The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-02-22
Senator Mason confesses that the Dem

Senator Mason confesses that the Demo
cratic party is in peril. Senators GwIN and
RUsK have aimed terrible sad blows at it's vital
ity; and nothing can save it but the death of the
Pacific Railroad bill Mr.. Mason is in favor
OF vigorous action on the part of the Govern
ment to promote the construction of the Tehu
antepec route; but his Virginian version of the
Democratic faith tells him that the only prac-
ticable plans of constructing road to Califor-
mia through our own territory are unconstitu-
tional, and will be the Geath of the Democratic
party if it attempt to carry them into effect
We do not profess to discern the full force of
the distinction, but Mr. Mason no doubt does,
and hence his note Of warning to the Senate on
Friday last. Discussing the merits of the Pa
cifc railway he said:
'sMr. President, if this bill become law, the
fear which the Senator from Texas expressed a
few days ago-that it might have the effect of
reading him out of the Democratic party-will ne.
yer be realized Ifthis bill become law, there
will be no longer parties in this country except the
party in power and the party in opposition. The
whole character of the Government will be
changed Yes, sir, the whole character of this
Government will be changed, never to be re.
claimed; and it will have been done by gold, and
worse than all, by gold out of the public treasury
Sir there will be no Democratic party then. Least
of all will there be that party to which the honora-
Bile Senator know belonged, and to which be-
long-the Republican party-the party under
whose banner you appeal from the people to the
Constitution. The Constitution will be gone
TT ere will be no appeal to that and the Govern
H. 81
Besides killing the party, Pacific railroad
would sadly inconvenience the President elect,
whose ''strict construction" recommended him
to the favor of Southern States Mr. SoULE
hints that if the bill became law, General
PIERcE's scruples might render it null and
that at another session a Presidential veto
might operate disadvantageously to the friends
of the road. The insinuation arose out of an
allusion to the sold Hickory stock" of the
new President; Mr.. GwIN, who made it, seem
ingly forgetting that General PIERCE long ago
proved himself more uniform than General
JACKSON in his hostility to measures in their
nature identical with that for which Democra-
tic California now contends. @
The Senatorial debates of Friday and Sa-
turday place this conflict of principle in the
Democratic ranks in bold relief The differ
ences that exist between the strict Construc-
tionists of the East and the more progressive
Democrats of the West assume on this railroad
question a practical shape, and doubtless justify
the anticipations of party danger which called
Mr.. MAsoN's eloquence into play. Messrs
Gw1N and RUsK, conceiying that the antigua
ted obligations of party ought not to jeopardise
our Pacific possessions, seek Government assis-
lance to construct the road; Mr. MASON beholds
in their arrangements manifest unconstitution-
atty, and an approach to kingly powers and
Mr.. Petit rushes to the breach to protect his
constituents and the country from the Callfor-
MIA embodiment of Wing heresies. Judge
DOUGLAS snuffs danger in the distance, and
favors both sides more or less; advocating the
road, but voting for amendments that would
render its construction impossible. The vote
the test question on Saturday -exemplifes this
view of the party division plainly enough:
YEAs-Messrs. Atchison, Bright, Brodhead,
Cass, Charlton, Dawson, De Saussure, Douglas,
Felch, Fitzpatrick, Geyer, Hamlin, Hunter, Mason,
Norris, Pearce, Petit, Shields, soule, Toucey,
Walker, and WeIler-22.
NAvs.-Messrs Bell, Borland. Brooke, Chase,
Davis, Dodge of Wisconsin, Dodge of Iowa, Foot,
Gwin, Houston, Jones of Iowa, Jones of Tennes-
see, Miller, Rusk, Seward, Smith, Spruance, Sum-
ner, Underwood, and Wade-2O.
1t were easy to show the inconsistency of
the vote thus given by certain Of the majority,
who last session supported measures not whit