Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1856-06-26
The Nationality of the Democratic
PARTY

elements would destroy the strongest chain
that could be forged. So too, in the political
world; a steady and long-continued persist
ence in the PRONUNCIATION of any doctrine, or
the persevering effort to enforce any meas
ure, no matter how unjust, absurd, or suici- |
DIAL, if it be not met by powerful counter |
acting influence will eventually exercise a
strong effect upon the public mind. Expert |
ence has shown this to be the case even
with what should have been sacred from the |
touch of every American citizen-the Union
of these States. That foul word which never
should have found a place in our political
dictionary, and never have been thought Of
during the day, or dreamed Of during the
night - DIsUNIoN - now dances frequently
and flippantly upon traitorous tongues. One
by one many of the old ties which formerly
bound us together as a nation, have been
broken. Even religious organizations, once
national are now sectional. The Old Line
Wing party, which once held national creed
and adopted national platform, is dead
The Know Nothing Order was shivered into
fragments by the mere effort to assume an
outside show Of nationality. A Black Re-
publican party, confessedly founded upon
sectional issue, claiming only sectional sup
port, holding sectional conventions. is about
entering the political lists with sectional
nominees and sectional platform. The
warnings of WASHINGTON against the forma-
ton of geographical parties are every day
becoming more openly and fagrantly disre-
garded. There are at this moment, thou
sands Of scheming brains recklessly engaged,
with all the energies they can command, IN
the nefa5ious work Of irritating public feel
ing fostering sectional prejudices, goading on
the American people to phrenzied state Of
sectional excitement, and in sapping the foun-
dations upon which the Union rests.
In the midst of this whirlpool of danger,
is there no quarter to which the true patriot
can turn with hope and confidence? Is there
no ark left in which we can escape the con-
sequences of the food of danger which
threatens to overwhelm us j.? Is there no
national party-no national platform-no
national nominees-no national organization,
with equal claims upon the confidence and
support of every section and every State OF
the confederacy? Thank Heaven, though
there is but one, there is one. And it is the
Democratic party. 1t is peculiarly gratify-
ing circumstance, too, that though this party
was always noted for the national tone and
spirit which pervaded ii, while other organi-
cations have been growing weaker and weaker
in the national sentiment which animated
them, it has been growing stronger and
stronger in that respect. The withered
branches CT the party, in whose diseased
limbs, the old vitality and sap of devotion to
the Union and the Constitution had dried up,
have been Topped of, and have fallen, one
by one, from the trees to which they had
chung only as useless APPENDICES but their
place has been more than supplied by new
and vigorous shoots, sound to the core and
beaming with health.
The true lover of the country and the
Union, mindful of the exigencies of the
times, sickened and disguised with the DEM
agogueism Of Black Republicanism, appealed
by the perils it invokes, anxious to thwart the
traitorous design of disunion which is its
real mission to accomplish, have turned with
Joy to the Democratic party, whatever may
have been their former political afinities, be-
cause it now forms the last refuge for the
truly patriotic, the grand army which alone
can successfully beat back the foes who
menace all that is dear to the American PEG.
pie, and alone can preserve the perpetuity of
the existing national compact. They behold
it alone animated by the true spirit of nation
atty. They behold its orators speaking the
same sentiments, its presses printing the same
articles, its conventions and candidates pro-
mitigating the same principles North, South,
East and West. By it, alone, do they see
speakers from the South welcomed and cheer
| ed in the North, or speakers from the North
welcomed and cheered in the South. By it
alone do they see appeals made to the public
for support, founded upon broad national
issues, and it alone breathes forth those sem
timents which should animate brethren Of a
common country.
OF all the duties which an American citi-
zen owes to the nation, none is Of such vital
and paramount importance as the earnest ef-
fort to preserve unimpaired the Union. 1t is
by the Union we have grown great and pros
porous as people, and it is only by its pre-
servation that our greatness and prosperity
can be preserved. No evil greater than its
dissolution can befall us-no greater danger
than its destruction can threaten US. Any
internal difficulties, small or great, we may
have among us, will eventually be adjusted
wisely and properly hereafter, as they have
alwas been heretofore. But let us always,
and under all circumstances, keep steadfastly
in view these two great objects-the MANI
tainance of the Constitution and the preser-
vation Of the Union, and then arrange all
miner matters as best we may.
No more striking proof of the nationality
of the Democratic party could be given than
its present attitude compared with its oppo-
nents. When the wise King Solomon was
called upon to decide between the conflicting
pretensions of two women who both claimed
TO be the mother Of the same child, he said,
Let it be cut in twain and each take half.
The passions Of the false claimant led her to
acduiesce in the proposal, but the instincts Of
the true mother urged her to cry out in tones
of anguish, no, save the child, and give it to
my antagonist rather than destroy its life
This is the spirit of the Democratic party
] All may see that it is animated by the true
sentiment of nationality, and that it is the
true defender of the Union and the Constitu-
ton, because it makes their preservation its
master-passion, and regards the mere gratif-
ton of sectional passions and sectional preiu-
dices as subordinate considerations, while
its antagonists cry out, cut the child in twain
let the Union be discovered, rather than
our views be acknowledgements.
" We have had an article in our head for
some days, and it seems to stand in the way Of
every other efusion.-Jefersonuiiie Republican.
Why in the name of kingdom come, tn en-
dear fellow, don't you get that article" out
of your heed and rslive yourself at once?
Rake it out-comb it out-hustle it out, any
way-so you only get IL out-nor refuse to
let the gods interfere, if "the difficulty be
worthy Of such Intervention" Do by all
means avoid catastrophe
OF The Springfield (Msss.) Argus says ::
MARTIN VAN buren, recently, in a CONVEX
sation with one of the editors of this paper,
freely expressed his want of faith in, and
opposition to, the Black Republican move
ment.''
Surely, it is the heighth Of folly on the
part of our opponents to expect Democrats
to range themselves under the Black Rcpub-
lioap a. xyhan ba 1aaJarc of tha Froa Soil