Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1855-12-14
..psrmanency of the pemocracy.,

ssPermanency of the Democracy"
Under the above caption the Union and
american entertains its readers with an arti-
Gle of rather roseate hue. 1t is more like
the record of dreamy revery, under the sootli-
ing influence of fragrant cigar, than the ra-
tional reflections of awakened reason. y {,
The article sets out with the proposition that
4" the only party in the country, at the present
time, which can set up a pretence of nation
atty is the Democratic Party" That the
claims of the Democratic Party TO nationality
are nothing more than "pretence, mere
assumption, it needed not this confession of the
| Union md American to convince the public.
The Democratic Party has always been pre-
tender, and will always be setting up pre-
fences " TO something which it imagines will
tickle the popular ear, or captivate the popu-
lar heart The history of the past abounds
with proofs of its aptness in making claims
altogether unfounded. and its wonderful per-
sistence in asserting them even after their hol-
lowness had been exposed.
Having laid down the above proposition,
the Union and american goes on to say, :" the
Democrats of the East, West, North and South,
meet and adopt national resolution as bond
of union"
What was the purpOrt Of that resolution 2
1t pledged the members of Congress who took
part in the meeting, to maintain and defend
the "principles of the Kansas-Nebraska bill. !"
Are the principles Of the Kansas Nebraska
bill national or sectional? Mr.. Pierce has
said the bill was a proposition in favor of
freedom" Mr. Douglas has expressed SINH
lar opinion; and Gen. Shields has declared that
the principles of the bill would prevent any
more slave States from coming into the Union,
even should we acquire the whole of Mexico.
How, then, can the resolution be regarded as
" national, if we rely upon these Democratic
oracles9 1t may be bond of union for the
reason that the principles it promises to main
tain and defend, can be, and are, construed by
your leaders to cover the conflicting opinions
of Northern and Southern Democrats
Who adopted the resolution? A meeting
composed of forty eight of the eighty-one
Democratic members of the House of Repre-
sentatives. There are in the House tacenty-
four Democratic Representatives from nom
slaveholling States, and it would be interest
ing to know how many of them were present
and voted on the adoption of the resolution.
OF the thirty three who did not participate in
the proceedings of the meeting, the greater
portion must have been Northern men. 1t
would be still more interesting to know what
kept these members away from the meeting, if
they approved the principles of the Kansas
Nebraska bill. " How can a resolution, adop-
ted by only Mree.tJths of the Representatives
of the House, pledging themselves to maintain
and defend principles of double meaning, ac-
cording to the construction of leading Demo-
Gratis, give the Democratic Party more than a
" pretence of nationality? q"
But, adds the Union Anaerican, "hey,"
that is the democrats of the East, West,
North and South" have SteadiLy oOted for
a man (ior Speaker pledged to the principles
Of that resolution" Let's see if this be true
Richardson, their candidate, gets seUenty-three
votes, eight of them being cast by Southern
Wings and Americans. Take off these eight
outsiders, and there are left him sirtyJfro dem
Ocratic votes For whom have the remaining
sixteen democratic Representatives steadily
voted?" Which fragment of the factions
have they honored with their support?
Having given the reader some idea of the
reliance to be placed upon portion of our
neighbours reveries, we pass by his apparently
exultant notes about the permanency of the
democratic party. They are all of the stuff
that dreams are made Of"