The true Democrat., 1856-01-29
For the True Democrat. Know Nothing Beauties.

ARkANSAS. For the True Democrat.
 Know Nothing Beauties. There are thousands of persons over whom chief magistrates, whether Popes, Kings or Pre- sidents rule, who, individually, possess greater elements of power than their rulers-have greater physical strength are braver, have more intelligence, more talent, more capacity and more wealth. This being so, these rulers, Popes or what ever else, must control the masses with po,ver delegated to them by some process or other--loonea by those, or portion of those over whom they rule, and their ruling will continue only so long as they are thus supported. Hence, at Runneymede, the barons informed King John that he could rule TO zoaa- ger under the old system and so obliged him to agree to some new conditions, which is known in history the "Great Charter.'- The king of Prussia knowing that his people possess much more power among them than formerly, (through the eccentric Frederick es- tablishing among them a system of universal educution,) taFes care to govern with justice and moderation. And in these United States where the elements of power are more general ly dTusel are possessed by a greater number 0f persons than in any other country, this delega- ting of power is reduced to a refined system; with the object on the part of the people, of loaning no more power than is su5icjent to en- force the execution of their laws and that to the same individuals only for four years at a tme ! In the most monarchical countries the peo- | pie even now possess but little power -to5merly none at all--they owned no lan{ they were acquainted with no useful arts they possessed 10 mte2gence- not1,ing out of which power could be drawn to make them formidable or feared by the potent class above them. The laws that governed them they had no hand in maklng-their views Were not even thought of and they obeyed those laws through fear from consciousness that they could not help themselves In the United States this is aR reuersed
 The elements of power in those days were extremely few. In other words, tue means ID existence which every man or set of men, high or low, could possess were few and simpe lands, castles, swords, bows and arrows, with such an amount of intelligence as society in a world so limited in the materials of political economy, could afford. In such a state of society the art of government was easy to acquire Peo- l pie of the highest rank could not read or write. Countries were sparSeIy settled; but 1 have ! n oloa, of then-and which may exist no,o in sooss colla- tries-equally benightetI with those times which was more potent than land castles, swords, etc, which Was found in every man, king, noble and ser-superstiton. All were | fanatics, The material world afforded very little to occupy mems minds, therefore they drew largely from the spiritual. The thing is now reversed. Countries were thinly settled the living of all was extremely simple, and there was plenty of time to spend on fooleries This Is all reversed now.
 Political power (political and civil power are identical,) is, and must always be, in every age, drawn from results that have the sanae end. It is the power which one man or set of men possess to make others act in conformity with his or their will. Political power is obtained by gratifying the ruling passions; for it is doubt less true, that in every age, whatever the ruling passion is, in the properties which are necessary to gratify it, aoW De to,tnd the elements of power during that period. Men who control those things will control the public mind. In the pf ru1 fopa tinic Il ruling passion-no0 it is individual aggrandize- ment. But under that ancient peculiar state of things, did not the Popes, as the great conser- vators of that fanaticism, use their power so as to neutralize the oppression of kings upon their subjects, rather than strengthen it? In short, a0ere not tue masses better of with the papal power controlling, to certain extent their kings, than they would have been without it. taking euery thing into consideration? I have no doubt it.
 l said religious fanaticism was the ruling pas- sion in those days-that the governing power was drawn from 1t. Witness hOw long after the reformation even, this holds true! This fana- ticism infected alike all those sects into which christendom was divided. Obliteratng the geographical boundaries of nations, Pope Cal- win, Pope Knox and Pope Laud had their do- minions as we'll as the Pope of Rome, and per- secuted as much.
 The Know Nothngs, to justify their perse- cutions of the Catholic, nov show us what the Popes were permitted to do orce--ages ago! If the people of Spain and Sardinia (" bey yond the Alps,") are proof agairst the power of the Pope If they are sufficiently divested of the ancient fanaticism as to deny the Pope the power of preventing confscation of the church property in those countries, should be ashamed of mv- self as an American citizen and Protestant if acted injuriously towards American Catho- lies upon the assumption hat they were not as free from papal influence as the Spanish and Sardenians when there is every reason and cause for them to be infinitely more free of it.
 Is 1t not clear, that the power of the Popes has gone down like the power os kings, in the natural, legitimate way? What should we want more? What more can we have? The Know Nothings look fer la,o-a bill of rights, SUD- pose, from the Vatican. We should consider that, from the peculiar nature of the case, there are no means by which the Catholics of chris tendon can make ,or1ten evidence upon the