Daily national Democrat., 1859-03-31
Our Friends i'm Butte.

A communication from Butte county ap.
pears in another column, The writer sets
forth in the political portion of his letter,
state of things which We regret to see
Nevertheless, did he not particularly call on
Is to express an opinion relative thereto, we
should feel great delicacy in referring to
the matter at all, seeing that our talented and
able friend, Crossctpe. of the Butte Record,
is the proper exponent of the views of the
Douglas Democracy in that quarter What
we shall say on the subject will be in the
nature of friendly advice and remonstnnce
We regret exceedingly that there should
be any cause for inharmoniousness of feeling
among the friends of Popular Sovereignty in
Butte eounty-a section of the State where
enthusiastic, perhaps, than in any other quar-
ter. The defeat of portion of the Douglas
| legislative and county ticket, last fall was
matter of wonder to us but it would seem
to be explained by the letter of our cores
pondent, for, if mere local prejudices are per
m.tted to interfere with the expression of
opinion upon abstract questions of right in
that county, of course division in the ranks
Of those entertaining the same political sen.
timents must take place, and such divisions
may be ingeniously made subservient to the
furtherancc of the views of the minority in
the county, bv means of combinations upon
matters of local interest. To lose the county
! in the next election, or to sustain as before
even partial defeat, would argue, 1t seems
70 ms. n great lack of discretion among the
leaders of the Popular Sovereignty side.
| Local prciudices have no business to interfere
with the assertion ofa principle which affects
not only the State at large hut the whole
Union. Differences of opinion there must
always be upon mere local concerns, and
such differences are as common in the very
midst of PARTY organizations rs outside. !
T o undertake TO force an entire party to
agree upon any mere local question is alb
surd. 1t cannot he DONE because the mo-
meat YOU make II local matter a party ques
ton. why, YOU establish n new standard o.
party belief. and party organizations be
come Of no importance whatever outside
of the narrow limits of mere county. Let
men think what they please about home con-
cerns-ahout bridges or roads or what not
50 they cling to the main principles Of the
party to which they belong. If members of
Il same party must differ on these questions,
let them agree to differ and, in discussing the
merits of their respective positions, let them
do it tempcrNtcly, wisely and argGmentative-
ly, instead Of kindlng wrath and fury in their
own ranks by violent alteration and rabid
personal abuse. A house divided against
itself cannot stand and no party can win
while disunion exists in its own ranks. This
is the very \ b C of politics, and party lead
ers who do not know it and appreciate it, are
ignorant of the first rudments of the bust
ness they have undertaken.
We sincerely hope that our Butte county !
friend and correspondent has permitted his
fears Of untoward results 10 eXaggerate the
evil Of which he complains, and that the
friends of Popular Sovereignty are not really
acting so silly part as he ascribes to them
But, if things he as he represents them, and
they are not speedily remcdied, why, we
shall not count on Butte county in the next |
contest at all, but consign her, so far as we
haveonything to do with her, to the consum
nation of her own suicidal policy