New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-01-11
APOsTACY OF THE DEMOCRACY.


Since the Democratic party succumbed to the
slave power, so completely has it turned its
back upon its original principles, that it now relies
solely upon identity Of name to convince its dupes
that it is the same organization which Jefferson
founded, and which was so long the rival of the
old Federal party. Indeed, the Democracy of to-
day is liable to the same class charges hurled by
Jefferson and bis followers against the Federalsts
and which led to the rise of the former upon the
ruins ofthe latter. Assuming the validity of those
charges the chiefdiference between the Federalism
of 1900, and the Democracy Of 1860, is, that the
former was mainly composed of intelligent and
yirtuous citizens marshaled under honest and
patriotic statesmen, while the latter is largely
madeup of ignorance and depravity led chiefly by
plunderers and peculators, demagogues and dis
unionists.
Let us contrast, in few obvious particulars, the
Democratic party of our time, with that organized
by Jefferson sixty years ago.
The Democratic party owed its origin in large
measure to conflict between the individual States
and the Federal Government Jealous of the
attempted encroachments Of the latter upon the
independence of the former, its earlier years were
distinguished for its defense of the rights Of the
States against the usurpations Of the Central Power
Aiming to curb the undue influence Of the latter, it
kent yieant eye upon the National Executive
and Judiciary, thwarting, when it could, every
effort of the President and the Supreme Court to
enlarge their powers.
How widely has the party diverged from these
Ia lonJ,o.rlaI namocracv nau. dava plOripa in
its advocacy of the unbounded authority of the Ex-
ecutive and the Judiciary. With no more right in
| the President to seize upon the Government Of
Territory than to set up Monarchy, and with no
more power in the Supreme Court to establish
Slavery in the National domain than to create
hIng, NO h.re ses., ~-a !. 49, 80, thH Dom
ocratic party defend, justify, and applaud the
Executive and the Judiciary in their attempts to
carry into full effect these monstrous usurpations-
usurpations more criminal than those that cost
George I. his colonies and Louis XVI his head.
Once the vigant antagonist Of the Central Power,
Democracy has sunk to be its supple slave.
Originally, the party exalted the rights of man
over the privileges of property; holding that the
former were inherent and nalienabe the latter in
cidental and conventional As it rose to power in
the several States, it extended the suffrage, repud
ated the property basis of representation, abolished
imprisonment for debt relaxed the severity of col.
lection laws, and in various ways showed that it
regarded persons as more valuable than property,
man more sacred than money. But, the Dem
ocracy Of to-day, scouting these antique no.
| tons, ignores the inalienability of personal
rights, and is mainly intent on proclaimng
and protecting the inviolsblity of mere property.
The founder and sometime apostle of the party de-
clared that all men are created equal and that the
chief end Of government is to protect all men in the
enjoyment of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
But bis protested disciples now sneer 1t such glitter
ing generalities, and teach that call property is
" created equal" that the grand object of our
Government ut least is to protect chatel slavery
in the States and plant it in the Territories, and to
hunt, capture and return TO its owners such Of this
property as may choose 10 use its own legs in exer
cisng the nalienable right to pursue happiness. In
o word, Thomas Jefferson-we quote his language
declared that "the American Constitution Is
" based upon Liberty and the Rights of Man, these
" being its chief corner-stones.' But George NC.
Duiie claiming to be his political disciple, said
we quote his words" Domestic Slavery, instead
of being political evil, is the cornerstone Of our
Republican edifce." Here in these citations
from solemn State papers, we have the essence of
the respective creeds of the fathers Of the Democ
racy, as reflected in the philosophc doctrine Of
vrginian of the revolutionary regime, and Of their
degenerate descendants, as embodied in the me.
dieval barbarian of modern Carolinian.
In ita better days, the party affected deep inter-
est in labor; claimed to be the special friend,
guardian, and champion Of the laboring classes;
talked much Of the dignity of the toiliDg masses;
took their side in frequent contests with wealth and
capital and. by these means, lured to its ranks
preponderating share Of workingmsn Of the coun
try But since it adopted the prime article Of its
creed, the justice and righteousness Of compulsory
servitude, and proclaimed its chief mission TO be
the planting of Slavery in all the national Terri.
tories, the Northern wing Of the party, from sheer
shame, has ceased to pirate about the dignity Of the
toiling masses, while the Southern and ruling wing
sneers at farmers and mechanics a. "the mud
sils Of society" and declares that the only stable
and pbilOsophc basis Of the social system is that
where the capitalist owns the laborer
Now, il is not strange that auch doctrines should
be preached in this country, for they have been
promulgated by despots In oil ages and many