The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-07-01

The Position and Prospects of the Demo.
cratic Party
The New York Herald, the most
jealous among the supporters of the adj
ministration, and most shrewd OBJ
server of events, comes to the concln-
sion that the Democratic party is done
for and used up, Without hope for sue
cess in 1860. 1t says:
"In this connection, the first decisive
result of the slavery agitation was the
extinction of the whig party in 1852.
Ithad gone too far in worship of the
false gods, of false negro philan-
thropy, and it went down like ship in
the sea, under the Judgment of an in
dignanS people, never-to rise again.
But. insIs56 it was only the accidental
diyisionsof the opposition forces which
saved the democracy from absolute an
inhalation, on account of their desperate
experiment on the southern side of the
slavery question, with that tremendous
budget of party mutiny, rebellion,
factious fighting, and broken heads and
broken. bones-the Kansas-Nebraska
bill. The instruments of discord,
treaohery and destruction which were
thus turned loose in the democratic
camp, have not been quieted by the
happy chance of Mr.. Buchanan's cleo
don. On the contrary, in spite of all
the well intended efforts of the ablest
and most consistent and conservative
Democratic President and Cabinet
which. we have had for many years, In
behalf of peace, order and union in the
party camp, the democracy were never
in more battered and shattered, rag
ged, rebellious, and disorganized con-
dition than they are this very day.
A,half adozen disaffected, ambitious,
unscrupulous and reckless sectional
and factious leaders in Congress have
done all they could do to crush the
administrator and the parry in the dust
and, though they have signally failed
against the administration, they have
done a world of mischief to their par
ty, which came out of the campaign OF
1856 so crippled and exhausted as
scarcely to be able to stand on its legs.
The careful nursing undertaken by Mr..
Buchanan might soon have restored it
toeits wonted strength; but such Con-
gressional quack doctors as Douglas,
Toombs, Harris, Montgomery and others
have left it as feeble as poor consump-
tive after six months of torture and
starvation at bran board water-cure.
And now what do we see? The OPP
position forces, hopeful and exulting,
rallying, here and there and every
where, for the approaching elections
for the next Congress; while from the
broken and dispirited rank and file OF
the democracy We see only the feeble
defensive movements of disorgan-
lied retreating army. sj
In this view, it is most unfortunate
thing for the demoralized democracy
that, at this crisis of general depression
and stagnation IN all the channels OF
trade-at this time, when our people
ofsaak pursuits are struggling and econ
omizing to lift their heads again above
water, the expenses and obligations Of
the government, and of the peace es-
tablishment, should be increased to the
-slarnaing var aggregate of eighty mil
lions year. We may prove that the
administration has had neither the
discretion nor the power to prevent
this state of things; but among four or
five millions of voters, we say that the
lard, naked facts and figures will still
be the paramount issue.
We conclude, then, from the Doug
]as-Kansas disaffections in the northern
democratic camp, from the fre-eating
and ilibustering discussions in the
southern camp, and from the heavy
government expenditures, treasury-note
issues and loans for the current and en-
suing fiscal years, that the chances are
decidedly in favor of an opposition ma
.iority in the next House of Represents
tives. ~ ss-fc.. tt ~