Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-07-31
Political.

A disposition having been manifested in
several counties by portion Of the DemOcra-
cy, to take separate action from the majority
of the party, it will not be improper to inquire
on what grouud such action can be taken, and
to point out the inevitable result which must
follow so serious q split. In the first place,
it is difficult to conceive what particular line
Of policy the disafccted are desirous Of estab-
fishing. They claim to be douglas Demo-
Gratis, as in contradistnction with what are
termed Administration Democrats" or, in
other words, they are the opponents of the
Lecompton policy which has been applied to
Kansas, under the English Bill, and claim Mr..
Douglas as the exponent of their views Of this
subject. But Mr. Douglas himself has not only
ceased all opposition on this point-which he
emphatically declares to be a dead issue" !"
killed by the adoption Of the English Bill by
Congress, and buried by the reference Of the
whole subject back to the people of Kansas,
who alone are now interested-but has ex-
pressy declared that it can never again, un-
der any circumstances, be restored to the i'm
portance it once boasted, or become a national
question. 1t must, therefore, be evident that
the "Douglas Democrats, under the signifi-
cation above given, are fighting for shadow,
for which they are about to sacrifice the sub
=
ranks, for which the most plausible sophistry
can furnish no ground, they will inevitably
yield the victory to our common enemy. The
action taken in several counties is clearly at
variance with the recognized principles and
rules Of the Democratic party, whose funda-
mental motto is, that the majority governs"
inasmuch as such action has been in direct
opposition to this automatic principle. The
merest subterfuges have been employed in
some instances as excuses for non compliance
with the will of the majority, and in III Dora
do, the disaffected, after having taken part in
the primary election, after having placed their
candidates before the party, after having gone
through the usual process Of voting for menl-
bers Of the Convention, suddenly affect to
have discovered that the election was not con-
Quoted according to Democratic usage Had
they protested prior to the election, and re.
Trained from taking part in it, there would
have been some plausibility in their separate
action, but under the circumstances we can
find no excuse, for promoting split in the
party under such himsy pretexts as they
have advanced. Ii proof of our position, we
IGote their language. They accuse the Ten.
tral Committee Of creating improper tests"
"calling primary meetings at an unusual and
inconvcnicnt hour" and requiring list of
voters to be registered and returned to the
Chairman of the Central Committee" charg-
ing the Committee with desire to rule over
and dictate to the party in that county. They
should not have waited till after the election,
in which they were active, to prefer their
charges. The results Of the elections held
thus far in in the various counties, show that
the administration" wing, SO called, is al
ready so far in the majority, that If even all
the counties yet to be heard from were to send
douglas Democrats" as they arc termed, to
the Convention, they would still be in the
minority, and it is by no means probable that
no other to the State Convention. Tho "Ad-
ministration" claim ia members, whose
rights to seats is uncontested, while the
douglas Democrats" show only 40 members
in like standing There are, besides, SO men,
bers whose seats are contested, and who may
or may not advocate the defunct anti-Lecomp-
ton policy, but is by TO means probable that
they will e., 6e Of that mind, while it is alto
gether likely that majority of them will be
Of the opposite policy. Disaffection in the
ranks of the party can only result in the most
humiliating defeat, in which event it will be
Of little practical consequence to the party
what peculiar stripe Of policy its members
advocate. United, the Democracy present an
invincible host, that must scatter their oppo-
nents like chaff, but broken and separated,
they will be ground to powder. Should such
a result be witnessed, on whose shoulders
will the responsibility properly restg Will
it not be on those of the men who insist, in
the face of the clcarest truth, on making
living, national issue of the Kansas question:
Let the party bury this issue in California, as
it has been laid to rest in all other portions of
the Union, and work harmoniously together
to insure triumphant victory then, after
that is accomplished, let them squabble
among themselves, and argue the question to
their hearts content. But now, our Demo
cratic faggot must be kept bound together {;
it will not do to separate the slaves of which
it is comprehension Francisco Herald.