The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-08-15

Psrsn
It is now four months since James Ba-
chanan became President OF the United
States. "A man Of moderate abilities, he
had the advantage Of III temper. OF nd
great political integrity, he had long expe-
rience, which is often t0lerable substi-
tute for principle. A man of good charac-
ter and manners, he was decided improve
ment on some Of his predecessors. At the
time he was nominated he was almost the
only possible candidate Of the Democracy,
who had any probability Of success. Having
served in various civil departments, he was,
according to the English customs, the le-
Ultimate heir Of the nomination. Having
received it, he was elected almost solely on
the ground that he was conservative, rot
an ultra Democrat, but one, who in the
days of Federalism would be moderate
Federalist, and in the days Of Democracy,
a not immoderate Democrat. On this very
ground the Radical Democracy (almost en-
tirely in the North) left him, and many of
the wings ut the North, talking largely Of
the Union and conservatism, supported
him.
They preferred what they called Conserv-
atism, to frank and generous support of
human freedom. As the most available
part of these Wings We're in Pennsylvania,
especially in Philadelphia, they in reality
turned the scale. What elected Buchanan
was this very body of conservative Wings,
who stood SO straight that they fell back.
They are very well represented by Mr.. Viii
liam B. Reed, of Philadelphia suitably re-
warded, by Commissionership to China
We shall not attribute to our ancient con-
treres any of that practical philosophy which
governed Major Dalgetty in his choice of
parties, by the amount Of propender he was
to receive. We rather take them at their
word and place their depression on the
ground of an honest fear, that this baoved
Union would 60 to pieces-ifa man # the
people-a young mana friend OF human
freedom should attain Executive power =
If this was no evidence either Of sound
Judgment or popular sympathy, it was, at
least good move. The support OF this
body Of Wings, the strong support OF the
Southern aristocracy, and the rejection by
the radical Democracy, all pointed distinct
", both to the origin and the future admin
istration. The idea of moderate; gentle
manly, conservative President lay at the
bottom of his election--a conservative poll
cy-(precisely the old Federal policy was
its future, and it has been carried out.
Such is the actual position of the Demo-
cratic party of 1857, rs represented by its
elected administration, taking exactly the
old Wing ground of conservatism. 1t sus-
tains it with what the wings never did,
by the exercise Of all the arbitrary porer
cver claimed By ancient Federalism. AT
every point contrasted with the position of
the Democratic party Of 1887, the contrast
will be ludicrous in the extreme, didwe not
know, that politics, like fashion, made its
cycle of changes, and finally returns into it.
self. In 1887, Democracy was in the ex-
IRENE eccentricity of its orbit, wandering
from the central sun. In 1857, it returns
to the central sun of executive power, with
a velocity which makes it uncertain whether
it will not be absorbed in the heat Of central
usurpation. State righ hts are forgotten, and
the only idea of Democracy is national
power. Individual rights are forgotten, and
the only idea of law is that of courts de-
stroying citizenship, commissioners sitting
as star chamber judges, and marshals CATCH
ing runaway slaves! In one word, the De-
mocracy of 1857 is revealed to us as the
identical Federalism Of of 1898, in its only
csseHtlil cAetucut, tHas VI ihSieooihSS
strengthening, and usurping power in the
National Government.
This fact cannot be denied. 1t is the
great fact to be tried before the American
people. There are scenes going on, princi-
Piles asserted, powers put forth, which find
no parallel, except in the days when servile
ministers and docile judges aided Charles
the First in converting the Constitutional
Government of England into mere Execu-
tive machine. This, we say, is the present
position of the Democracy. 1t grows di-
rectly and necessarily out Of the attempt to
naturdiSe slarery; principle which was
never put forth by the South until Northern
demagogues offered it as consideration for
its party support.
Such is the position of the Democratic
party, so far as it relates to principle. 1t
is not difficult to see that it involves, of ne
cessity, a-series of practical troubles which
must, sooner or later, bring disaster to the
party. To increase Executive power under
the name of Naturalization is sure in the
end to ALLEVIATE the people, who are always
most attached to their local institutions. To
make the Supreme Court an arbitrator Of
mere political questions, to have the deci-
sion made palpably by the bias Of party and
section, is to destroy the reverence which
the people, for half a century, have enter
tanned for that dignifed tribunal. But, on
what was that reverence founded? Not be-
cause it was Court, but because the spirit
which actuated it vas that Of justice, equity
and fairness.