Daily national Democrat., 1861-05-03
L.. Il. Washington's Manifesto.


relation to the war now being waged by
that bold, bad man upon the United States
Government, he could not have pleased his
master better than we think he will be,
when he sees the manifesto recently issued
in the city Of san Francisco, 10y B F. Wash
ington. We should lie less surprised at see
inV Col. WAshingtou's letter to his trusties
who gave him sundry pieces Of silver few
weeks hence than we are at this time, for the
sufficiently plain reason that, at this time,
the writer is n sworn officer Of the Federal
Government. AZ we understand the oath oi
Office which all officials must take it is that
they will support the Constitution Of the
/ United States. Thep may not merely deslst
from aiding to overthrow the Government
but they must support the foundation on
which it rests Col Washington is his own
conscience keeper, but it ia natural enough
for other men to ask whit Deity presides
over the destinies Of the so called Southern
Confederacy. that He can release its friends
from their oaths to support another Govern
| ment.
Col, Washington makes an exhibit Of the
money affairs Of his responsible Office, and
claims to have rendered to the Government
all to which it is entitled. We believe he
has done so. There is no reason to believe
the contrary. This is something, for our
poor Government has been hardly dealt with
latterly by sundry public servants who are
now advocates of the treasonable organiza-
ton in the Cotton States
Col. Washington finds, after having enjoyed
the patronage Of the Custom House for four
years. (and every man in California knows
that he has not used it sparngly, either for
the building up or the pulling down of his
party) that the motto to the yIctors belong
the spols is a sad destroyer of Government
and of public morals With sorrow we
agree that this is especially true when the
spoils are dispensed with a purpose to ac-
complsh those objects. The Collector knows
better than most men that, TO use his own
language, "to this evil is mainly to be at
trbuted the disastrous strait in which our
country now ngonses in all the throes of dis.
ruption 1t has not only sapped the founda
tons of political morality and virtue, but
has degenerated eur national elections, which
formerly were great contests for principles,
into a mere struggle for place and plunder."
We do not believe, however, with him that, "if
corrected at all, it must be by change in the |
Constitution ITSELF for, according to lis
own showing, review of the early history
of the Republic will show that TO such evil
necessarily attaches itself to our system
With bad men in power to bestow appoints
mcnts upon others equally bad, any Govern
ment, under any Constitution, may be sub
iected to such a condition of affairs as we
now suffer, and which makes civilization
tremble throughout the world.
The Collector tells us "our Union is dis
solved This is untrue in fact. The union
between office-holders and their offices is
dissolved the union between the friends and
foes Of the Government which, even within
the Democratic party has for years been
hollow pretcnse, is dissolved; but the Union
Of the States has not, and cannot be dissolved
Ly the action Of reckless men who happen to
be in possession of few State Governments.
" All this cry of Union is a eubterfuge," says
this L. $. Federal of ce-holder. And pray
was it all a subtcrfuge when in times past,
this sterling patriot invoked the Union loving
men of the State to support the Democratic
ticket, provided the candidates happened to
suit him? Was it then a "party trick ?"
The present demonstrations of the people
who then believed in the Collectors sicerity,
are sufficient evidence that they were in ear
nest, if he was not.
But this Champion Of Disunion, who is SO
charmed with the perfection of the Southern
Confederate Conetitution-the secret work |
of usurpers-and who declares that the Fed |
eral Union is no more, is kind enough to ad-
wise California, of which State he calls him
self citizen, what 10 do in the crisis which
is upon US. And here he is guilty of the
most shameless effrontery ever exhibited 10y
any pnblic man in the State. Does he tell
us to take care of ourselves, now that the
Union is as he declares. dissolved Or does
he tell us to ally ourselves to the Southern
Confedcracy? No. lie counsels the election
of men of his own views, as members of Com
gross from this State What Congress? 1t
would not be believed that he meant the
Congress at Washington, if he did not ex-
plicitly say what he wants the members to
do in that Congress Here is is his language:
vote against all supplies for wagng war
against the South"
The chief of the conspirators, himself, could
not frame a bascr proposition. The people
of this State-a State which will never leave
the Union,-are exhorted by defender CT
the rebel Goyernment-wbchh he says is "as
much a Southern Confederacy within the
once limits of the United States as there was
United States on the nth day of Septem-
Der, 1887, when George Washington, Deputy
from Virginia, appended his name as Presi-
dent of the Convention, to the Constitution"
the people of this State, we say, are ex-
horted TO send members to the Congress at
Washington, for the purpose of there serving
the Southern Confederacy, by voting against
supplies for the maintenance of the Govern
ment by the means it deems necessary
Whatever Col. Washington's notions of de-
cency may be, it is our opinion that his plan
is not a whit more honorable than it would