Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1860-03-03
Partisan Organization.

parties-thc Fedcralist and the Republican,
The Fcdcralist party was based upon the APP
prehen>ion that the haud of the 'iuvcrnment
- as original -empoW cred, was not sufficiently
strong To control the action Of the pa>-icnat,
and unthinhinG MASSES Of the people. The ci
forts cf the ricinhrr> of that party were. there.
fore directed towards strengthening the Fed
rral Government The Republican party was
the antipodcs Of the Fe,lcraiist. The Rcpnb-
leans believed in the doctrine "t aowin. the
fullest sway to the " i'll Of the people, express.
ed through constitutional modes TIL, was
the only substantial point Of diff renee between,
these principal parties. Although party spirit
in the earlier days Of the Republic, at differ
crt periods ran high. and our Presidents were
sometimes selected with reference To their par
tiaan predictions, Yet so long as the patriots
of the Revolution remained, aS materials from
which to select Chief Magistrates, the people
could hardly be said to have arraycd them.
Selves into distinct partisan armies So soon,
however, aN the a>prants for the Presidency
presented themselves emerging from Young
or generation, the people having 10 revolu-
tionary reverence for them. began to demand
that they should be the representa- YES Of n
given political creed. Thus we sec, a carly
as the Presidential election of 81. the great
mass Of the old Fcderai>t panty, ami those
citizens of later birth who approved the
doctrines Of tina, party. rallied 10 the >uPior;
OF John Quincy Ajams-wI,ilv the Rvpubli,
ans tthe Democracy OF the present lay We.
ted Tor Gen, raj Jackson, Mr., Cra tnrl and Mr.
Clay Iii. incidents ot that peg al are ilni
lar to all The election bcn transferred from
the rrniIic, -brcalSr-nrithrr nj Lin caldidat-s
the House of Representatives,, Mr. Adams vas
chosen President. Thi, result was attained
by the assistance of Mr.. Clay. Mr. Adams
was 50 thoroughly identified with the old Fed.
craliSt party. that when Mr.. Clay contributed
to his elevation. he Mr. C. eStrarsld himself
fr IN the Republican party. and fom ;hat time
forth was one of the Formidable enemies to
that party. In the ensuing election of ISIS,
however, the issue was clearly defined, be-
tween the Fcdcra'i>tS Of that period, and the
Republicans General Jackson. the choice of
the latter. was placed in the Presidential chair
by an overwhelming majority. Since then,
there has been no Presidential election in
which the contest has not been openly waced
between the Republican democrats, and Fed
~ Il 1. u
publicah$, or >ome other denominatcl oppo-
ncnts to the Democracy
In the long lapse Of time, from 1928 until
now, embracing a tract Of thirty two years.
the government has been administered by
democratic Executive for three ourth> Of the
space. Indeed, the temporary defeats cxpe
ricnccd by the Democracy in 1910 aud ls4S.
cannot be attributed to a change in-politica
sentiment on the part of the people, or to any
deficiency in the practical operation Of Demo
cratic doctrines. Those defeats were the con-
sequences of tina, lack of efficiency in partisan
organization, which is tie offspring Of partisan
prosperity, and the sure precursor of partisan
downfall. No candid man can deny that much
Of the potency of Democracy has consisted,
and will continue to consist, Of the mlhli,rtbI.
driU in which It's followers arc kept. How
ever patriotic and conservative the principles
may be- advocated by any party, unless the
advocates Of those principles combine and har-
monte, and shape themselves into partisan
: orgGntzafiohs, the great holy of the people
cannot be awakened 70 the perception Of their
merits. While We contend that no party which
has ever existed since the foundation Of the
government, has more ScdulouSly sought to
secure our substantial interests as n people,
nor is there any creed Of faith 50 statesman
like and enlightened as the Democratic, yet
trnth compes us to admit that our success has
not heen so plainly traccablc to the intrinsic
worth Of our political theories, or to the su-
perior excellence Of our individual members,
as to our regard for that wise saying particu-
larry applicable in American politics, ito the
yictors belong the spoils' If we would be
triumphant in the future, no jot nor little Of
vigilance in this regard should be abatc,l In
= ulliOifIi, THIS NdltIl-WOIu Vi SUCCESS mas not
been sufficiently esteemed Of late The effects
of its neglect, are beginning to be pcrccptible
in every direction. Staunch and long,tric,l
Dcmoc! ats are daily being set aside in the dis
tribution Of the favnrS Of the party, and those
who have control Of its patronage Power i,
being c"nf,red upon men who have trickcd
us heretofore, and will prove traitors again,
whenever their interests dictate. The high
places in The government. ohtai"ca bv the in
tcgritv and cxcrtionS Of o'' Tine Utm0"Jots,
are being filled with eleventh hour.couvcrts
and uhrelidbit. il not merely lrctt ndtd disci
pies Of Democratic faith. The policy Of pla-
cling our strongest positions under the control
Of trracherous SrninclS, is Of Itself dangerous,
and may Prove ruinor,S. But even this is NOT
the worst aspect of the case. The aid liners
are becoming Disconnected with the order OF
things, aud liSaiFrcted towards the party I'M
der such leadership. Complaints are rife cv-
crywherc, and it bch0ovcs those who have
proved their devotion to Democracy by life
long service to look to this question If too
long neglected the evil may become incurabc
That partisan orydH izati0h which has so often
secured victory, is being rapidly and surely
weakened.
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TuE NIcr pRrsIDEvcy The belief is nrrttv