The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1859-10-12
Federalism and its Legacy.

Tn our first page will be found an artl
Gle from the Baton Rouge Advocate, re
lating te certain votes Of T. j. Wells
opposition candidate for Governor, Will,
I he was a member Of the House Of Repre-
hsentatives Of the Louisiana Legislature
We commend it to the notice of our read
ers. An interest attaches to these bre
passages from legislative records hk'
that with which we look upon the ex
humed fragments Of some antique temple
erected by pagans and dedicated K
heather orgies and rites, but which has
lain buried for ages after it's votaries have
disappeared from off the face Of the earth
Restricted suffrage and property quail
ication for voters was the common tenet Of
the Federalists and afterwards Of theirreg.
ular successors and legal heirs, the Wings,
though it was held by the latter less uni
versally than by the former When the
opponents Of Democracy were known as
Federalists they all favored and sustained
the laws which excluded those of their
fellow-cltizens who were 30 unfortunate
as not to possess a certain amount OF
property from all share in the choice Of
elective officers and all influence in max.
ing the laws by which they were to be
governed. In the very infancy of the Re
public Democrats began to oppose this
un-American, anti-Republican, unnecessa-
ry and unjust restriction. So welded
were many of the people to this aristo-
cratic British monstrosity, SO ayerse were
the proud Federal owners of estates
to recognizing poor men as their political
equals, that the task assumed by the De-
mocratic party proved long and laborious.
But they were not afraid, like their Fed
eralist competitors, to trust the people
without distinction with political power,
and they resolved to remove the odious
The resistance of the
followers of Hamilton and Adams was as
vigorous and as violent as the ortlately
made by our opponents to exclude Catho-
lies and foreign-born citizens from all
Offices and their opposition was charac-
terized by much the same bitterness, big
otry and narrow mindedness. Democrats
finally succeeded in destroying this heresy
though the day when the last remnant Of
it was eradicated is within the memory Of
men still young, A grateful people will
not soon forget the untiring labors of the
magnanimous party which removed this
hateful reproachupon our republicanlaws,
nor will they ever forget the irrational
obstinacy, iliberal distrust, egregious
pride and wrong-headed zeal Of the party
which opposed that removal. By their
opposition the Federalists reared me-
mento to their perpetual shame and estab-
lished an everlasting title to the odium Of
the American people.
The extracts from the journals of the.
which the Advocates COM
mendable industry has enabled it to re.
publish so OPPORTUNITY are interesting as
a proof of the extent. to which the Wing.
party chung to federalism, rather than as
an evidence of the opinions which any in
dividual member Of that party then held.
Eighteen years Of experience has no
doubt modified many of the political no.
tions of the Wing members Of the Legis-
lature Of l841. Some OF them in fact have
wholly renowned their federal heresies
and become Jealous advocates of Democ-
racy. Whether the opinions Of Col. Wells
property qualification for
voters and universal suffrage have under.
gone any change is more than we are able
to say. If legislative records or any pub
Gshed speech or letter Of his contains any
evidence Of such change, his advocates
and supporters will do we'll to produce it.
He is noted for persistent adherence to
opinions once formed and to positions
once assumed, ashis lifelong persevering,
active and jealous opposition to the De-
mocratic party would Of itself indicate.
In the absence, therefore, Of any recanta-
ton, The majority of his fellow-citizens will
be apt to assume that his opinions are
the same now as in 1871.
BY- We have not noticed the Opposi-
ton Platform for the simple reason that
it emanated from one man, Mr.. Summers,
and is therefore entitled to no more at
tention than any other mans article Of
the same length and not SO much as a
carefully digested editorial article in all
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