Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-08-28
Principles Not ZEN.


lis the boost Of the Democracy tina. their mott
ID, Principles. not Mem" R.llyias under thi
motto, it Is yet their habit 10 support always thu
candidate u the party. without regard to his prin
oiplee. Thcre never was party which made
warmer professions Of devotion 10 principle, ant
yet 50 constantly and invariably violated it. Thei'
motto may BE- principles, not men,, before thu
nominstiee--bot ~ soon rs the names Of the
candidates are announced, it is men, not princ'
pies"
Everybody now agrees that political platforms
are the yeriest humbugs and shsms Of the age
They ars traps. to catch the unwary-to deceive
unsuspecting peple with. They are intended
by those who construct them Ths "glittering
generalitiss" Of the various Democratic Platforms
are nothing more than . screen behind which the
party wire workers conduct their secret operations
and ply their laborious trade Of deception. They
will declare a. ainst internal impro,cme by the
General Government in one breath, and the next
moment they will pass an internal improvement
bill over the veto Of their own Democratic Prcsi-
dent. They will declare at Baltimore that the
public lands must be reserved for the Of the
General Government alone. and they will 90
straight to Washington, and pass bill after bill
giving these lands away to the States. They will
declare that Compromise is "fnAlity '--asthcy
did in so about the Compromise Of 'jo--and that
slavery agitation must be put stop to--and they
will not wait two years before they reopen tho
whole slavery question from top to bottom In
short, whatever they say in their Platforms that
they will mi do, they 90 Immediately and do-and
whatever they declare in fayorof is from thatmo-
ment dead as Hector. Democratic Platicrns-all
Platforms in fact--are gotten up on the Tallcy-
randc principle that language is given tons to
conceal our thoughts.
People are, very naturally, getting tired of such
things, and begin TO believe that .'Princpcs not
men," is a proclamation ssvoring very strongly
of deception and humbug. After all, it is the
man who is voted for. The people would dstrust
a bad man. even If put upon the best platform
that ever was constructed, and every plank Of
which could be stood upon by every American ci'i-
zen. In like manner. they will trust and coniiIc
in man whom they believe to be pure, and hon
est, and patriotic, and capable, without regard to
the Platform he stands upon, and without caring,
in truth, whether he stands upon one at all
Platforms in fact, arc modern inventions.
Washington was not elected upon any Platform,
nor were any Of the earlier Presidents Who
would have thought Of combining such II man as
James Madison to the narrow limits OF u PLAT
form" Who would have insutcd the majesty of
Madison's great character by rendering him so
poor a thing rs modern political "Platform' of
the present day?
1t is said that His Satanic Majesty can quote
Il. A.. al,
20, also, may a deep-dyed villain, Joseph Surface
like. utter the sublimest maxims Of morality Po-
litical parties-at least those who control them
have not IA reputation Of being great deal bet
ter than tfey should be. Can they not--do they
not constanty-play the part Of Surface before the
people, pleasing them with fine sentiments, which
are uttered, only aud never practised upon? or
this, the people are becoming more and more cont
yinced--and We much mistake il there be not a
growing disposition among them to reverse the
motto-to declare in future for men whom they
can rely upon sooner than such principles as nre
only proclaimed " be daily and hourly violated.
Tho New Route
A trayelling correspondent of the Jonesr'rough
Vindicator, writing from Massachusetts,, makes
Iue IOIloWlng eXcclicnt SuSses'ohs'
You would do well TO call the attention Of the
Directors of the l.. Tenn. Va. Kali Road to the
Importance Of making known more extensively
this "Great Central Route to the South and the
South West''-by way Of advertising They can
learn good lesson from the management OF the
North Western Roads. You can 80 iuto scarcely
a Depot in New England without finding the roads
Of the North West advertised more or less extern
.ireiy. 'Ths Great Central Route" or the Great
fhvvaa tapn Rn,ifpp nrs IN
across large elegantly framed map Of the Nor
thern portion of the States conspicuousy, that
it takes but . little effort Of the Imagination to
fancy that you eau see Chicago all vi the way
from New York; and there also u plenty Of
handbilis, that you can learn the time OF run
ming according 10 the recent schedules.
And 1.-THE Great Southern Route" thro' the Car
olinas seems to monopolze all Of the attention Of
the public, aud you could hardly learn from the
newspapers Of New York especially, that there is
any other way Of getting to the South and iii the
Reading Room of the Boston Exchange could
find an advertisement Of road only by refer
ring to New Orleans paper. The road through
Western Va, and L. Tenn, does possess adyanta-
ges any other, and doubtless 1t will gain the
public favor eventually, but these advantages
must be made known through the public press,
and by other means; and our Directors should
learn lesson from the constant putting bestowed
upon other routes.
The above 10 q good suggestion. Ihencw Route
will doubtless become known, sooner or later,
without the adventtious aid Of the press--but n
judicious system Of advertising is almost essential
to correct the impressions made by rival routes.
1t must be confessed however that the illiberali-
ty shown to the press by the Railroads has reeas-
cd them from any obligation to spread informa-
ton in regard to Railroads Voluntarily belore tho
public. But for its being done in the interest of
the public at large it is very likely it would not