The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1855-09-07
THE POLICY AND PROSPECTS OF
THE AMERICAN PARTY.


the editor Gays of the difficulty in meeting
objections urged to matters entirely outside Of
lis political principles, is as true in regard to
this section as TO Alabama--and it was in
special reference to such objections as these
we alluded when we spoke few weeks
since Of the "formua and flummery" of the
order. The American sentiment is strong in
the American heart, and divest the cause of
the objections of which the article below
speaks, and no power on earth can pre-
vent its ultimate triumph. The Mail says:
II is conceded, on all hands, that in the re-
cent elections, the American party suffered
severely, by reason Of the failure to do GER
tain things, which, indeed, the shortness Of
the time between the sessions of the two
conventions Estate and Nationally and the
first Monday in August, left them little OPP
portunity to effect. The chief of these sins
of omission was the failure to divest the
party of all that intricate machinery which
characterized it as an order, and which in its
primal condition was an absolute necessity to
its existence. The time had passed when
the appliances, vitality necessary to the cstab
lshment of the order rs n nucleus for the
party, should have been retained by the par
ty itself. twas great oversight that the
National Council of the order did not, after
adopting its platform of principles, declare
the order dissolved and the party established
Such course would have relieved the organ
ization of a vast deal of unnecessary labor, in
meeting objections urged to matters entirely
outside of its political principles. The posi-
ton in which we were all left by the inchoate
action Of the National Council, rs TO the mat
terof secrecy and other mere regulations of
the order, was the very worst that could be
possibly conceived-we ceased to be for all
purposes of self protection secret associa.
ton, while enough of the characteristic re-
manned to subject us to attacks skilfully
suited to evoke the popular prejudice against
all secret associations. Half our strength
nay, nearly the whole of our Strengthens
expended in defending ourselves, on issues
wholly irrelevant and wholly immaterial.-
The secrecy and all else nppcrtaining to A.
mericansm as an order, and without which it
could not have been protected through its
infancy, in the large cities which swarm with
tens of thousands freshly arrived foreigners,
had become unnecessary. They were known,
by all, from the first, to DE unpopular. Still
they were retained, after they had ceased TO
be useful and had become positively detri-
mental. And thus we went into the election
battles in the Southern States, clogged and
hampered by what we all said freely among
ourselves, should have been removed BY the
National Council 1t is wonderful that fight.
ing under these disadvantages, we obtained
such substantial victories in Tennessee and
Kentucky, and made comparatively good
stands elsewhere. But for the instinct Of
'Americanism in the people and the conceded
fact that we had the only party platform that
did justice to the South, the mismanagement
Of our party policy would have laid rs abso.
lutely PROSTATE at the feet of ourconquerors.
On all essentials the popular heart was with
us; on all non essentials, the popular preju-
dices were against MS. II was precisely in
this way, that Pierce and freesoi! seemed to
obtain an endorsement at tho South, which,
on any fair trial Of the issue, they never
could have obtained. Our opponents saw
the game and managed it with admirable tact;
they confessed and avoided" as n general
thing, our principles, and forced us to expcnd
our best energies on points that should never
have been occupied.
In the views thus crudely and hastily ex-
pressed, we hive not seen member Of the
party who does not thoroughly ncquiesce.--
Before the election, they were pressed on as
from all quarters, and since then, the express
sions of them have multiplied indefinitely
In stating them now, we yield not only to
our own convictions of right and policy, but
to many requests from the most intelligent
and reliable quarters. 1t is the desire, we
feel fully justified in saying, of those who be
lieve in the principles of the American party,
that the State Council should be called into
session, at the earliest practicable time, with
n view TO dissolve the Councils of the order,
and to declare their members to constitute
tho AMERICAN PARTY OF ALABAMA, based on
the principles of the Philadelphia platform,
and having no other than a, party organisa.
ton. We believe that such session of the
State Council, acting on this universal senti.
ment of the party, would be hailed with de-.
light by many who are not members of our
present organization;and that its action would
give m impulse to the cause of Americanism
that would be gratifying to all who approve
our principles.
we Woulu Respectfully SUBMIT TINS ques-
ton to our brethren of the American press.
Let them express themselves upon il freely.
If the universal expression of opinion of our
friends, in its favor, is not given, we shall be
very greatly mistaken. At any rate, however,
let us have the sense Of the party on the pro-
prety of calling the session.
CLEVELAND, TENS.-On our brief visit to
Cleveland we were pleased to find substan-