The hydraulic press., 1858-08-21
Bulletin Board Politicians.

At the double-headed meeting
which our Democratic friends held in
this place short time since, we hap.
pened to-hear DAVID BELDEN paying
his respects to the speaker on the
corner, who had announced himself as
the standard bearer Of the Democrat
cy. BELDEN said be would call him
more truly its bulletin board, on
which every party in succession had
posted its notices, and you could now
pull them off one after another as you
would peel an onion. Not knowing
or caring bat what BELDEN might be
obnoxious to the point of his own wit,
We thought the idea happy one, land
the title of Bulletin board politicians
especially applicable in California,
which has been cursed by the pres
ence of so many Of that sort, togeth>
er with their near kin, the carpet-bag
| politicians. The mere fact Of chan-
ging ones opinions, where the change
is sincere, should be no reproach to a
man, but rather the reverse,for it Is a
sign of mental inte gritty. :
We never had much sympathy with
the popular definition of consistency,
ard are pretty apt when we hear of
man who has never changed-who
has always been Democrat, or a
Wing, or a Republican. .to suspect his
honesty.
No one can be true to principle and
party at the same time, for principles
are not fiuctuating nor arbitrary,
whilst parties are inevitably so. But
there is a class of human chameleons
who adapt their cclors to every change
in the atmosphere of public opinion,
real or fancied. They futter, and
buzz and glitter in the pleasant air Of
peace and imagine themselves per-
ennial but when the storm comes
when the conflict of true principles
with old errors and abuses rings lou
dest, they are swept into oblivion and
nobody regrets them. Such men can
be Of no real service to.society, whilst
they may be serious injury 1t ad
mits of no question, that the widest
fanaticism proves ultimately less inju-
|lrious to the charactcr of a people,
/ than the insidious corruption of dema-
| gogueisn.
| From the Crusaders sprang chival-
ry with its amenities, softening the
rudeness of the times and leading to
our modern politeness, which is only
the golden rule conventionalized; and
from Puritanism grew our modern
freedom, with all those elevating
an std d uHsesl6i q 81. ollivsr
sal man which distinguish this age
above all others.
A man who has heart and brain
enough to be a fanatic, is apt to be
also, apart from his craze at least, a
good citizen-a lover and doer of the
right for its own sake, a tender SYM
pathizer and an active philanthropist.
Your bulletin board politician, wher-
yer you find him-and that is every
where's a contemplate character
compared to such a fanatic Yet to
him is chiefly surrendered the control
of our affairs and the directing Of our
national destiny. If the American
people do not ballot such fellows
down they will need another revolu-
ton one Of these days to como.
These reflections may serve to IL
lustrate the truth that one may draw
wise conclusions from the most insig-
nifcant circnmstances-aye, even
from political meetings and stump
speeches.
INDIAN ATTACK ON THE OVERLAND
| MAIL.-It IS reported that the mail
G zach whichleft Placerville 31stu ulthad
been attacked by Shoshone Indians,