Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-05-04
The Sllisldy at ChariestOn-Dem-
Ocratic Pluck.


The Sllildy at ChariestOn-Dem
Ocratic Pluck.
The other day we heard an eminent Dem
ocrat, perhaps the most fiery specimen of
that class of men yet remaining in our town,
felicitating himself and the party and man
kind in general on the "spunk" Of the North
ern Democrats at Charleston. Indeed, it is
not uncommon now to see near street corner
every square or two knot of the "faithful
few" congratulating each other, with elongated
countenances and melancholy tones, on the
"spunk" of Ben NJ. Samuels and his deserted
band 81 am glad that the Northern fellows
don't knock UNDER" quoth our fiery Demo-
crat, looking as woe-begone as if he had lost
his last friend, and never expected to have
another.
"Party gone to thunder though" timidly
suggests still sadder looking member. Some
brother about this time is heard to use an
interjection Of the ordinary kind, sometimes
of an extraordinary kind Benevolent wishes
are distributed, to the different divisions of the
once harmonious Democracy" the niger
question and the Black Republicans, and the
melancholy group dsperse.
Such is the spectacle that may be witnessed
any sunny day now in our streets, from this
time until the Charleston Convention "busts,"
to use the "illigant' language of another
distinguished and eloquent member of the
harmonious Democracy"
Talking of "spunk,' we have word for
the private ear of our Democratic friends
Our dear friends, it is time for us to dispel,
as gently as we may, the illusion you are
laborlng under, in imagining the Democratic
party North, as party, to be possessed of
any appreciable amount of that useful and
ornamental article called "spunk." Take the
whole of your party, from the Lakes to Mason
and Dixon's line, body and breeehes, dissolve
it in an acid, or by spontaneous combustion,
which, perhaps, would be the most natural
method, and subject it to the most searching
chemical analysis known to science, or to
Dr. Cox, of Cincinnati, and the quantity Of
"spunk" that would be detected in the whole
party would be so small that, if hair oil sold
for mill hogshead, and the -millionth
part of grain of 'spunk" was worth one mil
lion Of dollars, there would not be enough of
it in your party, to buy oil to grease a mos
quito's whiskers.
'Spunk!' Our own dear friends, the word
is mt to be found in Northern Democrats
vocabulary. We mean no offense, but facts
are facts
Look at the speech of your great chief,
Ben NJ. Sa.nuels, ex-candidate for Governor,
of which he delivered himself at Charleston
one rotundo gloriose prctundo, which, trans
lated, is understood to mean, "highfalutin'
and all gammen." He is your spunky chief,
is Re? We have always understood a man
showed "spunk" by standing up to his prin-
ciples at all times, and never being afraid to
avow them.
What does the fierce Ben. NJ. Samuels,
your courageous chief, say down at Charles
ton, when the Southern members are trying
to adopt an honest, out-spoken, Democratic,
pro. slavery platform, declaring, for once, the
zeal principles of the Democratic party p
Does he say, "Gentlemen these are not our
principles. We believe no such doctrine. We
lold that your slave code and slave territory
doctrines are all wrong, and we intend to say
%. We will stand by our principles, come what
nay, and, if you don't like it, you may go
where you please ~ Not word of it! That
) what some simple people think he said;
ut what he did say was in substance this:
"My dear friends, don't ask US to make an
onest declaration of our real principles. We
elieve just as you do. You know that we'll
nough. We have always obeyed and follow /
you, and we will do it still but, if you q
,sist on our speaking out plainly, on the t
latform, what we do believe, it will break
lie back of every Democrat in the North, and =
rive them all over to those Internal Black T
epublicans. Now, my dear fellows, do just Y
ut in your platform plank on t! is slavery {
aestion that will mean anything or nothing,
;cording to the ATTITUDES where it is read, L
vering almost as near as can be all sides of O
e question. Fix it up so that no two men
n understand it alike, and that it will need e
10 or three interpretations Of the Supreme !