Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-08-30
Qbe 1laiIn SPY.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 80. 1851.
pn1nn,n on a,oliIics.

-, T,be article in Putnam is historical and
critical, It is able, impartial, manly, and
eo.rless. 1t does not modulate its tones to
-. so,,tbern ears; neither does it debase it
elf 70 the still meaner depth of currying the
e,,,or Of Northern doughfaces, 1t is an arti-
ole worthy of manly, respectable, independ-
ont exnonent of political history and political
,,b;losonbv. We are glad to see it; it Is
demonstration that we have at least one liter
orv MAGAZINE in the country that sustains the
,,,,ritv and independence of the "republic OF
i,4+ors /, amidst the universal corruption and
dooradot;on of what we may term the repub-
lie of politics.
The writer in Putnam gives succlnct his
+orv Of the rise, progress, and transmutatloh
Of poliGcal parties, since the Revolution TIL
tbe nresent time. At present, he says, there
are five distinct parties LIST, the Pro-Slavery
marty; ID, the Democrats; Sd, the Wings;
4tb. the Fire-E Eaters 9th, the Abolitionists.
OF the last-named, he says;
"The Abolitionists and Fire Eaters, repre-
senting the extremes of Northern and South
orn feeling. have had no little influence on
nnblic opinion, but hardly any as yet III the
direct action Of the government. In elo-
ouence earnestness, and, we suspect, lnteS-
rity of purpose, they are superior to the other
Dartes, (the Abolitionists an particular an
sorhinc some of the finest ability OF the coun-
try. oratorical and literary, and great deal
of the nobest aspirahon,) but they are Doth
too extrayagant in opinion, and TOO violent IN
procedure, to conciiate large ana eneeeVe
alliance"
Of the Wings, the writer says:
.iItis no offence to the Wings, we trust, for
indeed it is only repeating the frequent avow-
ais of their own leading opponents, to say that
as a party they are pretty much defunct.-
Whatever uses their organization may have
snhseryed in the course of our political histo-
nv and nobody will deny them some merits
however splendid the talent by which their
lono hut losing struggle has been illustrated,
from the day in which their policy was inau-
ol1rated by Hamilton, suntil that in which its
funeral discourse was uttered in &c a line rich
broope'' by General Scott, it has never sue
ceeded in becoming, for more than year or
two at a time, predominant party. 1t has
been able. on occasions, to carry its principles
into effect. but not to the satisfaction OF
nermaneut majority. Its distinguishing mea-
sures have been, ON the other hand, repeatedly
and unequivocally condemned. Not the most
sanguine adherent can now hope to see them
revived"
The writer passes from the review of the
Wing party to an analysis of the Democrats.
He separates these into the Democrats OF the
purer stamp, who like the Wings are IN
state Of comparative dissolution, and the Of
fetal or machine-D emocrats. OF these latter,
he draws the following strong, reliable, I'M
mistakeable portrait
"Iike Bunyan's By-ends, who followed
Religion for the silver slippers she wore, they
are patriots because it is profitable to be patri-
OTIS. In other words, they are Democrats be-
cause the Democrats are generally III the as
cendant, which means in office. No men more
noisy than they in shouting the usual rallying
cries, none more glib in the common places of
electioneering, and none so apparently earnest
and sincere. But at heart they are among the
greediest and shabbiest of scoundrels.'
This class of Democrats Ctheir innate fun
keyism would make them monarchists or sa-
traps in other latitudes) flourish best in those
calm times when no great controversy agitates
the nation, and no important emergency
awakens strong and burning passions.
As the reins Of power at those times are apt to
fall into the hands of little men-of Tyler
or Pierce, for instance-the golden hour for
narrow intellects and base hearts has arrived.
The art Of administration at once degenerates
into mere trickery or management. loads
crawl into the seats Of the eagles. Public pol
icy fuctuates between the awkwardness of
conscious incompetence and the clustering ar
rogance of bullyism. The possession Of Office
becomes a badge either Of imbecility, or cum
ming, or insolence. 1t is won by services that
elsewhere would warrant halter; and it is
conferred, not as the need of patriotic deserts
but as the wages of supple and mercenary
services.
But for a completer picture, taJieau yi0an
of the degradations of functonarism, of thu
sordure and meanness of stipendiary democ
racy = the worst form of official corruption
since the best wine makes the sourest vinega
let us say, in the words Of Wren's epitaph
Circumspice, 6look around. y
Turning from the disgusting and humiliat
ing spectacle presented by the machine lem
ocrats, who now debase the Capitol and def
the White House, the writer next reviews IL
history of the " Slavery party" II
carefully distinguishes between those South
ern gentlemen Z" who simply wish their pr
cuiar domestic system to be let Alone" an
the slavery propagandists. The latter, an
their Northern coadjutors -doughfaces al
they hight-who are their super seryiceabl
instruments, constitute the s'Pro- Slavery pan
ty." The reviewer administers the critic
lash to the g Doughfaces," with firm, mel
vous, and energetic force, that woul
cut deep into the flesh of any other men ex
cept those political lhinoceroses. He prove
the utter selishness and sectionalsln Of tn
Southern portion ofthe pro-slavery party, an
the utter subserviency of the "Doughfaces.
Whatever arrogant demand the Souther
slavery propagandists have made, whether
was to shut the post Office against anti-slayer
newspapers, to pass the Fugitive Slave law
or to repeal the Missouri Compromise, h,
been humbly yielded by these Northern spar
iels, until now the nation lies humbled /,
their feet, seemingly destitute of sufiiciel
force to prevent the accomplishment of Il
stupendous schemes, now openly advocate
for the aggrandizement of slavery. We mea
the annexation of Cuba and Mexico, the r.
cognition Of Dominica, with an Interior vie
to its annexation and the subjugation Of IIayt
the re-opening of the slave trade, and, fnall,
the establishment of system of cooperate
with Brazil, by which grand slaveholdin
confederacy shall be formed, that will not onl