The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-09-30
THE PORTLAND ARGUS.

The last number of the Portland Argus contains the
formal announcement of the withdrawal of Mr. Holden
aud the accession Of Hon John Appleton to the editorial
chair of this old and ongestabished democratic paper
From the introductory address Of r. hamilton take
the following eloquent extract:
The course the Argus will be straight onward in the
halfway of democracy To that glorious creed, for which
it has bated in storm and sunshine during the last fifty
years. and whose beneicent action inscribed upon our
cuunys history characters OF living hight ltu means TO
cling defence OF liberty and the best hope
of our Union Not govern much to take power
needesy from the peoples to construe the constitution
strictly support the State governments in their Just
rights competent administration Of domestic
concerns and the safest bulwak against antrepubcan ten
denotes free religion free instruction free speech free
dom of press freedom OF the person under the hdbeos
corpus trial by jury The arrangement of all abuses
before the bar of public rugaity IN expenses;
equal and exact Justice to all nations, entangng ali
ances with none these of the grand features
of this creed of which have grown periodically the great
measures that have divided American parties They
very rte and simple and sometimes sneered at musty
o,aigues if this Union destroyed where else on
earth could we look for their full Development and
here how long could republic hope to exist without their
healtbu and active influence upon its public affairs They
have and disposed Of many questions to be sure in the
past but they constitute the unang by which
ec measures they up to be tested and deter
mined and fresh victories await them in the future Their
therefore, demanded by every impulse OF pa
riosm and every motive of humanity There Is not strng
Cling nation the Old World whose heart does not swell
with rapture the thought of obtaining privileges such as
these and which would the men of the New World
recreant to their they lightly parted with priceless
heritage Antiqnitea, do our opponents call them But
for the democratic party, how many OF them would have
had maturity existence in the American gov
eminent who fought in the early days for religious
liberation? Who demanded safeguard in the const
tuition for the reserved rights Of the people and the
Who required specific prohibition n that same
instrument against any law abridgng freedom Of speech Or
of the press Who repealed the alien and sedon laws
Who uupisbed the arbitrary assumptions of the United States
Bank when sought to erect itself into power independent
of law Who have always conended against high taxation
of the people, be followed by progate expenditures in
the government who have been foremost to protect
national honor abroad well preserve government
at home Who gave all its energy and efficiency to the last
war with England? Who Knocked with gauntleed hands,
at the treasures of Europe until they opened to satisfy
the Just of American citizens Who conducted to its
triumphant close the late with Mexico by which the
golden gate of California acquired through which Amer
lean ideas and popular principles now advancing over the
Pacific to the of Asia Who when the Union is in
peril nre the and the party to whose policy and wisdom
and efforts country looks uniilngly for projections
There is but TO these questions They all point
to the services and the rumphs of the democratic party
And although time advances, and events multiply, the
memory these rumphs may become dim, yet the great
doctrines by which they remain bright and ffesh
and vigorous as ever They will live animate republics
vet unborn. They win glow in everlasting freshness
"'- pure, amidst the blood
And dust of oonguests never waxing old,
But the stream of time, from age to age,
Casting bright images of heavenly youth.
Dead of little value but living principles
are always worth regarding And not the questions of
lpous liberation of free speech Of prescription for BIRTH
and of self by the people, presented by our OPP
poncns in various forms and localities even at the present
day Is there not disposition abroad in many portions OF
the country unsete of the very foundations upon
which this republic bulded and without which 1t cannot
live We shall not hesitate meet, boldly and frankly
the issues 20 which events tending
90 We proclaim, at once hostility to any division of
parties by geographical lines Washington cautioned his
countrymen against it, with all the earnestness and affection
of great and patriotic heart Jefferson and Madison and
Jackson and eroy statesman of the republics earlier days
have added their words make this caution emphatic
With such political divisions the Union is always in perilj
and we know of no interest humanity which would not be
seriously injured by dissolution of the American Union
Extending than three millions OF miles and thus
embracing territory equal to that OF the Roman empire,
almost large that covered by the sixty governments
of Europe it would be incapable OF successful combination
under any other system than the devised by fathers