Washington telegraph., 1856-05-21
WASHINGTON ARKANSAS, WEDNESDAY, MAY q, 1856


days of our Republic, that public ofiee
should be neither sought nor declined, |
yield to the judgment of those who have
thought that my name might be of ser
vice in advancing the important objects
which constitute the American party,
Our leading idea is that the two Ole
parties, Democratic and Whig, have ceas
ed to exert their former healthful inau
tence in the management of the public In
terest, and that, without the intervention
of reforms which they can never effect
the beloved Constitution and Union, be
queathed to us by our forefathers, will no.
long be preserved
For the most of the evils with which
we are threatened at the present period
the administration of President Pierce is
evidently responsible but instead of find
ing his party engaged in the prosecution
/ of measures to avert the dangers he has
brought. upon the land, we see it more ac-
tive than ever IN scattering the seeds OF
sectional strife and social anarchy.
+ When General jackson came into the
Presidency, he acknowledged in his in
augural address the obligation of the Ex-
ecutlve to restrain the patronage of the
Federal Government, so that it should not
be brought into contact with the freedom
| OF elections. But modern Democracy
stands in direct antagonism to this obliga-
ton. There is scarcely an election pre-
fcinct in the United States which has not
witnessed the most shameful Interference
In elections by the agents of the Federal
Government acting in the name of Democ-
racy.
In former times, when parties were ere
ated by patriotic and national sentiments,
upon measures Of general interest to the
whole country, we never heard that a
measure could be called Democratic in one
place and not Democratic in another, BY
leading men protesting to belong to this
party. Yet we see this enormity exhibit
ed daily by the party press in the pay of
the present Executive.
The necessary result Of such corruption,
if not successfully opposed, must be to
destroy all political morality, and to con-
tinue power in unfaithful and incompe-
tent hands by the mere influence of the
money derived from the taxes which are
paid by the people for far different pur-
poses. 1t is unsleniable that the antago-
nism now prevailing between the North
and the South is mainly attributable to
the political artifce which has enabled
men holding directly opposite opinions on
the power of Congress over the institu-
ton of slavery in the territories, but yet
lolO ! -,
cratic party. The Nebraska-kansas act
is constantly called by one portion of De-
mocrats law which will prevent the ex-
tension of slavery to the territories, and
by another portion law which will ena-
bic the South to carry slavery to the terri
tories. BY the same fallacy, secession,
notification, abolition, and all other sims,
have found shelter under the flag of De-
mocracy, explained as it is By modern in
terpreters.
In former times, also, our best patriots,
without distinction of party, spoke of the
necessity of guarding the ballot-box from
the dangers of foreign influence, and of
keeping separate the Church and State;
and of the advantage to be derived from
frequent recurrence to the earlier advice
of our fathers, which inculcated rever-
ence for the compacts of the constitution,
and the abstinence from whatever tended
to form geographical parties or array one
section of the Union against another
Now, however, the whole power of the
Federal Government is brought to bear
against any Individual who has the inde-
pendence to declare his attachment to
these old-fashioned sentiments Whole
classes Of men stand prescribed and ostra-
eised for no other offence than that of
Joining an association which seeks only to
correct the ezcesses OF party spirit, and
to restore the government to the purity it
possessed when we received it from the
hands of those sages who founded and re-
formed it.
Looking, gentlemen, upon the Ameri
can party as destined to eradicate the
evils to which l have thus briefly advert
ed, am proud to be called one of its
members, and can only regret, that in Sc
lecting its flag bearers, the choice for the
Vice Presidency had not fallen upon one
who could bring to the cause higher guar
antees for its success than can be drawn
from the humble services have hereto
fore rendered my country.
Thanking you for the kind manner In
which you have expressed your personal
qualification at the nominations, | sub
scribe myself,
Very respectfully, your obd't serv't,
A. J. DONELSON.
To Messrs. Alex. III. III. Stuart, Andrew
Stewart, Erastus Brooks, and others,
Committee.