The true Democrat., 1856-08-05

peatedly, through the ballot box, condemned the principles of federalism. Thirty years ex- perience in the practice of self government de- monstrated to the most skeptical that the de. mocracy had not over-estmated the popular ra- pacities.
 Fulton's first steam boat was derided and scofed at until she moved off maiesticallv from the wharf-tben scoffers were hard to find converts came in by the hundred. So with democracy-the simple construction of the con- stitution, and the democratic theory of liberty were stigmatized as pestlential errors-derided as fanaticlsm-but after thirty years proof of their practicabity, after seeing the machinery of the government move on so many years with such brilliant success, under democratic guid- ance, federalists had become few and far between The honest-minded among them forsook their errors and took to more generous principles whilst those who had advocated strong govern ment for the love of seeing people ruled, were left to the tender care of their selfish disposi- tions--to croak and brood over their disappoint- ed hopes for ever
 In newborn nation, after the rights of the people to create and control its policy have been settled and we'll understood, we must ex- pect to find them projecting such plans and systems as they deem will best develop the resources of their country. This is especially the case where the people are naturally ener- getic and enterprizing, and follow such a variety of pursuits in the different branches of industry, as do the people of the United States Neither should we be surprised that if this people-pos- seSsed Of such characteristcs-bu poor ID pocket -i. e. without the facilities to put these quail ties in operation-should, in their necessitous condition, consent to a po1icy, which, under more independent circumstances, they would be willing to dispense with.
 Thousands of enterprising citizens seized upon the idea of "internal improvements by the general government" as the best means of de- veloping the resources of the country. Thou sands of others who were engaged in the vari- ous domestic manufactures looked to high tar riffs for protection from foreign competition. And all those citizens who had engaged in long, winded enterprises (and in country like this their numbers were vast were deeply interest ed in perpetuating the same financial system of the country, under which they had commenced them. These commercial measures had been making their friends and enemies in different sections of the country for some years, until at length, they became the great political issues of the land, dividing the people into two great parties; one was known as the democratic, the other as the whig party. So Jar as names % both were known, as we have seen, in the po- lltical history of the people, as being equally significant of the popular rule, consequently they afford no clue to the political sentiments of those who acted under them-Jeyond the issues annediately invo1ved. All those measures affect ed in an eminent degree the pecuniary interests ot the country-men were found side by side tor them who believed very different from each other with regard to the old political ssues.- The same Is true with respect to those who went aga5nst those measures-the democrats
 Political issues that are not limited to the defense of, or do not palpably involve those popular rights by which every citizen is em- powered equally to decide as to ho,o-by u5at policy the government shall be administered cannot divide democrats from anti-democrats. We have known men who went against bank, tariff and internal improvements by the gene ral government, who believed limited mon- archy was the best form of government; others we have known, who went against those meas ures, who thought every man should, to ent- tie hlm to vote, own a certain amount of pro- perty. We have known, too, men who went tor those socalled whig measures who held similar anti-democratic sentiments. No, the issues of bank, tariff and internal improve ments," possessed no chemical power to separate those more elementary properties. We do not mean to contend that those measures if rigidly measured by pure democratic principles, they would not be condemned-but this character lstic was too indastinct--too much overshadowed by other characteristics of deep, widespread pecunlary nature. 'Tis true, democratic poli- ticans made it arule to impress upon the peo- pie that whiggery was the natural depository of all those ancient anti democratic, tory and federaist, strong government doctrines; but the whigs always denied, individually and through their papers--they always insisted they were upon all those old issues as sound as the de- mocrats themselves. We remember with what zeal and bitterness Gen. Yell charged the whigs with being the legitimate successors of the fede- rallst party-that they would, if they had it in their power fasten upon the people again the old federalist principles-how he charged them with being the same party that sat in the Hart ford convention, that projected the alien sedi- tion laws.
 The questions of U. s. Bank, high tariff, and internal improvements by the general go- vernment, became obsolete issues. The peo- pie decided against them again and again-and the country had learned to flourish under diff ferent policies. By force of habit and associa- tion, thousands of whigs clung to their totter- ing organization-bu in vain did they declare that they were for democratic equal rights against religious tests-against alien and sedi- tion laws-that they loathed federalism Still the General Tells pursued them-with "black cockades-with blue lights, and with Hartford Conventions" The charges were made with impunity-without the proper issues they could not be disproved Such issues have, since, been introduced; now it can be tested who are the democrats and who are the teaeral- astS, upon which we have few remarks to offer in our next. HAMPDEN.
 0ET Burke Ford, Esq. of Lebanon, O., for merly an old line whig member of the Legis-