Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1858-07-14
ANTI-LECOMPToNIsM

That opposition to the Lecompton poll
ey Of the Administration must lack SINGER
iiy, or depth, which will permit those who
profess 10 be animated by il, TO cooperate
with the men and the party who are thor.
oughly identified with that policy.
Those who believe that Mr. Buehanan's
programme Of forcing Constitution upon
Kansas by the aid Of the army Of the Unl-
ted States, was q Unstable one, may hon.
estly continue to act with ToOmbs. Jsfer
son Davis, Slidell, and the other Demo-
cratic lesderS at whose instigstie0, il not
bidding, Mr. Buchanan adopted that pro.
gramue, and adhered to il with such strange
pertinacity. But how can those do 50 who
denounced that iuiquity, as Judge Doug.
las and thousands Of Others have done?
We can conceive that a Lecompton
Democrat may be honest but we hardly
see how an anti-Leeompton Democrat can
be intelligeutIy 90; meaning by an anti
Lecompton Democrat one who protesting
opposition to the Lecompton s&indle, still
adberes to the party organization of the
swindlers.
1t is greatly To be feared that the anti
Lecomptonism Of still adhering Democrats
will prove to be precisely such a cheat as
the anti Nebraskasm Of the still.adhering
Democrats Of 1854.
1t is Of no practical consequence what
private opinions individual voters profess.
or even what private opinions they really
entertain. The only point of interest is,
what are the doctrines and tendencies Of
the party they he p into power by their
votes? And ordinarily the best evidence
of their real purposes, is the actual result
Of their action, it being safe rule to hold
that men intend the obvious consequences
Of what they do.
The Democratic party is essentially, and
from the geographical location Of its
strength, necessarily, a merely southern
party, and even worse than that, the rep.
resentative Of the most extreme aud ultra
views of the South. After what has hap
pened within the past five years, no North
ern man can adhere to this party under
any cover of professed ignorance as to its
character or designs.
Beyond a doubt, the glariDg 10 iquity Of
the Lecompton scheme, has repelled and
driven off from the Democratic party
thousands of honest men who will never
return to it. But it is equally beyond a
doubt that tie anti Lecomptonsm Of the
great body Of the Northern Democratic
editors and politicians who have made such
noisy professions Of it, was a sham frou
the first. In the condition of the public
sentiment about them, they show clearly
enough that they would lose all credit and
standing by attempting to bolster up the
contrivances Of John Candlebox Calhoun.
They thought it best,as it clearly was, to
float with the current, While it was in full
volume and strength, and to defer the at.
tempt to control and divert it, until it had
somewhat spent its force. That moment
they seem to judge. has now arrived.
These hor est gentlemen assure the peo-
pie of the North, that they were and are
''as much opposed to LecomptOn as ang
body" but they can't bear to separate from
their dear friends, Robert Toombs and
Company, who connected the Lecomptor
scheme and sustained it to the last.
II we Judge men from the company they
keep, we may judge politicians from the
character ofthe party they vote with and
support.
If our readers will take the trouble tC
look around among their neighbor, they
will find that the anti Nebraska adhering
Democrats of 1854, were the most ready
to swallow the CINCINNATI platform o.
1856, which not only endorsed the Kan
cas-. Nebraska act, but adopted the worI
and most offensive construction Of It.
The anti Lecompton adhering Demo
crats Of 1853, are all ready for the sAmC
act Of recantatiou, to be performed in th'
Charleston Convention Of 1860.
The sensible test to be applied to poll
ticians is, to inquire to what party they ad
here. and not what opinions they may af
feet personally to entertain, for the pur
pose of maintaining foothold in certain
localities. Their personal opinions, if they
really have any, which is seldom the case
are of no consequence to anybody. The
question is, in what camp they are found
under what colors they muster, and who's
ranks, they fill.
A Lecompton Democrat may certainl.
claim cons stency, and possibly honesty
But an anti-Lecompton adhsring Demo
tcrat is either driveller, or knave, an
the only doubt about HIM, is, whether b
is the most ct subject for contempt or de
testation.- Washington Republic.