The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-07-06
From The True National Democrat June Is
DEMOCRACY AND FREE SOlLlSM

The uirst mlschevous of all mischieyou
men is ne who, by constantly alluding to popu
lar evil, encourages lis perpetuity-he VIII
''k' cps it before the people" under the pretenc
"f denouncng ',and thus forces into active vital
ity The smuuderiny embcrs Of its existence -
Since the election Of President Pierce and tn,
general adoption, under his adm nstration, O
the principles OF the Baltimore platform, We
have known no such distinctions MS ademocrac,
and free solism we have believed in no such
invioious and cant political affiliations as "hard
and soft Shells" as "hunkers,' "compronise
democrats" Ac. II was and it still is our firm
impression that these small arms of the cam
Paign were thrown away as worse than useless
on the nomination Of Gen. Pierce To pick
them up diligently at this moment for public
exhibition may indicate industry, but it is no
proof OF wisdom; for the time wasted in such
an act might b. employed in some lcss suspi-
cious occupation. We thought, and we still
think, that all these apparitions Of deiunct dis
ogre. mems in the demot ratio church had been
carefully inferred with the bones of past political
offences, and the man who now inv ,kes them,
or seeks to invoke them, as bug.a 6oos, to alarm
the timid and the credulous with their idle ex-
halations, may possibly mean it once or twice
iof amusement, but the per,inacity looks as if
ne intended to be treacheruus. "The man who
goes once to the house of correction" saws
felham, "Inny be philosopher. He may 90
the second tine by accident. If he 20 the
third, he must be either rogue or a mad
man
We deny all lines Of artificial demarcaion in
the democratic ranks except those which spon-
taneously arise from greater or less activity in
the good cause, and are honorable marks of
more or less political ambition. Necessity and
the times make some men leaders, while others
infn ha fr,II hro,
less conspicuous, position OF obrdient splders
But the election deluge Of last March swept
away all other distinctions Every democrat is
now compromise democrat, or else he can be
no democrat at all and the man who can con-
lure up anything else for poll ical purposes
draws, as was said of Sheridan, upon his fancy
or his facts, if he do not draw upon his facts,
IN his conjurations, for his fancy.
Such would-be geese upon the Roman walls
If our citadel may make all the noise that Ma
tife has gifted them with the power of produc.
ng, but they will never be able to make the
'tout-hearted in the faith believe in the presence
IT danger from the ghost of such dead, gone
ssues on the political battle field We are no
believers in such futile resurrections They
nay tell us:
"Clrcumstances had made us intimately
cquainted with the condition IF political parties
the free soiD in nearly every county in this
State
This is possible. The circumstances
lludei to were a Jealous cooperation with the
'ery faction which this irascible recreant now
isowns.
"The leaders (of this free soil faction) were
lever particularly afflicted with the restraint of
rinclple ofany kind--,hry were governed mainly
y ambition or revenge"
This Is ingenious, even if it be unwise -
Few Of the used to be leaders in sediious
Movement so lend themselves to self-conviction,
i,her through malice remorse. SO far,
therefore, we listen without dstrust. So far
hese "contessions' have a value. But when
We are asked TO believe, on the faith of these
evelalons of past perfdy, that rebellion is again
foot-when the once-trai,or would purchase
ur confidence by affecting TO warn us against
ntrigues that do not exs.-when he boldly
sserts:
"But it is now certain that, unless there is a t
peedy and total change &c .'the old issues
MI be opened in this State with a violence and
etermination never before witnessed. -
When he manufactures this f,lse alarm with
he manifest design OF asking us for some reward
5 watchtul sentinel, even if it be only
sward in the shape of credit for his sincerity in
lie national democratic cause, what can we do
u smile at his folly, even while We shudder at r
ie audacity it exhibits.
For our own part we have never yet felt the
ecessity for asking the question "Where do we
and = in order TO obtain from good na,ured
eghbors onr political bearings We stand, and
} does every honest democrat, at this moment,
n the platform of the Baltimore Convention =
We repudiate all isms in our faith. We have
'rgo'ton all the shadows of the past. We have
nried all the old leperous corpses Of dsafection.
We will not have them dsinterred. We say \
lstinctively that the wretch who can 90 about
lie democratic church-yard, like Ghoul in
rental romance, in order TO dig up The putres.
ant carcasses Of the foul deceased, can only
ant to fill the political atmosphere with infec- i,
only want to spread pestilence in
he democratic camp, merely to have himself
rst hailed as prophet, and then employed as :
hys;cian. Out on such sordd seishness