Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-08-26
Composition Of the Democratic
Party.

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The National Iatclligeacer, having been
appealed to by a Kentucky subscriber to
explain the exact position of the different
political parties of the country, with the
views that they hold, respectively, upon
all questions of public concern, makes the
following response qaoaa the Democracy
"Of the doctrines espoused by the
Democratic party, we find it, If possible,
even more difficult to convey to our cor
respondent any ineligible idea, so numer-
Gus are the sects which severally claim to
be the sole, Legitimate opponents of Demo-
cratic orthodoxy. In many of our South
ern Democratic contemporaries, we read
of Southern Rights Democrats as con-
tradistinguished from National Demo
Gratis ; of Administration Democrats, in
opposition to Douglas Democrats : OF
Democrats who favor the leading measures
of Mr.. Buchanan, and of Democrats who
denouuce them as the offspring of worse
than 'Hamiltonian Federalism At the
North, we have Democrats of every variety
of shade, created by the greater or less
degree in which their com plexion is color
ed by what is called Iecomptonism' in
the late political parlance Of the day
Democrats who favored the admission OF
Kansas into the Union under the Lecomp-
ton Constitution, are sternly at variance
with Democrats who repudiated that in
strument as fraud upon the popular
rights. Democrats who voted for the
English conference bill find it difficult to
harmonic with those who look upon that
'temporizing expedient' with positive dis
respect Time and patience would fail us
if we should undertake to tell of Demo
Gratis who are in favor Of free trade and
direct taxation Democrats who are in
Louisiana in favor of both these desd-
erata, but nevertheless think sugar entitled
to some protection; Democrats in Pen
nsylvania who are willing to make large
concessions on other points if only the
duty on iron be kept sufficiently specific
Democrats in Kentucky who think that
Mr. Clay's American system was very
mistaken theory of political economy, but
who hold that tax on imported hemp is
highly expedient and constitutional De-
mocrats in New ENGLAND Cmmoderate in
their demands because modest in their
numbers) who think that the textile
fabrics shOund be treated with some con
sideration by those who patronise sugar
in louisiana, iron in Pennsylvania, and
hemp in Kentucky, but who still are will
ing to sacrifice large per centage for the
sake of harmony.
And then, too, we have Democrats who
favor internal improvements, and Demo
Gratis who denounce as unconstitutional
Democrats who think the public lands
should be disposed of as speedily as pos
sible by a general homestead bill, and De
mocrats who pronounce this policy uuwist
mot to put too fine point on it) "dema
? gogical and agrarian; Democrats who
espouse MIR. Clay's plan of distribution,
and Democrats who denounce the schem,
as a rank political heresy Democrats VIII,
believe in the gospel of fillibusterism, an,
Democrats who sustain the neutrality laws
Democrats who advocate revival of the
slave trade, and Democrats who vote it t,
be "unwise, inexpedient, and contrary t,
the settled policy of the country"
At present all our Democrats friends il
all parts of the country seem to be parti
cularly exercised by ceratin divisions
growing out of what is called the "nev
dogma being the definition Of the dut,
enioinea by the Constitution Of the United
States on the National Legislature in thu
matter Of the protection which slave pro
perty is entitled to claim in tho common
Territories of the Union. AS this is
question which has been raised betweer
different wings of the Democratic party
in consequence of their differing inter
pretatons of the Kansas Nebraska bill
and the Cincinnati platform, it might b,
deemed imGertineut for us TO express an,
opinion upon documents seen to be so re
3 condiate aud obscure even in the hands o
their authors. And as the controversy
on this subject is purely a family quarre
among the harmonious Democracy VI
may draw from certain homely proverbs
prudent moral in warning against attempt
on our part to reconcile the parties 4
7, these conflicting interpretations of tn
: family dialect
Il % -
Ill nature sucks poison from the sweet