Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-11-17
For the Arkansas True Democrat. ROTATION No 2

ROTATION No. 3.
 MR. EDIToR-The advocates of ro.ation oe. nerally affect to throw upon those that oppose It the odlum of being in favor of life tenure of oIilce, and that the holder of office has a sune- TOT right to be re-elected or re-appointed there 10 ever the private citizen. No charge could pc more utterly destitute of truth. "Young ooulh 9raveiy argues that the "superior ISh' which, he says, is claimed for the Ameri. c"n oihce-holder to continuance in office, is Just the same as IS recognized in m0narchies as the "dlvIne right of the king to rule. and appears 10 demonstrate 1t to his own intense Sia''hcatIoh Dy Informing his readers that the ""iu superioi" Is synonyma of the word
 utVihe, piece ot news that is no doubt highly appreciated. The word superior how. esti, happens to be comparative term. varia- pie Ill Value and import according to the quali- " or the object to which it may be applied, and m It's most exalted sense meaning only pre- eminent excellence. Neither the etvmological meaning CT conventional usage of the word SUI Perior can, in any degree sanction the absurd Pretence that 1t IS the equivalent of the word ulVlhe, which, In the phrase used, signifies as of the authority proceeding from God But if
 louhS South" were as correct as he is ncor- rect Tn the use of these terms it would avail hothlhg, Tor no opponent of rotation is in favor or lie tenure of office or believes in the
 supeclor right of the office holder to continu. ance Tn oihce. These may, indeed be cases when superior qualification may be regarded as good reason for reelection, but the fact of ouali ncatlon Slves no right to office; it is the voice oi the people that can create and convey right. Some other statements of Young South," and further Instances of the false use of words, we feel full disposition to unvel aud expose. but our limits will not permit it.
 If our readers have kept in view our deGni ton of the meaning of the term "rotation, {" and In the correctness of which we are fortified oy the quotations made in our preceding mum
 bers from rotation authorities, we design now to prove that the principle has never been prac- tced by, or made part of the faith of the demo- cratic party. Parties were, as we have before stated, at the formation of our government divided into tederalists and republicans, and that general distinction existed, with slight and local variations, up to about 1920, when the federal'stS who hal been gradually falling into lnsIgnlhcance, ceased to exist as a party. Wash ngton, our first president, federalist in politics, served two terms in that capacity; J ohm Adams, hls successor, more violent federalist, served but single term, being removed by the peo. pie, III the "revolutiOu of lSOO." as Jefferson termed that election, and the last named gen. tleman, a republican in politics, called to suc- ceed hm m the presidency. We have admit ted that, at the formation of the constitution, and when we were applying new principles of government. and modes of regulating that go- vernment, the issue of which was in the future and yelled from the eyes of all, Jefferson ad- vocated, in addition to limited tenure of office, the non-ell9lblilty ot persons to a second term ol SerYlce. We nave also shown in our second number, by extracts from letters written shortly before ms death, that having seen, through a seres "t years, the development of the eff ceucy of the system adopted in regard to limit ed otlclal tenure, recurring direct accountability 10 the people, and the corrective power of re- moUW possessed by them, 1t was his wish that the Judiciary should be organized on the same basis, expressly assenting to the principles of rc-elSlnlilty to official position, and thus with drawing his old opposition to that principle.- And what was his action when he himself was elected to the presidency? Had he retainei his original opinion would he not have given evi- dence of his sincerity by, no matter what line oi conduct others mi 5ht have adopted, his ab- Soute refusal to remain in office second term The founder and expounder of a system of political faith he would, as he did, have brought his political and official life into agreement with all its requirements. But the principle of re. 0sorat was proven to be, in its practical results, superior to rotation, principle that was only advocated as theory, in opposition to the tbeorg ot life tenure of office, and neither Of ,CaicI aceTe eUer adopted ia our countrg-except the lat ter as to the judiciary. Jefferson having com. pIeted his first term as president, was re elected to the position, receiving all but fourteen of the whole number of electoral votes This shows how far the party was from being governed by the principle of rotation. Madison and Mon. roe, both oi the same school of politics. respec- lively succeeded, and both served throughout a second term. We come now to a change in the composition Of parties, the adoption of new party names, etc, te which We must briefly ad- vert Alter the termination uf the war ol lSl2-'l0, the anImositieS and acerbties of po- ltcaI strlfe gradually died out, and during a portion Of the administrations of Monroe, so ilttIe disturbed was the public sentiment by party conflict, that that portion of our political history Is Known as " the era of good feeling' D At the election oi 1924, when Mouroe's sue cesSor was to be chosen four candidates, John e. Adams, Jackson, Crawford and Clay, were Ill the field. There was so little difference in thelr poluCal sentiments, all being clasSed as republicans that, to use a homely but expressive phrase, "a blanket would have covered them all" Up to this time the nominations for the presidency had been made by caucuses of the members of Congress, who claimed to act as the representatives of their party and whose nominations had been generally respected. Mr. Crawford was the caucus nominee and had the support of the " Richmond iunta" and Alba. ny regency" cliqueS that were almost potential m the State of Virginia and New York, and of marked Influence at large; but the caucus sys. tenn and the political cques had fallen into dlSrepute, and Mir. Crawford was defeated De. cause he was their candidate. Clay received the least, and Jackson the greatest number o votes cast by the electoral college, but no choice havlng been made by the people, the election devolved on the House of Representatives when John Q. Adams received majority of the votes ot the States. One of the great results oi this contest was to destroy the old mode o nominating candidates, and to introduce the subslstlng plan of national conventions. The differences than engendered, and the policy pursued by the Adams administration, wrought ther natural effects; similarity of opinion and purpose produced unity of effort and action, and two great parties were developed under the ieSitClNe names or WnlS ana demOcratlc.- The democratic was the successor of the old republican party, recognizing in Jefferson the touhder of it's political faith AdarnS, having served but one term, was succeeded by Jack. son, tine glorious leader of the democracy. Ir the long gle continued through his two terms of service, the principles and strength o the party were tested in the severest manner and but that they were grounded in imnutablt truth must have yielded to the storm. Nc epoch In the history of the democracy is more brilliantly illustrated than this. Jackson hay ing completed his second term retired, and Var Burcn, democrat, was elected his successor l The party nominated him for d second term o service, and although he was defeated, the fact of his re-nomination shows that it did not ap- ply the principle of rotation, as it would have reelected him if it could. Since that date l84O the democracy, for good and sufficen
 reasons in each particular case, has put forward DO presidento of its choice for second term O service, but this has been caused in no instanc, | by the application of the principle of rotation | Polk and Buchanan, individually and each fo 1 I