Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-08-25
N ASH WILLIE:
TUESDAY, AUGUST IS, so.
What ought the American party TO d


lie must feel most keenly the stings of our
late defeat, to write as he does. We had |
hoped for the exercise of little more phi
losophy on the part of Americans, especial
y those who have been disciplined in the
contests against sham Democracy, under
the lead of the immortal CLAY. We do
not desire, nor shall we attempt to cover
up the fact that the present condition of
the American Party is unpromising. We
woald have every American to contemplate
it, calmly and deliberately; to study the
causes which brought defeat upon us; and
to learn from them to retrieve our fortunes.
Adversely is good teacher. Let US i'm
| prove under its Instructions.
We cannot agree with our correspondent
in his opinion of the potency of the Amer
lean Party for good, nor in his suggestion
that it should retire from the contest with
sham Democracy. A vigilant, active, Wig
orous minority unceasing in its opposition,
is capable of doing the country vast deal
of service, in exposing and preventing the
majority from concentrating wicked, mis-
chievous, and corrupt projects, which, left
to themselves, the sham Democracy would
not scruple to do, as we have already ample
evidence of in the political history Of the
nation. If nothing more could be attain
ed, this, of itself, should counsel Americans
to keep their forces in the field A retire
meEt would be equivalent to the oblitera-
ton of party lines, and the complete and
thorough humiliation of the American par
! ty This would give sham Democracy I'M
disputed sway, and might result in " confu
sion and anarchy,"-a condition of things
! which every lover of American Institutions
would deplore. But, if these disastrous
consequences should not follow, sham De
mOcracy, taking advantage Of the quies
cence of the opposition, would so cement
their power that nothing short of revOlu-
ton could overthrow them. This would
be a condition of affairs equally deplo-
rable to the patriotic. There is, then, but
one course for Americans to pursue; and
that is, to remain true to their principles,
to let their colors remain flying, and to
keep up a constant, unfinching war of ag-
erosion upon the enemy. If the opposi-
tion to sham Democracy had not heretofore
adhered to this policy, the Government
would have been overwhelmed in ruin long
ago. 1t may be very pleasant to fight with
preponderance of numbers on our side,
hnf ho inf
the noblest attributes of our nature Mer-
cenary motives, too often, are in the as
cendancy when success is unquestionable.
In minority, every man feels that he is
struggling for the faith that is in him, for
right and justice, and he deals his blows
with energy and precision. The contest to
him becomes ennoblng-it awakes within
him all that is good and brave and daring;
and he follows his standard with a degree
of exhilaration never felt when in the ma
jority. But, these things aside, we believe
that the principles Of the American party
are correct-that they must sooner or la
ter be pTacticed upon in the administration
Of the Government, or the consequences
will be disastrous. If the party cease to
present their claims to the people, on every
proper occasion, they will be lost in the
multitudnous broodS spawned upon the
country by the pestiferOuS politicians of
the spoils school. We must continue to
proclaim them in the drowsy ears of the
sluggish masses until they shall give heed
to and embrace them.
Before leaving this subject we must cor.
rect the misapprehension of our correSpon-
dent touching our expectations arising out
of divisions of the sham Democracy upon
the Buchanan-Walker Kansas policy. We
expect nothing from that source There is
not patriotic courage enough in those who
condemn it, to break off from the support
OF the Administration. Degeneracy is the
symbol of the day in the sham Democratic
camp. Party success overslaughs and
brushes out every generous aspiration
The Hessians were not more submissive
slaves to drill sergeants, than sham De,
mocratic partisans are to the party driver
The crack of the whip over their shoulders
will not fail to bring the dssenters up to
the party line. Our hope for the success
of Americanism is in the steady stated
preaching of the American Gospel, and the
consequent gradual increase of the Faith
full.