The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-05-31
TTE MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT.
WhtssA ~ ~ hssaiaia d
Ths DsnSeraaie R&rty.

One Of the strongest, most Cos ,cluSlVe,
hut lamentable evidences Of Z seneracy
In the American people, is the hope and
wish expressed, and TO doubt sincerely
desired, OF dissolution Of the Democratic
party.
Il has been the proud boast OF the
American people that they, as a nation,
we're the freeSt, most enlightened, best
educated, Of any Of the nations Of the
earth; and yet in the face Of all this boast,
it must be admitted by all honest men,
that so fer IS the political history of the
country Is concerned, there is no people
more deplerably ignorant Who were its
founders and what is that Democratic
party whose dissolution is SO earnestly
hoped and prayed for, by large portion
Of the American people?
Thomas Jefferson, the greatest and pu-
rest statesmen of any age or any country,
the author Of civil and religious liberty,
was the founder Of the Democratic party !;
and it is due to the truth Of history, as
we'll a. to his pre-emincntly great tai
ent to say, that no man of his day nor
during the life Of the nation since, had so
clear q perception Of the character Of the
government which he had done SO much
10 found for the people Of the United
States The following opinion Of the true
character Of our government can be found
in the writings of Jefferson. It may be
read with profit by all candid aud think
ing men:
with respect to ouS State and Fede-
raj Governments, do not think their re-
lations correctly understood by foreigners.
They generally suppose the former sub
ordinate to the latter. But this is not the
case. They are coordinate departments
Of one simple and integral whole. To the
State governments are reserved all lcgiS-
lation and administration in affairs which
concern their own citizens only, and to
the Federal Government is given whatev-
er concerns for, igners, or the citizens OF
OkuCN ON4NNb tNANNCUo AlO'S pN''o
made federal The one is the d0meAtic,
the other the foreign branch Of the same
government; neither having control 0(
the other, but within its own department
There are one or two exceptions only t.
this partition of power. But you may
ask, il the two departments should claim
each the same subject Of power, where is
the common umpire to decide ultimately
between them? Ia cases Of little import
aRcc or urgency. the prudence f bath
parties will keep alOof from the question.
able ground. But i( il can neither be
avoided nor compromised, a c"nvcntinn
Of the States must be called to ascribe the
doubtful power to that department which
they may think best Vol 4. p. 800.
No intelligent man can read the forcgo,
ing extract, without feeling with the great
author, that ours is emphatically a gorer"-
MeHt Of tie people. where AL just pow
eVs are derived from the consent of the
governed" And "that Whenever any
hrm Of government becomes destructive
"[ these ends, it is the right Of the people
70 alter or to abolish il, and to institute n
new government, laying its foundations
on such principles, and organizing its
powers in such form. as t" them shall
seen, most Ink ely TO effect their safety aud
happiness"
At the time of the formation of the Con.
ktitutiOO of the United States, there was
a strong aud influential party in favor OF
n strong consolidated government or a
limited monarchy; and the original Con-
siitutipn vas little else than restrictions
and limitations OF the powers of the
States with fc~ guarantees Tor the hber-
ties Of the people. So strong VAS II con-
Sidercd by the people, that nearly all the
States refused to raIify it until they were
assured that il should be 50 amended rs
20 secure the liberty Of the people against
the usurpstiOn Of power by the general
government
Writing on this subject, Mr. Jefferson,
in vol. 4, page 81, says; Il have bee"
blamed for saying thAtaprevairnce Of the
doctrine Of consolidation would one day
call for reformation or revolution. ! an
s~er by asking If single State in the
Union would have agreed to the ConSti'
tutioa had it given all powers to the gen.
cral eevernmeut: n the whole Opposi'
ton did not proceed from the jeal-
ouHy and fear Of every State, Of being sub
iected to the other States in matters lnere-
" its owny"
And is there any reason to believe the
States more disposed now than then to
acquicsce in this general surrender OF all
their rights and powers to consolidated
government, one and undivided?
At the first session Of Congress under
the Constitution, the first ten amendments
were adopted, and they were submitted
to the States and ratified by the people.
These ten amendments consist chiefly Of
restrictions on the powers Of the general
government, and guarantees for the rights
Of the States and the liberties Of the Peo'
pie. But notwithstanding those Consti-
tutional restrictions on the powers of the
general government, and guarantees for
the liberty Of the people, during the adj
miHistratiOn of John Adams, the mon
Archial party-the advocates of 4 strong
central government under the leadership
Of Alexander Hamilton, enacted the Alien
and SeditiOn Ld.cs, and the odious excise
laws which produced civil war in Penn
sylvania, known as the whisky insurrec-
ton. Under the first of these despotic en-.
Actments, the Naturalization laws were
changed from five to fourteen years, and
foreigners were forcibly expelled the