The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-08-26
INFLUENCE OF THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION
UPON THE FUTURE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
AND 0E THE IrNInN

UPON The FUTURE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
AND OF THE UNION
Until recently it has been The habit of a good
many people in all parts of the Union TO think the
prospects of the democratic party extremely gloomy
and discouraging. Indeed it has been a stereoyped
idea with many at the South as wcll as at the North
TO consider Mr. Buchanans administration as the
conclusion of tho democratic dynasty which has so
long held the ascendant in the Union and his term
as mere respite to the country from the doom of
an inevitable abotionist sway which is TO succeed
it, and to continue through all time According to
the forebodngs of these people, the 4th of Novem-
ber 1860, is to be the Judgment day, when the cause
Of democracy and constitutional Union is to receive
its final overthrow, and when the conduct of affairs
In this country will undergo change as great as if
anew heavens and earth were substituted fol
the old.
We have never participated in these doloful anti
cipations. We have never consented to don the
ascension robes of the political Mlerites who have
SO confidently preached an approaching dissolution
and with long faces have seemed to luxurate in the
excitement of so unnatural and gratuitous despon-
dency.
We have always been actuated by a confident
conviction that the powers of this great government
would never be transferred by an intelligent and pa
triotic people, into the hands Of sectional selfish
and destructive regime such as the selfstyed repub
ican party and that the ascendency in this country
Of an organization which thoroughly represents
the temper and sentiments of its honest masses and
has contributed 80 immensely its progress and de-
velopment, as the democratic party, could never
terminate, so long the people really controlled
its public affairs These have been with us not
merely the convictions Of reason instructed by an
attentive observation of affairs but they have also
been rooted in an instinct Of democracy which
assures us that the people of this country may al
ways. be relied upon to uphold national party
against sectional one anl conservative lust, ma
tional measures, looking to the good of the whole
country, in preference to measures founded in
jealous insurrcctionary, specious, and reckless ia
naticsm.
1t is now becoming and more apparent that
the administration Of Mr.. Buchanan, SO far from
marking the close of constitutional and prosperous
federal Union, will be sgnalized as tho era of a ces.
saon Of sectional strife and the reestablshmcnt of
the government upon firm, constitutional national
basis
No administration has entered upon its term
with larger number of formidable difficulties to en-
counter at the outset than the present. The qnes-
tons Of Kansas and Utah seemed to present difficult
ties which admitted of no mode of settlement that
did not threaten severe popular and animad
version in some form. These questions were compli-
Gated from the beginning by financial revulson which
filed the land with distress, and, as is always the
case, predisposed the popular mind to discomfort
and complaint Of government. This formidable COM
plication Of difficulties was soon aggravated by the
occurrence of the libuster expeditions to Central
America and the British ouirages upon our Gulf
shipping. The Kansas question itself soon assumed
a new ENHANCEMENT by the refusal Of the people to
vote in December, and the return 10 Congress of a
pro-slavery constitution for what was honestly sup
posed by great many to be in fact an anti-slavery
State. The Utah trouble also was embarrassed by
the necessity of keeping large portion of the army
in Kansas and of retarding that portion which
did march for Salt Lake to so late period in the
to afford time for reaching only the bleak
Businesses Of the mountains before the setting in of
winter, giving occasion for severe criticism and
elimination from the opposition. The inHammatory
condition OF the southern mind in egard to the ex-
tension Of their institutions consequent upon The ap-
pretended loss of Kansas, rendered the fllibuster
question very delicate one to deal with and the
search" difficulty with England came on during
failure Of revenues from customs and after general
prostration of business, which not only gave to the
probability of war with Great Britain unusual i'm
portance, but greatly embarrassed the adminstra-
ton in it's management Of the other difficulties that
beset it. There much, too, in the condition of
the patronage of the administration to embarrass and
cripple it in its action. Succeeding an administra-
ton Of its politics. it could not crafty its Pc
culiar friends who were solcitous for patronage,
without offending those who claimed to be as devoted
to the democratic and deserving of favor as
the new petitioners for Office.
We have seen all these perplexing questions
promptly and firmly grappled by the administration
as they arose. We have signs of hesitation
timidty prevarcation double-dealing in its treat
ment Of any one of them We have it's policy
and intentions distinctly announced at the outset
in every case, and firmly prosecuted without yari-
ableness or shadow Of turning. until they were
etfectually settled. We have seen all these diff
fcultcs successfully mastered by Mr.. Buchanan
without struggle and without buster; and we
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