Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1860-08-11

administered as one great party job. IN
this spirit you have seen Mr.. Buchanan, with
all the paraphernala Of Office about him,
descend into the political arena and prosti-
tute his office to the mean purpose OF inct-
ing party division.
But why pursue the enumeration further?
WHY detail what every one sees? what every
one, no matter to what party he belongs
knows and admits? In times past we were
called the model Republic. The economy,
simplicity integrity, and justice of the pub
. lie administration Of affairs attracted the
admiration of the civilized world The
strong contrast with the imperial and royal
| Governments Of the Old World made ms 4
standing menace to their security and sta
! bility. Now our vices have grown to such
proportions that recently in the British Par
/ Lament Il reference to them proved sufficient
! to dispose Of Ministerial measure OF reform
! by which u greater participation IN the al
! fairs OF Government was proposed to hr given
| 10 the people of that kingdom.
/ These are some Of the fruits Of Mr.. Buch-
! anan' 5 administration. There is no wonder,
| therefore, that al parties should concur in
putting IN end to il. Such is the verdict oil
! the country Another President is to take
! his place. and we are shortly to be called on
! to declare who the successor shall be. The
party which nominated and elected Mr..
! Buchanan, which ut its last travail produced
! this abortion, comes forward and asks us To
| permit them to designate the man, and they
Are again rs proiuse OF promises Tor the
future as experience has shown them 10
| have been wanting Of performance in the
past But they have tried their hands 50 often
| heretofore without success that we may well
| hesitate to trust them now. They elected
Mr.. Van Burcn--hc was a failure they
elected Mr. Poik--he was failure: Mr..
Pierce was a failure, and Old Buck the great
est failure of them ALL 1t has been under
| Democratic administrations that our FEEDER
al affairs have fallen to the present deplora-
bic condition. 1t has been under the ausp-
ces of this party, with their Presidents IN
| power, that all OF this extravaganza, waste,
and fraud arose, that sectionalism, abOll-
tionism, and freesoilism have grown so ram
pant, that all of the evils endure which threat
eli the overthrow of our Government and
the dissolution Of the Union. Can we trust
them with another choice? Who will they
| give u.s. Why they cannot agree among
themselves. They have broken into parts.
One proposes Mr.. Douglas: they tell us
he is great medicine that he is possessed
of Il remedy which will prove a pauacea
for ali the ills that States are heirs to. This
remedy is Squattcr Sovereignty, and it CON
Stitutes his recommendation 10 our conf
dcncc. But the other part inrcrposcs and
says the remedy is a nost,Wm, and warns us
that the doctor is a quack that instead Of
health, twill produce disease and death :
that "cancer0us" secrctions OF "lcprVus bands
of Abolitionists" will result.
This other party proposes Nr. bfeckln-
ridge. Bat who is Mr.. Breckenridge? \
very respectable gentleman no doubt, and OF
very fair abilities. And he seems to possess
il wonderfully iacilc temperament i'll the
matter Of politics. Not long since, when it
was for the interests Of his party, and in
the way of his own advancement, lie pro
claimed that he belonged to no party that
! desired the extension of the Institution Of
| slavery. When non intervention was suppos-
| ed 10 serve party turn, he was As thorough
as Mr. Douglas in support Of squattcr Suyer-
| eighty. lie was elected Vice President on
| the Cincinnati platform, ana now he is set
! up on his own hook upon tie Charleston
platform. This facility Of accommodating
| himself to party inclination may hc deemed
Il recommendation OF the man, but can we
| trust his party? Their brothers, ut the other
| part, tell us They are bent on II theory which
! the South can never apply ii it were asserted
| i'll zen thousand Platforms, and tIat "they
are under the lead of men who preach war,
| diSunion, and ruin"
| need not say we cannot take Mr. Lincoln.
| Tie comes presented by Il party that partakcs
| OF the worst vices that deiorm the Democracy
--partyiSm and Sectiona!ism: party thar
owes its birth, lis growth. its viGor exclusive
| " to that which for So many Years IN the
| past sustained the fortunes 81! the ncmocra
cy.-tIle agitation of the question OF slavery.
The Democrats and Republicans are essen
| tally alike, both are sectional: they a@itaie
TIE same topics, they stir up alike III "ppo-
| site sections sectional ANNA sities among the
| people of the country: possessed uI the same
| spirit they are pulling ut opposite ends 81
the same string each is bent on the posses
sion Of the spoilS. On the one side or the
other are to be found every tiilDustcr III the
land, every disunlontSt, every conspirator
against the country's pcacr aud It's instltu~
tons. and the success oi either will BE-
lraught with the same evil. The country
wants rcpoSe from sectional strife, and the
Government wants the my! goratun III eniar-
g..i craftsmanship. We cannur, therefore,
take Mr.. Douglas, nor Mr. breckenridge, nor
Mr. Lincoln; we must haze nran who can
rtse - the proportion Of the high "ti!re, who
viii ht III fact what the Constitution makes
hin. in theory, the Chief Magistrate Of the
nation; who viii exert the great inucnc. ot
his position IL compose, not fXasp"ratc sec
tIunii strife AMI restore the era ui fraternity
and peace: who will reform abuses. and
practise economy, not eXtTavagance--n!e2-
rlty. not corruption; who will regard with
equal favor ali OF the great interests Of the
country, III whatever section they arise wheth
er they spring from the system Of free or
from the system Of slave labor. Such 4 man
is John Bell and >uch man is Edward tx
rr.tt. shall pronounce no "nl"Ein:G upon
either. I'll" platform on which they stand
* broad Is the country. Strung as The ulUn,
Ei@!! ~ the Constitution. They need no in
d!yil!ual pledges nor resolutions Of party con
vemtionS TOR recommendation. Their public
life is before the country, and its record iii
the breast ol the people. They stand upon
the great pledges, to preserve the Union. to
support the Constitution, and enforce the
laws-a Union Of equals. a Constitution
reaching to and protecting all great national
inFnrasts ard laws rnnfuriniu,r RI the inst