Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-11-10
For the Arkansas True Democrat ROTATION No. 2.

to be palmed OH on tlio POoPio "
 bv some of the advocates of the adoption ot ,bs nr;ncinle. This division ofUur subject IS . nrnlific one. and grows upon our hands. We rrava sample of the contradictions ln when sha Fort smith Herald has involved itself, ana with one other sample of the facility with when if disnoses of the chronological order ot events, we will mass 1t by for the present The hera'u' snaak kina for i-self and kindred sheets, asserts that they
 suove not only advocated rotation, but have PIP ren if to be democratic doctrine and one 700 Nnen has been observed and adopted ny the ne,l,oo, n'l
 party through every stage of the history ol I" frv save here and there few dts- honoraoie eAeeF tons. .'-F5rt Smith Herald, Aug. lst.
 ..Tbadamnable doctrine rotation' as Theseus' s
 ,eased to call it. has been revived and discussed before the people and it has laid hold upon the puohc mind. and we venture to assert that IT an eect,oh Was held for the purpose of testing the matter be tween the rotationists and the opposition on Mon day next the rotationsts would have large ana overwhelming majority. for the time has arrived when these old things and old ways are to fall in the rear and let young Ametica' fully de- yeloped step into the front rank and build up the country. .r-F;at .Snaith Hetald. 4Sect. 19tt.
 In the first extract the Herald says, it has proven that the democracy have observed the principle at every stage Of our history, and in the second, in commenting on an article written by correspondent in opposition to the princi- pie, and published by it, again gets confused in its chronology and says the principle has been "revived" Revived why how can the He rald speak of the principle as having been re- vived, when but short time previous 1t assert ed that it had been observed at every stage of our history? Had it been 'revived" it must at some time have fallen into desuetude vet the Herald lustily affirms such not to have been the fact There is screw loose in the Herald's logic It further affirns that the principle is now favored by majority of the people, and that could the question be at once determined, these old things and old wavs' would be re- pudiated. What old things and old ways? the principle of rotation, which, having been ob- served at every stage of our history, must be about as old as any thing that concerns Us? Not at all; it is the old things and oll ways that knew no such principle as an article of demo cratic faith, that are to be driven to the wall; they are to give place to something Uery new and fresh, the suppositous offspring of " Young America" II the Herald can reconcile the po- siton taken in the first extract, as to the high antiquity of the principle, with the assertions embodied in the second, we pray the effort may be accompanied by vigorous digestion.
 Young SOuth," in his article on the subject, (publshed in the Napoleon Planter,) labors to prove that the principle a favorite one of the democratic (but then known republican,) members of the constitutional convention, and of those holding official position in our early government. The case is hardly stated with that insenuousness and candor that marks the simple seeker after truth 1t savers too much of the partisan, of one that seeks to bolster up q foregone conclusion. At the formation of our government parties were divided into federalists and republicans; the predominant idea of the former was to establish firm, strong govern ment a power to compel obedience and the execution of its mandates; hence 1t was deemed necessary, on theeprevaling opinion of centra- lization and consolidation, to make the othclal representatives of government to very con- siderable degree independent ot the body on which this authority was chiefly to act to wit: the people, They held, or seemed 10 hold in part. the idea that the interests of the govern ment and the people were separate and dls- tinct that the people might be too easily induc- e1 to change the form of government unless the latter were made secure. The republicans on inc contrary held that the interests of people and govarnn,ent were. or ought to be, identical and that to preserve them sp the representatives of the governmental power should be, as lmme- di,talv as the necessities of the case would ad. mi arnenable to. and under the control of, the peonle and the States; ther efforts were Glrect- ed to secure and preserve the rights of the peo- ple and the States, rather than to confer pow CTS on the central govermment-to make the government firm and strong through the means of satisfied, happy and free people rather than through undue powers delegated to ltselt. Such were. very briefly state |, the points ot difference then subsisting, that bear upon our subject The republicans, therefore, labofed 70 l-, ,t.,l +la exercise of governmental power subject to the will of the people through the media ot snort terms of office, and this, with the exception touching the judiciary, they succeeded n effect ing. The institution of our government was an erperjn,enf. the principles on which 1t was in a1gurated were new and untried, and extreme views were held and advocated on either side; but both parties knew that there could De no rational or permanent liberty, except in obe- lience to law. that without officers to make and execute the laws there could be no government, and reasonable sacrifice of extreme oplnion was made on the altar of the common good; government was organized and put m operation, it's working scrutiniSed such defects as its Ope- ration shoull exhibit he cnrrectel, and such amendments made as experience should show to be desirable The republicans, under the 1 lead of Jefferson originally contented Tor, as l regarded the higher offices of the federal go- | vernment. short terms and neglblty to serve | A second term: or in other words, for the prln- | cjple of rotation; but this was before the work | ng of the system adopted had been developed Subsequently they found that the rule of short terms, accountability to the people, the rever- ! sion of the office into their sovereign hands, their voice potential to reeIect or to condemn, | the power of REMOVAL, was salutary and al- together safe and they became satisfied there | with, retiring from their original extreme posi- 1 ton. The power of remouai, whether exercised by the people through the lnstrnmentaity ot the ballot box, or by the authority of the exc cutive to whom the power of appointing nu- merous subordinate officers was legated, was all su tiicent and efficient 1t reaches alike high and low. and while it destroys the weak, idle, in- competent and corrupt, yet allows the people to retain in service those whose services may be ot value to them; being in this, unlike rotation which udi ,criminately destroys the good with | the bad "Young South" in his argument would have us believe that Jefferson retained without modification, his original extreme opinion on this subject, but such is not the fact He was, how ever. we fully admit to the last exceedingly jealous of official power. In the quotation made from his writings by Young South," be-
 
 people had retained the control of their public servants, the principle objection urged, or what he terms the least republican feature of our system is, that the judiciary [isl independ- ent of the naton.'' We exceedingly regret that we have not at our command the complete writings of Jefferson, as we could from them present the direct evidence of the correctness of what we have stated to have been his ina opinion on rotation, and how far he would be found from sustaining the present advocates ot that principle. We are not altogether ignorant of Jetferson's writings but neither in justice to him, ourself or the truth, can we attempt tc q ote without book and page before us. We have, however, in our possession small work on the organization of the federal judiciary. containing few of Jefferson's letters written to various friends in connection with that par. ticular branch of government, and which de- monstrate that he was in favor of the election or appointment of the judges for limited terms | subject to rp-aDDOlOtmeuI Q reflection oHar th.