Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-11-11
A Portrait Of Democracy.

A Portrait of Democracy.
1t is not often, says the Indiana Journal,
that the features of a man or party arc so
angular, harsh and i'll fitting. that they can
be faithfully presented in sharp outline AMI
accurate filling up by the most skillful use
of straight lines and sharp corners. But
in the following extract from the speech of
Mr. Seward Of New York. delivered at
Rochester, in that State, on the 18th ult.,
the portrait Of the Democratic party is
painted with the fl lclity Of dagucrrotypc
by means Of the straightest kind of histor-
zeal facts, and the sharpest kind of politi-
cal sharp corners" What that party IS,
is slorn. not described, by its record. And
the summary Of indisputablc facts which
arc thrown together in outlining anl sha-
ding this great Democratic portrait, is the
most effective speech against that party cv-
cr made. We defy any man to read it, anil
deny one solitary worl OF Its statements,
or refuse his assent to the proposition that
the Democratic. thai is the Lecomptpn
Democratic, party, is absolutely AMI en-
,ircly pro- slavery. We have frequently.
in the course ofthc dc6Mcs Of the past
canvass. rccurrcd to the prominent I'm
ser posts that marked the path in which
that party was moving, and showed how
they all divcrged more and more since
1910 from the path of Freedom, anil point
ed more directly to Slavery. How the
Compromise Of 1880 followed the acquisi-
ton of four possible slave States in Texas.
How the destruction ofthe only barrier a
gainst slavery in the north followed the
Compromise. How the interference Of the
National Government in behalf of slavery,
by the army, and by the tolcration of law
less pro-slavcry invasions of Kansas, fol-
lowed the destruction OF the Missouri re-
,triction. How the approval of fraud in
submitting pro-slavcry Constitution to
the people of Kansas followed the Govern
mcnt's interference there. How the boast
ed principle of popular sovereignty" was
surrendered in or.icr to force tn t pro-slavc-
ry Constitution ON Kansas. How, after a
failure to make Congress accept that Con-
srtution bribc an.la threat were offered
to the people to make them accept it. And
how, above all, decision Of the Supreme
Court has been accepted with unqucstion-
ing devotion which destroys al control Of
the people or of Congress over slavery and
leaves the curse to go where it will, and
wher it will. This row ofprominent facts,
we argued, blazed ont path whose tcrmi-
nation was nothing moro nor less than the
pure. entire, and absolute surrender of the
party, with all the power of its organiza-
ton. to the uses of slavery. But all VIC
have ever nrged on this point is condensed
and presented with ten-fold forcc in the
following extract, which VIC hope every
man Of every party to whom our paper can
reach Will read carefully:
The very constitution Of the Democratic
party commits it to execute al! the designs
of the Shareholders. whatever they may be-
1t is not party of the whole Union, Of all
the free States, anil Of all the States; nor
yet is it party of the free States in the
North and in the Northwest: but is sec
tional and local party, having practically
its seat within the slave States, and count
ing its constituency chiefly and almost cx-
clusively there. OF all its representatives
in Congress and in the Electoral Colleges,
two-thirds uniformly come from these
States. It's great elements lies in the vote
OF shareholders augmented by the reprcsen-
tation Of three-fftls Of the slaves. De-
prive the Democratic party of this strength,
and it would be helpless and hopeless mi
nority, incapable OF continued organization.
The Democratic party, being thus local and
sectional, acquires new strength from the
admission of every slave State, and loses
: relatively by the admission of every. new
free State into the Union "A party is in
one sense o joint stock association, in
which those who contribute most direct the
action and management of the conccrn-
The Shareholders, contributing in an over
whelming proportiont to the caaital strength
of the Democratic party, they necessarily
dictate and prescribe its policy The in
evltabIe caucus system enables them to do
so with show Of fairness aud Justice. If
It were possible to conceive for moment
thatthe Democratic party should dsobey the
behests of the Shareholders, we should then
sec withdrawslof rhc Shareholders which