The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-10-14
The Psriissn Powers of the Pss.ide"t--
IL tie the DE mos,stie Psrtyi


IL tie the DE mos,aiis Psryi
This question is asked daily by thousands
Of Democrats throughout the country. 1t
is q strange question, and at any former
period Of our political history, It would have
ranked the querist among the most insane
OF the humOrists, or the most humorous oi
the insane. But the events OF the las, year
have given ii an acknowledged pertinence
and Significance and it therefore becomes
worthy Of consideration and reply
The fact il beyond denial, that President
BuCmASAs has exercised functions which
have heretofore been considered the preroga
tive Of the national conventions Of the Dem
ocratic party. lie has prescribed tests Of
Democracy which have not been pronu
gated by any national convention, and he
has prescribed Democrats who would not
acknowledge such tests. and subscribe to
their doctrines. lie has in doing this M
samed the power and prerogatves Of the
party. II this power has been vested in
him by the party, ts exercise is right and
proper il not, then the assumption is
wrong, and its exercise an usurpalion.
II the President posscsses power to create
new tests Of Democracy, from what source
or TACT does he derive bis authority II
must IN, II possessed at all, by virtue Of
some express grant from the last national
convention, Of his nomination az the prcsi-
dental candidate, or Of his election TO the
presidential Office. II could not have been
by any grant of power from the Cincinnati
Convention, because that body conferred no
authority upon him, either express or i'm
Piled. We cannot Understand how the ~.
sumption can be based on the fact Of his
nomination. A nomination confers upon
the recipient obligations to the party, but
no authority over the party, Or. if it did,
then the defeated candidate would posscss
1t equally with the successful According
to this doctrine, MARrIS NM lBrRrS would
have been the dictator OF the party from
1910 to lSii, and LEWIS CAss from lsts
to 1852. But We nrc not aware that either
OF these defeated candidates ever assumed
to create or disturb the party crc,l during
the periods named. or that such authority
was ever claimed for them by any Demo
crat Neither can We understand how the
assumption can bc based on the fac, OF clc,-
ton 10 The presidential Office. II this au.
tbority ia al incijcn, to the position and
does not arise by any express grant,
nor from the fact of nomination, then il il an
authority which is operative upon all politi.
cal parties alike II from the circumstance
OF being President, Mr., BrcnAS,S can pre-.
crbe new tests for Democrats he certainly
can also prescribe new tests for Back Re-
pnblcans and Know Nothings And if. by
reason Of being President. il becomes his
duty 10 alter or amend the cr,vd oi the
Democracy. TO correspond with his wishes
or his belief, II follows logically tina, i, is also
his duty 10 interpolaie and reform the cr,yds
OF the Republicans and Know Nothiugs.
SO, II he has BEEN performing his duty in a..
'cring the Democratic creed. he has certainly
been negl,cting II in no, altering the crceis
OF the Know Nothings and Black Repub.
leans and these organizations have jus,
grounds Of complaint agains, him on this
behalf, unless indeed. their crccds are alrca
dy perfect TO bis taste, and need no al,era
ton.
hut. seriously. We have followed thes.
premises 10 their conclusions simply to show
the utter ahsur,li,y Of the prc,encc that Mr.
Bvcn,SAS, by reason of his relations Ia
the party or the government. posseSss any
power whatever over the Democracy beyond
that possessed by any other siugl, Demo
crat. Therc is only one authority within
the party which can make or unmake cre,,is.
That authority is lis National Conventions.
These National Conventions were instituted
for the purpose Of uniting the mmb,rs Of
the party from divers sections, and cprc-
senting conflicting interests. upon a com
mon platform. wherein everything OF minor
consequence should be omitted and every
thing Of real Importance should be expressed
Experience had taught the fact tina, the
masses Of the party throughou, the Union
could only be kept together, from one pr,si
Dental campaign to another, by ,he inaugu
.aAios Of a ar..saral rr..,l Of National L..