The Washington union., 1857-09-25
From the Nashville Union.
THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.


We can conceive of greater responsibility or more
auo,s duty than is resting upon the shoulders of
the great national democratic party Of the country In
tecss of great moment involving the material and social
welfare not only of this large family OF States, but OF
good government throughout the world in the hands
and Keeping of the present administrative power inter-
sss not less important to generations that are to come
after us than to the present actors on the stage OF e
He who would approximate to anything like correct
idea of the heavy charge which the democratic party has
in keeping must go back and review the political history
of the world and calculate the tolls and struggles
through which humanity has passed in arriving at our
present stand point of rational liberty developed
and enoyed under written constitution and laws by
the American people And to estimate the arduousness
of the labor to be performed must learn by the wis
dom of the past how easy is to destroy in an hour
Eic which it has cost centuries to build
nm history is full of examples and the American people
have no exemption from the common iptrmtes which
have always formed part of our fallen nature
We have arrived at the conclusionnot willingly how
when the democratic party for length
Of time to govern the country the country organ
lied will cease to exist We say this in spirit of par
tissn;sm but from earnest convictions. We believe in
the doctrine OF popularizng our institutions and we
know that progress has been made in that direction and
vet IT is manifest there is proporonaby, less repub-
caism among our people to-day than when our expert
mcnt of was first started by the trainers
of the constitution Who question that if any large
ontion of the States of this Union occupied the same
political status that Massachusetts does, our people
would have reached point from which our present form
of government would prove fai,ure We do not allude
to the question of slavery but to that condition of mind
and morals entering into their political and social organi
zations which makes manifest their deterioration in all
the clements Of their original republican character
They have colleges and schools churches and capes,
capital and labor luxury and want but none nor all OF
these constitute we-regulated liberty The mother
country had them from which the Pilgrim Fathers fed.
The worst despotisms of the world have them
The anti-repubcan spirit of the times, the abandon
ment and disregard the elementary principles of our
government corruptons and ecessness in public men
are not peculiar to Massachusetts, We only instance 1t as
mobaby the most striking example for purpose. The
large proportiop of the northern society has given to
il and If the present free States alone constituted the
federal government il is questionable whether our pres
cnt system of free institutions could ha perpetnated any
reasonable length of time
Men are growing reckless Of principle and proportion
ably reckless of consequences to the country The pa
rosn of those who should be the standing lights in
society has been giving to the consideration OF the
dollar Men wonld rather be mionaires than states
men, and are beginning to value political preerment very
much as they estimate the stocks at the Exchange Their
ideas of legislation partae of the character Every
thing based upon dollars and cents and when their
philanthropy even extends beyond their own pockets to
their constituents the question is, how much richer 1t
will make them what additional advantages for ma
king money IL will afford them what increased faci-
ties for trade and speculation it will give The liberties
the citizenhe rights of the citizen-the actual ne
ccsstes of the citizen and security and
social equality things that concern all alike, and are
specially dear TO great of our plain, substantial
people ase subordinate, and often palpaby neglected
such an extent has this tendency in legislation gone
that many good men, fogetfu Of themselves, are falling
with the idea that Il is the business Of government to
take partial charge and management of the private con
Germs of its citizens Hence hear it spoken OF as pa
government as though the people were Its crea
tures and it the creatures of the people ence inc
desire for splendid government as though Its repuohcan
ism did not consist in its very simplicity.
The idea has been growing that Il is the business OF
government to make money Hence the establishment
Of banks and other moneyed corporations in which the
States have become parties Some bave thought that It
the business Of government TO build railroads for the
people and carry the products Of the country to market