and it remains for III. their d
trustees, to supply them. We, the Dem s
Ocrats, the reformcrs. v
A true Democrat is reformer He is r
such, His ideas of spvern- d
ment eminate from the people IL loves n
them, he legislates for them, andi c iden- n
titles himself with them. They, il turn, ,
discover to him the effects of efoneous s
principles. They attest the truth of their l
assertions by revolutionizing. ~ ley look n
to the reformer for D1GSter-Spik The
peoples revolutions are always D4 mOcrat- Il
c. He leads them-thus he becomes a Ii
reformer, thus he proves himself Demo- r.
crat. &
But he who owns himself sncII throws a
down the gauntlet to power-seltsh, con- "
sentative power. His life must pc one of d
warfare /; he must posse rs energy 4
% combat, perseverance to overcome, and s
ooldness to dare the opposition IF an in "
riguing and corrupt party, WI se prin- \
'iples are based upon consefv Walton of /
wealth, and consequent power. in opposi- r
ion to the more rational policy of Free n
Trade and Free Lands. He must be BIZ
used by no opinion or sect, and bound by
10 principles but those of Honor, the Peo- d
Die, and God. This is Democracy. n