The weekly Placer herald., 1855-06-23
[From Putnam's Magazine.l
AMER, CA FOR AMERICANS.

| An individual. masked under the vulgar
name OF SAM, furnishes just now good deal
more than half the pabulum whercwith Ger
tain legislators and journalists are fed. -
Whether he is mythical or real personage,-
a Magus or monkey,-nobOdy seems to know.
but we are inclined to regard him as real, be-
cause of his general acceptance among Dal
getty politicians, and because of the irresisti-
bic mprrment his occasional coming down.
on something or other affords the newspapers.
We saw paunchy old gentleman the 9th r
day, with face like the sun. only more red
and blue and spotty. and dismally wheezy
voice. who came near being carried Oft with
ponderous appoplectic chuckle, which seized
h m when somebody casually observed that
Sam was pitching into the police" and he
was only relieved from the fatal consequences
by series Of desperate movements. which re-
semhled those Of seventy-four getting under
way again after the sudden stroke of ty
phoon. Now. if Sam was not inquest ionably
a real p"rsonage. and this old gentleman un
questionahly real disciple of his, we are at
a loss to account for the reality of the phenom
ena thus exhibited.
| But whether real or mythical. It has been
impossible for us to raise our admiration of
Sam to the popular pitch After due and dill
igent inquiry, we have arrived at only mod
crate estimate of his qualities In fact, con-
sidering the mystery in which he shrouds his
ways. we are disposed to believe that he is
more Of Jerry Sneak than hero. The as
sumption of secrecy on the part of any one,
naturally starts our suspicious. We cannot see
why he should resort to it. if he harhors only
just and generous designs. We associate dark
ness and night with things that are foul. and
we admire the saying that twilight even.
though a favorite with lovers. s also favorable
to thieves. Schemes which shrink from the
day. which skulk behind corners. and wriggle
themselves into obscure and crooked places,
are not the schemes we love at venture.
And all the yelled prophets. we apprehend.
are very much like that one we read of in the
palace of Merou, who hid his face. as he pre-
tended to his admirers. because its brightness
would strike them dead. but in reality be-
cause it was of an ugliness so monstrous, that
no one could look upon it and live.
| There is an utterance. however imputed to
this impervious and oracuar Sam. which we
cordially accept. He is said to have said that
America belongs to Americans Just az his
immortal namesake, Sam Patch said that
"sOme things could be done as well asaOthers"
and we thank him for the concession. 1t is
good. very good. very excellent good.-as the
logical Touchstone would have exclaimed
provided yon put proper meaning to it.
| What is America. and who are Americans?
1t all depends upon that. and, accordingly as
you answer. will the phrase appear very wise
or very foolish. If you are determined to
consider America as nothing more than the
two or three million square miles of dirt in
cluded between the Granite Hills and the Pa
cific, and Americans as those men exclusively
whose bodies happened to be fashioned from
tive fear that you have not penetrated to
the real beauty and significance of the terms.
The soul Of a muck-worm may very naturally
be contented with identifying itself with the
mould from which it is bred. and into which it
will soon be resolved. but the soul of man.
unless we are hugely misinfOrmed. claims a
lofter origin and looks forward to nobler
destiny
America in our sense of the word, embraces
complex idea. 1t means. not simply the
soil with its coal. cotton and corn. but the ma
tionalty by which that soil is occupied. and
the political system in which such occupants
are organized. The soil existed long before
Vespncci gave it a name as long back. it
may be- as when the morning stars sang to-
gether.-but the true Amer ca. a mere chicken
still dates from the last few years of the eight
eenth century. 1t picked its she'll for the first
time amid the cannon-volleys of Bunker Hill.
and gave it's first peep when the old State
House Bell at Philadelphia rang out 'liberty
to all the land" Before that period. the
struggling and dependent colonies which were
here were the mere spawn Of the older ma
tions.-the eggs and embryos of America. hut
not the full f.'dged bird. 1t was not until the
political constitution of s9 had been accepted
by the people that America attained a COM
plete and distinctive existence, or that she was
able-contnuing the figure with which we
began - tc spread her ''sheeny vans," and
shout cOck-a doodle to the sum-
1t would be needless. at this day. to state
what are the distinguishing principles of that
political existence. They have been pro-
nounced ten thousand times. and resumed as
often in the simple formula which every
school boy knows - the government of the
whole people by themselves and for them
selves. In other words. America is the demo-
cratic repuhlic-not the government of the
p ople by despot. nor an olgarchy, nor by
any class such as the red ha red part of the
inhabitants, or the blue-eyed part: nor yet a
government for any other end than the good
of the entire nation-but the democratic re
public pure and simple This is the political
organism which individualizes u.s. or separates
us as living unity from all the rest of the
world .
to be recounted in any mature discussion, il
recent events had not made it necessary to an
adequate answer of our second queston-wh0
then are Amer cans? Who constitute the
people in whose hands the destnies of Amer
ica are to be deposited?
The fashionable answer in these times is
I.-l - n os