Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1858-02-18
WHAT'S DEMOCRACY

If We are to believe some of the high
flown oratorical displays occasionally put
forth by leading politicians, Democracy
consists of the right of the people to gov
ern themselves, but in doing SO yielding
equal and exact justice to all. Were this
theoretical dogma carried out in practice,
but little, if any, fault could be found with
that party, for although the majority might
occasionally err, yet it would soon right it
self by coming back to first principles
Under such regulations members of Con-
grcss would 70 to Washington to legislate
for the good of the country, take into con-
Sideration the measures recommended by
the President and his official advisers, and
if they believed such measures to be right,
pass them; if wrong, reject them. Such
conduct, in our opinion, would be demo-
cratic, and ought to work no forfeiture of
allegiance when arrayed against the Prcsi-
dent, because he being but one man, is as
liable to error as any other.
Such however is not the practice of those
now in power at Washington. The Presi-
dent, advocating doctrine in opposition to
popular right and the true democratic
creed, Furnishes those who viii not think
with him where he has the power, and his
special adherents, bound together by the
cohesive power of Office emoluments, either
in possession or expectation, denounce those
as enemies to the democratic party who
will not think as does the office head, OF
act as do the office holders. IF the latter
are the party, this assumption of public
servants to be masters, is right; but if the
people constitute the party-if the many
are to govern the few instead of the few
the many, then it is all wrong, and these
servants ought to be both rebuked and pun
ished for their attempt to turn democracy
into dcspotism.
No man looking honestly at the mere
question of right as regards the present
condition Of Kansas, can for a moment
doubt that the President is wrong and oc-
cupying an anti-democratic ground in urg-
ing the admission of Kansas as State
under 4 Constitution not submitted to the
people for adoption or rejection, and which
is well known to be repugnant to large
majority of the people. And equally plain
is it that the position occupied by Mr..
Douglas and number Of other democratic
members in both houses, is in accordance
with what democracy ought to be.
If the doctrine that members of Con-
gress must carry out whatever views the
President may recommend, or failing to do
50 must be prescribed as ari enemy, why
have Congress at all We emight is well
turn the President into Louis Napoleon
or Autocrat, suffer him to enact laws, and
give him an army to enforce them-for
this would just be as democratic as to send
Legislators to the Capitol with tied hands
and locked mouths, speaking only as the
powers that be might direct. The truth is
a great crisis in that party has sprung out
of this contest, in which either the Office
holders or the people will come out victo-
torious If the former, popular sovereignty
will mean for all to do and think as an Ex-
ecutiye; if the latter, that the majority of
a people, whether as State or a Confcder-
acy, shall give tone and vigor to their in
stitutions, and lead in place Of following.