The Shasta courier., 1858-07-03
The Democratic Test.


ing the character of the test to be applied to
voters proposing to participate in the approach
ing primary elections for delegates to the State
and County Conventions
In Amador the Central Committee
"Resoired, That all who voted the Democratic
State Ticket at the last general election or who
viii publicly declare upon their honor that it is
their intention to support the Democratic State
and County Tickets at the coming election, shall
be entitled to vote at the primary elections
In Nevada, the Central Committee
Resolred That all the legally qualified voters
who shall accept of and endorse the principles
contained in the Cincinnati Platform, adopted
by the National Democracy in 1856, and are
willing TO assist in carrying out the same in
spirit of fairness and honor, and also declare it
to be their intention to'suppurt the nominees of
the coming Democratic County Convention, are
cordially invited to participate in our primary
meetings"
In 81 Dorado, according to the Unions cor
respondent, the Committee resolved that +" the
delegates in the various precincts should be
elected by ballot, and that those only who voted
for Coy. Weller should be allowed to VOTE
With all due Difference we submit that-all of
these tests are ner, and violative of ancient
Democratic usage. In the heat of political bick-
e4ings and contentious men are apt to get be-
- - -,If,.iea. and weil-dehned party land
marks 1t is therefore the part of wisdom at
such times to recur to fundamental party rules
and customs. We appeal confidently to old
time Democrats, who are familiar with Demo-
cratic isages, to sustain US in the assertion that
heretofore, the rule has been that those only aeho
acted nth or party al the preceding election, were
entitled to admission into, as it were, the "coun-
Gil room" of the Democracy. According to an
cient Democratic usage, man must give evi-
dence of the faith that is IN him. by works-by
supporting the Democratic party at one election
at least before he claims the right to participate
in the preliminary movements and councils of
the party. 1t has never been the practice to
place new convert Whose professions were his
only avidence of sincerity upon an equality with
the Democrat of ten, twenty or thirty years
standing.
| OF the tests quoted above we consider that of
the Ell Dorado committee as approaching the
nearest to the Democratic usage although it is
very far from the true rule. If the committee
had placed the words q the Democratic ticket al
the last election" instead of the name of /" Gov.
Weller" they would have hit the true Demo-
cratic rule. Their test however, declares that a
man who may have worked against and voted
against the entire State and county ticket, with
the exception of Gov. Weller, shall, by virtue of
that exception, be entitled to vote in our prrna-
ry meetings That is, it makes the support, not
mans party fealty. This violation of party usage
is too palpabe to need comment. Our confrere
of the Mountain Democrat has the credit of hav-
ing established this new rule. In the last State
Convention the Committee on Resolutions COM
posed of one from each county, unanimously
adopted resolution, offered by Mr.. Meredith, of
Nevada, declaring that no man who had not
supported James Buchanan at the previous cleo
ton should be entitled to a seat in that body
When the resolution was read Vince Geiger,
being cognizant of the fact that some forty or
fifty pure Know Nothings, who had neither sup
ported nor voted for Mr. Buchanan, were in the
Convention and his side, almost instantaneous
y scattered himself all over that body. Of
course the resolution was voted down. the Ell
Dorado delegation (of whom the editor of the
Democrat was one) voting in the Affirmative
Now, we submit, if it was wrong last year to
make the support of Mr.. Buchanan a test of
a mans rights as a Democrat, it is wrong this
year to make the support of Gov. Weller that
test.
The other q" tests" quoted are essentially and
fundamentally erroneous, for the reason that
they place upon an equality with Democrat who
has never deserted his party, any Know Moth
ing or Republican, or Abolitionist who may
1 publicly profess to be Democrat. We all re-
member how that, several years ago, hundreds
of men before deemed truthful, publicly profess
ed that they were not Know Nothings, while at
the same time they were members of that order.
The Central Committee of Tuolumne hit the
true rule:
Resotped, That all those who voted for the
democratic State ticket at the last election and
now subscribe to democratic principles as laid
down by the Cincinnati Platform, shall be en-
titled to vote for delegates"
D1 nOui uVfhS Dt hilONu -lOl py
your professions. A tree is known by its fruit,
not by its show of luxuriant foliage.
THOMPSON RIvER.-The Victoria Gazette of tho
25th ult. says;
| 1t would be very gratifying to hear from reli-
able individuals, facts in relation to Thompsons
river. We have been assured on good authority,
that it Is merely creek, and that the gold said
to have been brought from there hitherto. was
merely purchased at Fort Thompson from Ind-
ans who had dug it on the Upper Frazer river.
| Others assert positively that gold coarser than
/ that of the Lower Frazer river, has been found
on the Thompson river, and that good dry Dig
| gings exist in the vicinity. This and other
points bearing on the extent of the fields, are of
great Importance, mere richness in limited
localities will hardly satisfy the ambition of the
thousands now pouring into the placers.
So that as late as last Friday it was not known
to the newspaper men of Victoria whether
Thoupsons river was river or creek, or
whether there was any gold on it or not. And
yet we have statements made by /" the most re-
liable persons that Thompson's Fivar was rich
er than the American river ever With old
Falstaff We can only exclaim, '' Good Lord, how
this worlds given to lying especially on the
subject of new diggings.