Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1856-05-03
Acceptance of Major Donelson
TsLIP GROVE, NEAR NASH

Starch go ls5s 'A-s'
GENTLEMEN: ! did not receive until yesto,a.l
your official note OF the 10Th Of February las, ;'
| forming me OF my nomination to the Office of "
President by the American party, and askip, No
acceptance Of the same my
For the fattering terms in which Won have ,o--
municated this proceeding, beg leave IN osa
you my sincere thanks l accept the position 'u 0
signed me by the American party with lust ssnss
trust, OF the responsibility belonging to if Ja'
tended the convention with no expectation ~.
such an honor awaited lie, and if my on, ,;sh h'
and feelings could have been consulted it u,o1',s
| have fallen upon some other member of the anaS
| lean party, in whose ranks are so manv d;s,;.
| guished individuals better known to the conn,n-
and better prepared by experience for tho h;sly
duties of the station, should the voice of tba en
pie be in accord with that of which you Az. ~ w.
organ on this occasion. But acting upon tho m sns
im left us by the great men of the earlier dave a.
our republic, that public Office should he no;ths.
sought nor declined, | yield to the Judgment 80
those who have thought that my name mipht ha "
service in advancing the important objects Which "
| constitute the American party. A'n
Our leading idea is that the two old parties
Democratic and Wing, have ceased to exert tha;,,
former heahful Influence in the management. s ~
| the public interest and That without the ntervoU
| ton Of reforms which they can never effect ~,
beloved Constitution and Union, beqleatbed to ny.
by our foretathers, will not long be preserved.
| For the most of the evils with which NO a..
threatened at the present period, the admn;str.
ton OF President Pierce is evidently Responsible
but instead of finding his party engaged in I'll,
prosecution OF measures to avert the danoers h.
has brought upon the land, We see it more act;vo
than in scattering the seeds Of sectional strs
and social anarchy.
When Gen. Jackson came into the Pres;doror
he acknowledged in his inaugural address the ohi;'
cation of the Executive to restrain the PATRONAGE
of the Federal Government, so that it should no,
be brought into conflict with the freedom Of eloc.
tons. But modern Democracy stands in direct
antagonism to this obligation. There is scarcely
an election precinct in the United States which has
not witnessed the most shameful interference with
elections by the agents of the Federal Government
acting in the name Of Democracy
In former times, when parties were created Nv
patriotic and national sentiments, upon measures
of general interest to the whole country we peye,
heard that measure could be declared Democratic
in one place, and not Democratic in another. nv
leading men protesting to belong to this party
Yet we see this enormity exhibited 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 continue power in unfaithful and
Incompetent hands by the mere influence of the
money derived from the taxes which are paid by
the people for far different purposes 1t is unde-
niabe that the antagonsm now prevailing between
the North and the South, is mainly attributable to
the political artifce which has enabled men holding
directly opposite opinions the power of Congress
over the institution of slavery in the Territories,
but yet protesting to belong to the same Democratic
party. The Nebraska-Kansas act is constantly
called, by one portion of the Democrats law
which will prevent the extension of slavery to the
Territories, and by another portion, law which
will enable the South to carry slavery to the Terri
tories. By the same fallacy, secession, notification
abolition, and all other isms have found shelter
under the flag of Democracy, explained as it is by
modern interpreters.
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 ko"oia@ separate the Church and
State; aud OF the advantage to be derived from q
frequent recurrence to the earlier advice Of our
fathers, which inc'cated reverence for the com.
pacts 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 indi-
1ldual who has the independence to declare his
attachment to these old-fashoned sentiments.
Whole classes of men stand prescribed and ostra-
Used for no other offense than that of sonine an
which seeks only to correct the ex-
;esses of party spirit, and to restore the Govern
nent to the purity it possessed when we received
from the hands of those sages who founded and
'eformed it.
Looking, gentlemen, upon the American party
,s destined to eradicate the evils to which have
hus briefly averted, am proud to be called one
If its members, and only regret that in select
ng its fagbearers, the choice for the Vice Presi-
lent had not fallen upon one who could bring to
he cause higher guarantees for its success than
IAN be drawn from the humble services have
heretofore rendered my country.
Thanking you again for the kind manner in which
,ou have expressed your personal qualification at
he nominations, subscribe myself,
Very respectfully, your obedient servant
A. j. DONELSON.
70 Messrs. Alex. Fl. Fl. Stuart, of Virginia; An.
drew Stewart, of Pennsylvania; Erastus Brooks,
of New York; E. B. Bartlett, of Kentucky;
William J. Eames, of Massachusetts; Ephraim
Marsh, Of New Jersey.