Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-07-24
ssThe PeOnle's Party.'s

uutH anu Jusuce OF the pTlhclplcS OF tlt
Democratic party, is the number Of the par
ties which have been arrayed against and
vanquished By it. When an intelligent and
virtuous people have for successive genera
tons stamped the mark Of their appreciation
deliberately aad without prejudice on amy
particular creed, either political, religious,
= or literary, it is at least presumptivc evi-
dencc Of its truth. Indeed, we cannat re.
member an instance where such e people
have for any length Of time CHUNG to false
and erroneous principles, to the exclusion
Of the truth. Rome, at different times, IL
She history of her power, submitted to the
) despotism of Tarquin and pushed aaserty
into anarchy, but her people while civilized
and virtuous generally, cschewing the two
extremes Of despotism and anarchy chung to
the happy medium Of civil freoaosn aead true
democracy until corruption and too much
power and the hand of one arch tyrant
plunged her into dcspotism and enervating
laxury, and at last laid her PROSTATE at the
feet of a Barbarian .conqueror. England,
IN the short Of space Of twenty years, pre-
sented to the world, the remarkable sight
Of civilized and passioalcss people, chang
cd from the csnting hypociites Of the Crom-
wellian era 10 the blasphemoas proaigates
of the Restoration but time was only need
ed to recall their lost senses, and to form
the most beautiful and stable government
that the world has ever seen, ours, perhaps,
excepted. So, in our own country, public
sentiment has had its phases and revolu-
tions, as recently in the instance of the
Know Nothing party, which swept like a
tornado over the country, but like its coun-
tcrpart, after Doing its work of desolation,
it soon passed away and truth again is tri-
umphant. Of all the trying ordeals which
truth has withstood, that through which
the Democratic party has passed is tie stern
est. First. the cid Federal party, which
drew into its ranks all the worshippers Of
the past and Of ancient customs, and many
sensible and enlightened statesmen, who
feared that our people, giddy with new
found freedom. would rush into anarchy,
we're arrayed against Democracy. This re-
spectacle old party, led on by the brilliant
Hamilton, the equal if not the superior of
any statesman of his time, and certainly the
master political cssayist Of the age, wagcd
for loug dmc an equal and bloody war
with the Democracy, but at last sunk before
the rays Of truth, and on its ruins arose the
Wing party which was sustained for some
time by the massive intellect Of Webster
and the soul stirring cloquence of Clay, and
The exertions Of many other lesser yet not
little minds. But having grown with the
growth of Clay and strengthened with bis
strength, it was nothing but fair it should
die at his death, which it accordingly did.
Then came the lamented and lamentablc
Sam, whom, having sprung up like mush- +!
room. it took but one stroke of the Demo |
cratic battle-axe to lay him level with the
ground. !
Aud now, having existed in power for
more than half century, the Democratic |
party stands the only national party Of the !
country. But we are afraid OUR readers
will think that the caption Of this article is
a misnomer We beg their pardon--in- !
deed, we did intend to write about 1.-THE
Peoples Party" but We confess to having !
forgotten all about it; and we also beg the
peoples pardon for having treated them in /
50 unmannerly manner. Well, to begin
on that interesting subject, we beg leave |
humbly to sk,-who is the Peoples Par |
by ?" "Where did it come from % Where |
does it exist now !? Who belongs to it?
What is its platform 7 Does it intend to
pitch into the odd furriners," or does it |
intend to delight in their sweet brogue ?
When we find out these questions we will
eaiighten our readers ON the subject and
finish our article We can only inform our
readers now that some months ago there APP !
peared in the columns Of an obscure paper !
something which pretended to be the plat |
form Of ''The Peoples Party which plat |
form was an intermisture of Black Repub~ I
lican, Know Nothing, and old Wing prin- /
eiplns but its chief object seemed to be
the overthrow Of the party in power. Ev- /
cry now and then, too, VIC have seen mod |
est cpistlcs written by gentlemen from diff
ferent parts of the country to each other,
advising the formation Of an opposition par |
y. bat as yet ''The Peoples Party" has !,
had no definite existence, except in Penn
sylvania, where we hear little squad Of
politicians collected together and nominated I
a man for Governor, when they placed be-
fore the people as The candidate Of a party. |
We think, though, 1.-THE Peoples Party
when interpreted into plain English, nlcans
nothing more nor less than q combination
between the Black Republicans and all the ,
scattered elements Of the Know Nothing !
party, and as it would be the hcightof i'm .
pudence for SUCH d small Mahcmet t
to request the mountain to come to him, Of
course, the Know Nothings will have to af- !
Gliata with nnd embrace Tic ,r;n o;,.lae IS /