The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-09-12
VOL. E, NO. l2.-WHOLE NO. 2Sl.

eOuln nlstration - thus sustained he is al
tnough never so earnest or wise everywhere
and at all times inefficient and mhccile. Just
IN the degree that the party on which he de
pends. is Inconsistent. vaciliatinr. tmd ar ca
PRECIOUS. What has become Of the several Pc
lltical parties which have tiouriShed within
your time and miues That dashng untcrri-
ned. defiant party whose irresistible legions
carried the honest and intrepid hero q: New
Orleans on their shields through 20 MANY civil
encounters-that generous though not unprc-
JUDGED Whig party. which. apprchrusiye uf
perpetual danger from too radical policies al
administ ration. ~ often with unahated chi,al-
ry and enthusiasm, magically rccomhincd lis
bruised and scattered columns even when
capricious fortune had turned its rare and hard
Won iriumPhs into defeats more di>astrou>
than the field fights which il had lost-the r,.-
cent American party. that sprang at one bound
from ten thousand dark chambers. and which
seemed only Yesterday at the very point ,i
carrying the government by a coGp Gs main.
All these parties. that for brief periods seemed
so strong and 80 uuchangiBg. have persisted.
leaving no deep impression on the history oi
the country they aimed 10 direct and rule for
ever. The Democratic party that has clothed
itself 81 complacently with the pleasant, Il adj
tions of all preceding parties, and combined
SO felcitously the Most popular of our national
sympathies with the most inyeterate and repu
slve OF our conservative interests tha. has Won
the South so deKterously by stimulating iis
maddest ambition. and yet has held the North
so tenaciously and SO long 10y awakening it,
widest and most demoralizing fears What is
lis condition: IL is distinguished in fortune
from lis cytingushed rivals only by the cir
cumstancc that both portions of its crew. diyi-
ded as the hulk breaks into two not unequal
parts. retain sufficient energy in their despair.
10 sieze OF the drifting wrecks of other parties
and by cunning though hopeless carpentry To
frame Themselves for one dark night more on
the tempestuous sea OF national politics. All
these parties. il is now manifest were organ
lied not specially to establish Justice and main
tain freedom and equality among an honcst.
jealous and liberty loving people but Ia achieve
some material public advantage Of temporary
importance, or 10 secure the advancement ui
some chef 10 whose discretion. az if the GOV
ernment were an elective deposition instead Of
a Republic. the distribution of lis patronage
and the direction OF It's affairs should hc implic-
lily confded. They did. indeed out of re
spect or fear of generous reforms. often affect
TO express elevated principles and generous sen
timents in their carefully elaborated cree,lS bui
these creeds nevertheless, even when not am
biguously expressed, were from time To- time
revised. and qualified and modified. 80 that n;
last thc Interpreters who alone had them by
beaFt and an were .. able TO repeat them. were found
ocal parts, and most palpable meaning. dispar-
aging and rejecting the Declaration of lndcpcu.
dence, and -stultiiying the founders of the Re
public. The parties thus constituted depen.
dant not on any national or even on any matu-
raj sentiment. but OH mere discipline for their
cohesion, and coming at last through constant
Generalization, 10 "a sumo that capital and net
labor, property and not liberty. j. The great IA
tercst of every pcopie. and that religion con.
vcrsaut only with the relations Of men L. az
unseen and future world, must bc aliurcd ID
their conduct towards each other Oh earth, hayc
finally discarded justice and humanity from
their systems, broken up nearly all the exist
ing combination for spiritual ends. and at
tempted TO conduct affairs Of government on
principles equally in violation OF The Constitr-
ton and Of the eternal laws of Gods PIovidpncr
for the regulation of the CHiycr>c.
These views Of the character Of our modern
parties are hy 10 means WY conceived ou
my part. In that high nni intensely exciting
debate in Congress in 'Ir year lS5n. which
overrulng the administration Of Gen. Taylof.
brought the two then dominating pariics into
compromise at the time solemnly pronounced
final irrey Ocablc and eternal. hut which wa.
nevertheless scattered Ia the winds of Heaven
only four years aftcrward. the great Statesman
of Kentucky denounced party spirit AS hc "a
suned it 10 be raging throughout The country.
as pregnant with the imminent and intolcrablc
disasters of civil war and national dissolution.
l ventured then To reply that, in my humble
Judgment il was not a conflict of parties that
we were then seeing and hearing. but ii was, on
the contrary, the agony OF distracted parties, a
CONFUSION resulting from the too narrow foun
dations of both Of the great parties. and al all
the parties of the day, foundations that had
been laid in compromise OF natural justice aud
hnman rights-that new and great question
"a moral question transcending the too mar
row creeds of existing parties had Al riscil-that
the public conscience was expanding with II.
and the green wiihes of party combinations
giving away and breaking under the pressure
that ii was not the Union that was dccaying
and dying as was supposed Of the fever oi par
~ spirit, but that the two great parties were
smitten with paralysis, fatal indeed to them un-
less they should consent to BE- Immediately re
newed and rc-organizei, borrowing ncediil
elements Of health and yigOr from "A cordial en-
brace with the humane spirit ui the age
I But, feIlow-citizens, To exempt our Statesmen
by casting blame our political parties does
not reach, but only approximate the real source
of responsibility. Ali Of these parties have been
composed Of citizens. not few but many ciu-
zens, in the aggregate, all the citizens oi the Re
public. They were not Ignorant, wiiliul or dis
honest citizens, but sincere, faithful and useful
members OF the State The parties OF our
country, what are they at ANY time, but
ourselves, the people oGr country Thus
the faults Of past administrations. and Of
course the responsibility for existing evils,
are brought directly home 70 yourselves
and nlyself-,o the whols people This is no
hard saying. The wisest, ju-te-;, and mort yir-
tuous man occasionally crrs, and has need daly
TO inplore the Divine Goodness that le be not
led further into temptation and Just 20 the
visest, iustest and most yirtuous often uncon-
scou.ly lose and depart from their ancient
approved and safer ways. l. there any socie-
", even Of Christians, that has never had oc-
cason reform its practice retrace IT. TOO care
.ess steps and discard heresies that have corrup-
: ted its accepted faith: What was the English
revolution Of lcsS, ~, return from the dark
and dangerous road Of absolgtism. What the
r French revolution, but mighty conyulsion, that
] while it carried brave, enlightened and liberty
. loving nation backward on their progress o.
. three hundred years, owed all its horrors to tbe
i delay which had 20 long postponed the needed
; reaction.
u A national departure always happens, when
. grea, emergency occurs unobserved aud Un
felt, bringing the necessity for the attainment o
= come new and important object, which can oni,
; be secured through the inspiration Of some nev
: but grea. and generous national sentiment
: Let u see 4 We ascertain ir the pre-eli
y case when our departure from the rigtt an
7 safe Way occurred. Certainly it rot in III
: Revolutionary age. Tie nation then e,pcrien
"a ca1 and fels a efar- psccssity DfrceiVei and re-