The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1857-04-15
From the Alexandria Sentinel.
ALECrURE On POLITICAL PARTi

From the AlcXaudria SentihcF r
A LECTURE On POLITICAL PARTIES j
A large number rf The citizens OF Alex
andria attended a lecture of Philip X. FEN
dali. Esq. ON 1.-The Good and Evil OF Po'
litiral Parties" which was delivered IN the
Lyceum Hall. on Monday evening last.
The lecture was listened to with marked
attention aud appreciation BY the audience.
The President. Francis Miller, introduced
The Lecturer. Abiding in his opening re.
marks to the return Of Alexandra TO VT
gnia, and the full exercise OF all the PRIV
lraes of citizens Of this great Republic, ne
begged the people to remember that these
privileges brought danger.
Governments. he said, were nccessifated
by the constitution 81 man; differing opinions
As ia their principles and administration gave
rise ID parties which indiscreet zeal often
hurried into faction. A party. true to ITS
, oroper sphere, was the most yigiant sentinel
over the peoples rights, the able supporter
Of the Just authority Of Government.
Party was The union Of good men Tor pa.
!, triotic purposes; faction the association Of
/ selfish individuals for personal profit. ln
:, lie ancient world representative government
:. was unknown the modern era had borrowed
!, Il from the councils Of the Catholic Church,
and il was thus that parties grew to be pow
ers in the State, and to exercise an influence
! for wea. or we upon the destinies -ot the
i Commonwealth.
The must dangerous feature Of party or
I ganization was, that i led men 70 iofsr, tne'r
J responsibility, 10 merge the individual INTO
e the mass, which, irresponsible, with no guide
: but the ambition 10 rule, justified in It's acts
- an expression OF English law, that corpora
i lions had no souls. The fealty oi party was
s acknowledged to an extent that sacrihced
Il personal independence.
A The lecturer introduced ludcrnns ,escrIp-
i lions Of the manner in which political meet
IS inrs we're gotten up aud managed. lie rep
II rohated i'm severe terms the modes and applI'
:, ances which we're sometimes res0rtel to t.
!, secure party triumph; the malice and vim
- lictiyeness Of partisan warfare, the disregard
u If truth, the open Islander, and the cover
I. libel. whicl, men, otherwise just and generous
4 dared not denounce If they did not palliate
N Men. indee,l. who defied public op'n',n u
morals and basphemed the ordinances OF IN
Most High, bowed IN cringne subserVIenc,
TO party. To illustrate this, the party Yea
IL Charles James Fox. Edmund Burke, an'
DR.. johnson were adduce,l. The spirit 9
I'D party refused Oliver Cromwcll's tomb I
Westminster Abbey. Even the loselest Z
n, Enrland's fair daughters had lett thelrhIs
n. sphere to cajole for votes.
~ r. Party spirit was .aid to lead to poli,ir'
nd Inconsistencies. IN power the triumphar
.sI party forgot the reforms il had promise
H. when suing for popular suffrage, and tho'
~, who had been lnudest in profession were ~
81 most larrard in ful6lmrnt. The memorabl
IA denunclatlnn III lard North hy Charles
NJ Pox and their ministerial uniun altrrwartl
~. the changes nf upinon aud action by polit
clans in the administration OF the feter
.J Government, we're presented as example,
III and these Inconsistencies, he said, had led
~ ! with travail ni confidence from pablo me-
M, ana threatened vet greater evils 70 the stat
M. Party spirit enabled bad men 10 rise IN
s, high positions of trust and hunor "
.i career II Join Wilkes anh the success
49,, Aaron Burr were traced in testimony at q
nosition. IL hal led to a lowering 0f Z
A standard Of public merit, and had intrOdue
a. ayaiiability-"a word whosc etymology v
.nd barbarnus and whose pulley ylcinus I'LL
NV, tie selection ii men fDr public statiOn.
M Illustration IL this il was said that ~
=. rarly ,Iays nf the Republic all knew v
81. would be the choice IL party Tor hi
!. !, station but now conventions were held
No man knew the result. Nay, 50 debaneh
raj in this respect had public opinion beech
nm that II was last year proposed with seriol
/. Le ness I, present candidate ior me hlsh
MA nlIice whose sole qualification was that
4. hail been a successful specuator aud own
med several stcambaIts.
,be Injustice to gUdd men was another ell
Ian. of party spirit. Lard Wellington's euu
IN, had shusa this. The same ianatlclsm VII
mon brought the hemlock TO Socrates had b
NM. i.hed from tie public cpunsrls the pur
aud best 1T i naiiDu'- SONS.
MI. Men ii character aud srnsibIliiy "
/ 81 afraid 81 the lbris aud as.assinations
ovn reputation which threatened every man
a. The public spr,ice Washington vas
b;s1 without HI. iraducrrs. aud but lnr his ey
,,rL balanced inielleei his srnsiblitiss would b
LII forced him lrum the seryirr u his c0untr
,.,sr III pursuing Ibis view ~ thr subject
I. NJ lecturer paid brautilul tribute t. Madi
90 aud Hamilton Inc calm sinking q the
mono IL one and the nunn Day paleing IL the u
ws. Of the either. drawing forth the must beaui
be. culosium we have ever heard.
and partie. MT unly exhausted the vial
muir their wrath upon opponents heads, but
tsLls the mad pursuit n power, forgDt the :
astsr geniuses WHICH .ated heW run oDin
wear. The party ~ hsmil'on e"bsuIten WIN
oeDn slater 70 defect jefferson, alid our n'y
him exhibited tie spectacle 81 q party VI
Itppe owed liis existence 70 the genus, her"
akef. aud inds.tfy o. u. leauer apannonihs
glins when Henry Clay ielI wounded IN the b
,eldly IL lis friends.
], Tutnlrg aside awhile frnm The gen
y ILL., objects II lie lecture, tie word. ~ the 81
= III speaker closed. a. he drew pictures d
,r.sn services aud capacity 81 the Kenit
talltd statesman. ending bis eUlogium with b
.eame tiIsl quotation irup ealrgy Of Vice u
~ ~ den, fIrerklnfidze.