Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-02-01
Is THIS DFMOCRACY9

What is Democracy! 1t is government
by the people. But who are the people
Are they the wealthy Onlyl Are they
whites only? Not at all. The people, who
in democratic government are. the source
of all power, and the final arbiters of every
political question, are all, without distinction
of class or color, who are to be the subjects
of law. If democracy as applied to polit-
ical party means anything, it designates
class of men who believe in a government
for all the people By all the people.
But does this definition describe democra-
cy in the year of our Lord, 1856, in these
United States of America! By no means.
Democracy now means a party that believes
in government for all the people By part
Of tbem;-it goes farther and teaches that
one class may, if they choose, enslave
another class, taking away from them all hu-
man rights, even the ownership of their own
bodies and souls. If any one had proposed
fifty years since that the Democratic party
in the Union would advocate such doctrines
as these in 1855, he would have been writ
ten down an ass or a mailman. But We
have their confession of faith containing their
doctrines openly published to the world
Can we imagine the scorn and loathing with
which Jefferson would scout this modern de-
mocracy? He is the patron saint of demOc-
racy, if we may believe democrats, but he
abhorred slavery and declared that in a con-
test between the master and slave every at
tribute of the Almighty must side with the
slave.
The essence of aristocracy is this very idea
of all power residing in one class, and of the
right of wealth or birth to lord it over the
rest of mankind. To admit this principle in
a single instance whether in reference to
whites or blacks, much more to assert and
maintain it, is to give up the very first prin-
ciples of democracy, and to lay the corner
stone of our aristocratie system. If black
men may be made slaves, and deprived of
all natural rights, surely poor white men
may at least be justly deprived of the right
to vote. The only ground on which the
right to carry slavery into Kansas can be
based is the power of white men to do it if
they choose. Now if power is a good rea-
son for taking away the rights of one class
of men, so it will be reason enough to do
the same thing in any other case-as soon
as there is power enough in the hands of the
would-be tyrants.
But how has democracy came to this p
The answer is short. The aristocratic prin-
ciple began to work from the moment that
it was made part of the democratic creed
that it was heresy 10 bolt regular nomina-
ton. For what have been and what are
regular nominations but nominations by a
few trading politicians in each county, dis
trict, &c. To vote regular nominations with
out the least exercise of free will is to do the
bidding of those leaders; it is to be gov
erned by class; it is to adopt the very cs-
sential principles of aristocracy. These
cliques of aristocratic party leaders, desirous
to maintain their own power, have formed a
league defensive and offensive with the still
better organized aristocrats who hold slaves.
These two classes of aristocrats combined
have Matched the abomniable doctrine that
the people of a state or territory have the
right to establish if they will system Of
slavery, which takes away from man every
right that God gave him.
Shall this coalition between the Northern
aristocracy of Office holders, and the South
ern aristocracy of Shareholders, succeed in
binding this nation to the car of slavery?