Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1854-08-23

| You vent your spleen, monkeys when they pass,
Scratch at the mimic monkey.in the glass
While both are ,ne aud henceforth be it known,
Tools of both SIDES shall stand for fools alone.
Young.
tits no easy task to sit down amid the grim
aces and sneeriIg taunts OF our political op.
pouents, and review the causes which led to
the defeat of tile democratic party in our State
| And this becomes the more Illuminating when
we reflect that the present contest has not been
one for PRINCIPALS openly avowed, hut con-
test carried on wholly by the "odds ends
of eve-v faction, of which the wing party have
been the only recipient Of the i'll gotten tri.
umph, and this at a sacrifice of that nationality
which Tint party is wont to maintain,
| 1t dare hot be maintained for a moment
| that the present state Of affairs, is owing 10
| the weakness Of the democratic party party
that no longer ago than at the last April cleo.
tion was able to give nearly four thousand Of
a majority for superintendent of public in
struction. The moving canse must be regar-
ded as existing in The disaffecton and grow
ing out of the disappointments Of the many
unprincipled and selfish Office seekers in our
own ranks. As much as this is to be depored,
yet it is true that The dominant party suffers
most from this cause. Unprincpled men who
care cut and dried' for the use Of any aud all
parties as circumstances may dictate to them,
insinuate themselves into the ranks Of the
party in power. having an eye more to their
own elevation than to principle and the ad-
vancement of the good of the people. S,J with
such men becomes the uitimatum Of alltheir eff
forts and determine TO rule or ruin, , nothing
is too base for them to condescend to, moth ng
to mean and uDprinciped to stoop to- in order
to get Into Office. Spurred on by disappoint-
melt and envy tthe sole characteristics Of
weak minds the party they assume TO support
,oifh the lie of deceit on their tongues is made the
supple tool in their h,poertieal hands to car
~ ous the idea Of revenge for meriied ne
glect, upon the part Of themselves, growing
out ola want of capacity to fill the meanest
office in the gift OF the people or executive Of
the laws of the land. The most base, foul and
unprinci2led coalitions are sought with The
opposite party. aud saes;hclog 1.-The nominees"
of their own party by every possible bargain
and sale they immoldte their own party upon
the shrine vi an ambition that would do honor
to Pluto or the meauest of his satellites for
a temporary mess OF pottage." Both the great
and leading parties OF the country suffer from
This cause. A kind OF flying band OF political
guerrilas or banditti they are found alternately
in any and every parry having an eye single to
the spols Of office wilhoutregard to the source
it comes from; engaging in raking up tenn
porary aud pseudo-political capital for an
emergency from every quarter, they do not
hesitate To deprive the dung hill Of abolition.
ism Of its filth and trash and gather in one
mass the muck from The guich OF Tree solllsm,
and even TIE hoary head of intemperance is
invoked to nod assent 10 their scheme, whilst
in spirit they stand antagonistic to all and will
sacrifice either, when they deem 1T conducive
to The great object be effected, the ''spoils OF
Office" revenge for merited disappointment
and elevation to posts of honour and trust
where they can but show their shame the
more"
| Judas like they are ever anxious to carry
"the bag aud what is put therein" and say
"master.' and betray into the hands of the
| opposite party the dearest interests of the or
! ganizatioL that receives their pretended SIP
port. temporary defeat is the only practl.
cable way of getting rid Of such men. Such
men usually go TO the successful party & leave
the one they had acted with the better FOL
having gotten rid Of them. This much done
the people have time to reflect and fall back
upon principle. When this is the case the
democratic party come upon the field with
confidence Of certain victory. This is but one
OF the causes to which We attribute the de
feat of the party at this time. There are other
causes which have contributed their mite to
the same object Of which we shall speak in on,
next.
SEVERUS