, 1854-09-30
The Democratic Party.

The present attitude OF the democrat
ic party cannot fail to extort admira-
tion even from its most decided adverse
ries. While the abOltionists have shorn
the whig party in twain, leaving the one
half entirely in the hands Of the northern
fanatics, aud forcing the other half to
take up arms against its former associates
-and this as q matter Of sheer selfdefence
the democrats have consolidated their
strength in one united body, extending not
to q single section, but embracing both sec
tons Of the Union, and cooperating with
all the zeal and efficiency which animated
them in the most glorious days Of our his
tory The wings of the North are com
bined not only against the South, but
against their former friends in the South.
So blindly have they yielded to the infu-
enee of fanaticism, that there is not single
whg in the North who has the courage toI
raise his voice for those who are now hunt
ed down by furious zealots, and who are as
much entitled to his respect and his support
ns il they were his immediate neighborS,
This state of things exists for thefrst time
aud It is one Of the most threatning aspects
Of the present period We fully realize it
when We contrast the northern whig faction
with the democratic part, aud ask our
selves, how much the Union would be worth
Il the latter were united with its whig an
tagonist, and accepted the creed as an un-
alterable and undying covenant against
fifteen sovereign sister States, so nearly
ons-half of the eonfederacy? The eminent
danger of the public tranquility, and the
inappreciable Importance, as q practical
and palpable fact, of the democratic party
to the vast social and political interests in
yoIyed in the American Union may be esti-
mated from this point Of view at one and
the same time. Observing men see how
steadily all the movements Of the wing op-
position have tended to sectional organi-
zntion confined to the North. They have
also noticed the sacrifices and the intrepid
ity Of the democracy Of the free States in
breasting the fanaticism which has tOiled
with hurculean power to compel the democ-
racy to cut loose from the South, and to
swell the ranks Of the northern movement
which, once embarked in its career, will
stop at nothing short Of the abolition Of
slavery, no matter at what sacrifice of law
and Of humanity. In a.word, men are
constrained to applaud the democratic
party, not only for what it has done, but
for what it has foreborne to do. There are
many evidences of tbe,truth Of this, besides
the instructive events of the present time.
90 We take, the broad ground that every
measure which the Whig party Of the North
has made its own must certainly have re-
koI 10 hrruo a. nd Al
II the democratic party had not thrown
itself in the pathway, and resisted and de-
feated each position in detail, as soon as It
became manifested. Had the present abo-
litiOnized Whig party been strong enough, it
would have defeated the annexation Of
Texas and the acquisition Of California !;
and even as it was, the efforts in that di-
rection embraced the great mass of work
ing machinery Of the whig party, and we're
more than once on the D Of being crowned
with success. On q occasion, the
wings hate made tremendous rush
against liberal revenue laws. We have
seen them build up a great bank, and fly,
teTTOr-strieken, before the ruin and dismay
1T created. The whig bankrupt law was
- an engine of almost supernatural mischief
Wing tendeDcies-we had almost said whig
Rractces--iR favor Of the profased expen-
ditures would soon render the public treas
ry insolvent, if not sternly checked
Wing procliyity to make terms with any
faction, no matter how reckless and how
abandoned, has more than once shaken
northern society to its foundations. Each
Of these dangers has been met as soon as
1t showed its head, and each has been cor
rected or destroyed by the instructive sa-
gacity and the strong hand of the demo
cratic party. This brief retrospect is in
tended less to recall what it may be un-
pleasant to many good men to see, than to
show how eloguently the voice o., history
indicates the claim Of our great party to
the gratitude Of the country, and to prove
mat what is now regarded as the surest
SalTa.k Of the public peace ap9 the peo-
ple satetv-Te mean the democratic party