Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-06-11
The Standard.
ADDRESS
SOf the Democratic Members of the Federal Con-
,sress TO the Democracy of the United States

country demands that we should reasoc toge',eI
Party organization, restricted within proper
is a positive good and indeed essenlai " t',0
seryation of public liberty. Without II tne oee'
government would soon degenerate into the worst
of tvrannles. In despotsms the chief use OF inc
power is in crushing out party opposition' III our
nrn country the experience OF the last Twelve
months proves more than any lesson in history, the
necessity of party organization. The present ao,
mnistration was chosen by party, and IN All civil
ncts and amendments has recognized and still does,
its fealty and obligations to that party There must
md will be an opposition. The public safety and
GOOD demand it Shall it be new organization, or
an old ones The democratic party WAS founded
more than sixty years age. 1t has never oeeh
disuanded To day it numbers one million nve nun
drcd thousand electors the States still loyal 70 the
Union. Its recent numerous victories IN nunic'pal
elections in the Western and Middle States prove
its vitality. Within thelast ten months 1t has held
State conventions and nominated full democratic
tickets in every free State in the Union. Of no
other party opposed to the Republicans can the same
be said.
SHALL THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY BE NOW DIsBANDED?
Why should it? Are its ancient principles
wrong? What are they? Let its platforms for
thirty years speak:
* Rcsolred, That the American Democracy place
their trust in the intelligence, the patriotism and
the discriminating justice of the American people.
THAT we regard this as distinctive feature IN
our political creed which we are proud to maintain
before the world, as the great moral element in
form of government springing from and upheld oy
the popular will and we contrast it with the creed
and practice of federalism, under whatever name
or form, which seeks to palsy the will OF the con-
Stituent and which conceives no imposture 100
monstrous for the public credulity.
"That the Federal government is one of limited
power derived solely from the constitution and the
grants of power made therein ought 10 be strictly
md nf ha
government; and that it is inexpedent and danger
Gus to exercise doubtful constitutional powers"
And as explanatory of these the following from
Mir. JefferSon's inaugural:
1.-The support of the State governments IN all
their rights as the most complete administration OF
our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks
against anti-repubcan tendencies.
THE preservation of the general government IN
its whole constitutional vgor, as the sheet anchor
of our peace at home and safety abroad.
"A Jealous care of the right of election by the
people
THE supremacy of the civil over the military
authority.
Economy in the public expense, that labor may
be lightly burdened.
1.-The honest payment of our debts and sacred
preservation of the public faith.
Freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and
freedom of person under protection of the hdbeds
corpus and trial by juries impair TALLY selected"
Such, democrats, are the principles of your party,
essential TO public liberty and to the stability an:
wise administration of the government alike in
peace and war. They are the principles upon which
the constitution and the Union were founded; and,
under the control of party which adheres to them,
the constitution would he maintained and the Union
could not be dissolved.
Is the policy of the democratic party wrong, that
it should be diSbanded?
Its policy is consistent with its principles, and
may be summed up, from the beginning, as follows:
The support of liberty as against power; of the
people against their agents and servants; and of
State rights against consolidation and centralized
despotsm; simple government; no public debt;
low taxes; no high protective tariff; no general
system of improvements by Federal authori-
ty; no national bank hard money for the Federal
public dues; no assumption OF State debts; eXpan-
sion territory self government for the Territories
subject only to the constitution the absolute
patbity of union of the States part slave and
part free; the admission Of new States, with
without slavery, they may elect; nonnterference
by the Federal government with slavery in State
Territory, or in the District of Columbia; and,
finally, as set forth in the Cincinnati PLATFORM in
1856, and re affirmed in 1860 absolute and eternal
"repudiation of all sectional parties and platforms
concerning domestic slavery which seek to embroil
the States and ncte to treason and armed resistance
to law in the Territories, and whose avowed pur-
pOScS, COIlSuuIiudIcu, lnuSL cuu Ill CIVIL war anu
,disunion"
Such was the ancient and the recent policy of the
democratic party, running through period of sixty
years. policy consistent with the principles ofthe
constitution, and absolutely essential to the preSer-
walton Of the Union.
Does the history of the Democratic party prove
that it ought to be abandonedg by their fruits
shall We know them" Sectional parties do not
achieve Union triumphs. For sixty years from the
Inauguration of Jefferson on the 4th Of March, 1861
the democratic party, with short intervals, con.
trolled the power and the policy of the Federal
Government. For forty-eight years QUE of these
sixty, democratic ruled the country; for fifty
four years and eight months the democratic policy
prevailed During this period Louisiana Florida,
Texas, New Mexico and California were SUCCESSFULLY
annexed to our territory, with an area more than
twice large all the original thirteen States toge-
ther Eight new States were admitted under strict
lydemocratic administratons-one under the admin
istration of Fillmore. From five millions the popula
ton increased TO thirty one millions The reyolu-
tionary debt was extingushed. Two foreign wars
were successfully prosecuted with moderate outlay
and a small army and navy, and without the sus-
pension OF the habeas corpus without one infracon
of the constitution; without one usurpaton of DOW
err; without suppressing single newspaper; with
out imprsoning single editor; without limit to
the freedom OF the press, of speech in or out of
Congress, but in the midst of the grossest abuse of
both; and without the arrest OF single traitor"
thAugh the Hartford Convention sat during one of
the wars ana in the other Senators invited the ene
my to "greet counters Nth bloody hands and
zceleOme them to hospitG6Le grares."
During all this time wealth increased business
of all kinds multiplied, prosperity smiled on every
Side, taxes were low wages were high the North
and the South furnished market for each others
products at good prices public liberty was secure,
private rights undsturbed evary mans house was
his castle; the courts were open to all ; no pass.
Portsior travel no secret police, SPIES no nor-
mers, no bastes; the right to assemble peaceably.
the right to petition freedom of religion freedom
Dt speech, a free ballot and free press and al.
TINS time the Coutituton maintained and the Union
of the States preserved
Such were the choice fruits of democratic nrinc;.
pies and policy carried out through the whole nerod
during which the Democratic party held the mower
and administered the Federal Government. Such
has been the history of that party 1t is Union
party, for it preserved the Union by wisdom peace
and compromise for more than halfa century