The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1858-04-16
SOUTHERN DEMOCRATIC LEADERS.


of the mental and moral organizations of |
Southern Democratic leaders. We sincerely |
believe (says the Columbus EnquifeD II they
were famed by ambrosial breezes, aud their |
appetites regaled with every thing pleasant
to the sight the sound, and the touch, that
the demon Of Disunon would still haunt
their imaginations, and their chef business
would be TO make others fancy that they, too,
were us miserable as themselves. When their
appeals to the passions and prejudiees of their
hearers are treated with contempt, unable TO
reason and ignorant of facts, they then at
tempt to crafty their morbid eropdlsiiies in
assigning false motives to ths,f fpm try
can not answer with words Of sdj5iness ~
truth. They ignore the maxim Of Jefferson,
that difference of opinion may be tolerated
where reason is left free to combat it," and
while they profess the most unboundrd toll
erance for foreigners, they exhibit in their
actions disposition to extinguish every spark
of liberty of thought and sentiment among
those of their own kiih and kin who differ
with them, and who are fully their equals in
talents, position and character. In Englapd,
the people are free to express their hoIest
sentiments; in America, under Democatic
despotism, to dissent from the throne amounts
not only to a forfeiture of goods aud chittels,
bread and butter, but, rs far as the imprtency
of party malice will effect, It attributes what.
ever motives base heart ard weak head
may suggest, and assigns to its victims any
amount of social and political degradition.-
Let distinguished statesmen of Their own
party Cor even those who would scorn to tar
nsh themselves with such contact) liffer in
the smallest matter from the President, and
Immediately this tyranny over the conscience
is blazoned forth as an evidence of the sin
certy and virtue of Democracy-"of oftest
patriotism and exalted love of country
These are the men who turn up their eyes in
holy horror at Southern American journals
and Southern American Representatives, be.
cause they are unwilling to shout for Presi-
dent who, according to their own admission,
filings the "shell to the South and the oyster
to the North" These are the men who, be-
fore elections, boast loudly of their strength
and nationality, and with majority of forty
or fifty on joint ballot, and n majority of
twenty-eight over all parties in the House of
Representatives, are now forced to call on
despised Wings and slandered Americans, not
to save the county, but corrup. party from
utter ruin-apnrty which again for isgan has
deceived both tho North and South, nnd
which has riveted the chains of its own forg.
ing around the necks of Southern freemen,
even in the act which was urged as n surety
for our political emancipation. Where, since
the supremacy of this motley band of Demo-
-crats, Black Republicans and Disunionists,
have fled the spirits of Clay, Calhoun and
Webster! Where, how, are the representa-
tves of that moral courage, that fidelity to
truth, that incorrupt patriotism and unswerv-
ing attachment to principle, which once made
our country loved at home and respected
abroad Let the patriot look around and
hang his head in shame. Let Congress, turn
ed into bear garden, answer. Let the re-
proaches heaped upon the grey-haired patriot,
Crttenden, the almost sole survivor of pur-
| er generation of statesmen, awaken the atten-
| tion and call forth the exertions of all con-
servatves as to the true condition into which
our country has been brought by Southern
Democratic leaders.
We commend the following, from the Bal
timore Daily Exchange, new Democratic
paper, to some of our Southern journals:
SIT has become too much the fashion, lat
terly, to attempt to silence all independence
of thought and action, all honest doubt and
scruple, with hard names of unpleasant i'm
port-such as 'apostate,' renegade and 'tra-
tor Men can not so easily be whipped into
submission, or frightened into sacrifice of
their own convictions of right and freedom of
judgment. Such spirit of intolerance and
prescription will infallibly beget counter
spilit of resistance and opposition, which will
not only prove fatal to the measures of the
Administration now pending before Congress,
but will greatly weaken and cripple its power
and influence in the future. Whatever dis
position may be made of the Lecompton Con,
stitution, we trust that calmer counsels and q
more conciIiatory spirit may be suffered to
prevail in its consideration, and temper the
hot zeal Of fanatics and extremists on either
side"
A MOTHERS LovE.-Some of our readers
may recolect thrilling ballad which was
written on the death of woman who per
ished in the snow drifts of the Green Noun
tans of Vermont. That mother bore an in
FAINT on her bosom, and when the storm wax
ed loud and furious, true to mothers love
she rent her own garments, and wrapped
then around her babe. The morning fount
her stiffened corpse, but her babe survived
That babe grew to manhood, and became
the Speaker of the Ohio Senate. How thrill
| l. - tbat.