The American patriot., 1855-05-12
[For the Patriot.

For the Patriot.
Mr.. Editor-In previous number of the
PATRIOT, you discussed with pointed force
and truth the practice of 'secret caucusing,"
as it has Aourished and now exists in the
workings of all the secret political parties Of
our day. You contend, and very justly too,
that the caucusing in secret is not confined to
the Natire American organization, nor was it
first originated by the new party, but has been
practised by every party and every clique with
whose history we are to any extent familiar
The old Democratic party, you say, was par
ticularly guilty of this deadly sin +; and as you
were a member of it, and posted up, as you
doubtless were, in all its party workings and
secret practices, your authority upon this
point is very good. Besides, the statements
you make, address themselves SO strongly to
the understanding of the writer, and they ac-
cord so well with his observations on such
matters that their truth cannot for a moment
be doubted. Before the downfall of the old
Whig and Democratic parties, the history Of
every election was made up with one contin-
ued series Of secret caucuses, commencing with
the triggering for the nomination, and closing
only with the closing Of the polls. In the old
Democratic party especially was it the prac-
tice for each aspirant to gather around him in
the closet his friends, to advise together, and
to endeavor by all possible skillful maneuver-
ing to shoulder of his competitor from the
nomination. When this greatest of all hum
bugs (nominating) was enacted with all the
pomp and circumstance possible, then did each
candidate betake himself to his work in good
earnest, inventing and circulating slanders
without number, and concocting all sorts Of
schemes to defeat the opposing candidate In
nearly every case the candidate took two
chances to be elected; one was by trumpeting
his own worthy acts and good parts into the
ears of the people; and the other was by
showing up the dement's Of his opponent. On
the first ground he hoped to win the day by
blowing loudly and vigorously his own horn
swearing that he was one Of the cleverest and
smartest ones out-and on the last he con-
tended that he should be elected on the prin-
ciple that between two evils the least ought al
ways to be chosen.
Thus did the old parties wag on in their
mad career, the party leaders all the while
skuffling for the spoils, and it was not unfre-
qucntly the case that the honest man vrho
went into the canvass as q candidate with a
good name, came ont so:siy wounded and
bruised in bis ae..or, and with his otherwise
fair reputation so soiled and bedaubed by the
foul tongue Of the slsnderer that perhaps not
whole lifetime Of rectitude could effect to
wipe away tho grease spots which had been so
unjustly fixed upon it.
1t is too true, too lamentably true, that the
movements and operations of our political par
tics have been too much shrouded in secrecy.
Honesty and fair dealing is as requisite and
shines as bright in our political matters as in
tho common transactions of life. Every one
who has the true interest of bis country at
heart must pine for that pristine purity which
characterized the political movements of our
revolutionary fathers when candidates were
chosen without solicitation upon their part,
and when men were elected not by election
cering and intrigue, but for their capacity to
fiji the stations to which they were elevated
Beautiful and bright the Native American
party has sprung from the corruption of the
old parties-t has none of the taint Of either
upon it, and if it will effect to bring about the
reform in our political morals so necessary tc
the salvation Of our liberties, it will deserve
the lasting gratitude of all men who love thcir
country more than their party. In the mean
time let us sit still and see what the result viii
be. DEMOCRAT.
TIE New CHANNEL AT THE FALLS OF REL
Rirer.-The Alexandria Republican of Satur
day last. says
The steamer Magnolia Banner made two at
tempts this week to 60 through the new chan
mel Of the falls. She had her load on at tn,
time. but from the progress she made at first
we felt sure she would succeed But she die
Of force on board, or good management, tina,
anything else. While in the channel, larg
barge belonging to the Swamp Fox, with fcu
hundred bales of cotton, passed down alongsid
Of her. This Barge has made two or thre
trims IN -ough the new channels of both the up
per and th,, lower falls, having each time abou
six hundred bcles of cotton on the ascending
and four hundred bales of cotton on the descen
ding trips
A young man named Kossuth, said to be
nephew Of Louis Kossuth, the Hungarian exile