The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1861-07-17

man say to his nelghbOr WAS shoU
didst it!' Neither Of the political par;iesi
perhaps no individual is entirely blams'css
In this matter. When the storm sna'i nav"
passed and the dark cloud shall lave olssI :,
pcared, when passion shall have ceaseo 20
rule and the calm voice Of reason can O'
heard, then will be the time to survey ths
field of ruin, and speculate on the mora
we should draw. Present duty requires "s
to bury all party animostics, recognizing
10 party distinctions, except TO pe 'or VI
against the government. 1t IS no tune "
divide or distract the attention oi tno
nation with the struggle of politicians 'o'
the spoils of office. No time for the Exej,
cutive or his Cabinet to be urged to- fflf
stations of trust and responsibility with in.
competent political favorites. No time foe
the gulotine Of political prescription to tie
set in motion. The nation has need Of all
its loyal citizens in this hour of its peril
1t was maxim of Jefferson, that capabi'-
ity and honesty should be the only tests
required in making executive appointments.
Let the government be brought back to the
good old time when change of Presidents
did not necessarily produce change in all
the subordinate departments OF the govern
ment The modefii m:sim Of 10 the v!c
tors belong the spoils," is worthy Of tEs
prescription of Roman Scylla or Ma.
rius. 1t makes or presidential elections
grand scramble for Office, renders the policy
Of the government vacillating and unstable.
1t breeds cor, upton in Office. Under our
present practice, official incumbcnts become
pcnsioned partissns, who are expected 70
sustain the administration through all the.
mazes Of its crooked policy, at the risk OF
the loss of place and profit. How car
the boasted Independence Of American
character withstand assaults like these p
How can our liberties long remain secure
when frowning hypocrisy is rewarded with
judicial erinine and Senatorial robes: while
manhood and integrity are prescribed from
place and power. No government can long
maintain its integrity or stability when, its
Offices and emouments are distributed as
rewards to political favoritcs. Venal and
selfish men, even in tunes like these, will
cling to old practice, old precedents; and
old party organizations, so long as interest
may be subscrved, and will fight in a party
caucus with more zeal than they do the bat
ties of their country. Thrice honored be
that party which henceforth shall prescribe
prescription which shall insert as plank
in its national platform: mo man shall be
prescribed or banished from Office for opin-
ions sake, so long as he is faithful in tho
discharge of his duties, and loyal to his
government
4 declaration like this, honestly made
and faithfully practiced, would be Of moro
avail in restoring the government to its
original purity than all those glittering suh-
terfuges called party Platforms of the past
twenty-five years. The first Presidents
were elected on no platform but the CofSti.
tuition \ different rule was observed at the
election of President Van Buren, and the
baneful precedent then established, has
since been eagerly followed at every chang,
of the administration. 1t is relnarkabl:
fact that the constitutions Of the U. S. never
contemplated the existence Of political par.
ties as now organized. 1t never contem.
plated the quadrcnnial gathering of polit-
clans in national conventions for the par,
pose of constructing party platforms, and
reducing the choice OF President to one Or
the other of two or three party nominees.
On the contrary, the Constitution was
framed to discourage il possible, the sogrc-
CATION of the people into national parties;
for the experience Of mankind had taught
our fathers that the existence Of great poll
tical parties, divided by marked lines OF
separation, had finally resulted in the over
throw of every attempt at popular govern.
ment Hence they provided in the Consti-
tuition for the selection of Electors, in the
several States, who, from the wise and good
men of the nation, were to elect the Presi-
dent and Vice President; and in accordance
with the true spirit Of It's provision, the
first sett of Electors untrammelc by plat
forms and unpledgcd by conventions, made
choice of GEORGE WAsIINGToN. This con.
tinued to be the custom for many years un.
til finally we lost sight of the salutary
principle and the electors became mere
poppets in the hands Of packed conventions.
A careful examination of American poll les
cannot fail to convince the impartial man,
that in many other important respects, We
have lost sight Of the safe precedent of the
Constitution and the example of our ear
lest and purest statesmen. We must take
the backward track, and return to those old
landmarks, if we would escape the fate Of
other republics.
The putting down of treason III tie
Southern States, will be Of little avail, so.
long as we continue silently and rapidly to
drift off OH the dangerous and pathless sea Of
experiment Conservatism is the only safe
ground to stand upon, especially in times
of peril. The false cry of Progress" like
the deceitful note of the Pilot Bird, IS lead
ing us backward and downward to anarchy
and ruin. That progress which outruns'
the guides Of Constitutional precedents and
sneers at the gait Of honest plodding Cor
seryatism, will never result in any perma-
nent good. Such progress is the mere ex-
ploded theories, which the experience of
mankind has long since pronounced use
less and impracticable. Conservatism will
sustain the Constitution, the Union and
preserve the established order of proper
government. This done there is little need
to scale the heights of the impracticable in
a vain pursuit Of the delusive light held out
10y a false progress.
Finally, fellow citizens, there is small
profit in the exercises Of this day, if We go
hence to pursue the political phantoms of
the past-to nurse our old political antipa-
thies, and to plot new causes Of irritation.
The public mind is ripe for perfect union
of all men. Of whatever past political no.
tons, in whose hearts the love of the CrTion
and the Constitution in their original simpli.
city, is paramount for the purpose Of lay.
i ng anew the foundations of the Republic.
Let us then, to-day, exchange the token Of
reconciliation Let us bury the resent.
ments of the past, and vie with each other
in doing our whole duty as American eth:
zens, consecratng our lives to God and our
Country. .
1t was but the other day we gathered
around the bier Of the illustrious lamented
dead, learning in the generous hour Of grief,
how fimsy were the barriers that divided
our hearts. Let not the kindly feelings Of
that hour be dissipated in an unseemly
wrangle for the spoils Of partisan conflict.
Let us support the Constitution in all its