The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-01-11
aRELA RARKIHa.

OEWOSbsS WuO SUI auuct0 W pftnClpIe
In spite Of persecution, and refuse to bow
down and worship RePublicanism. II
Democrats were as timid as their calum.
niatOrs are cowardly and mercenary,
"there would be but one party and Abra-
ham its master" But fortunately for the
country Democrats are not to be intimi.
dated by threats nor converted by i'm.
priSOnment Believing the Constitution
to be something more than "rope of
sand" to be observed or violated at the
pleasure Ofthe powers that he, the DemOc-
racy stand by it and insist that its COM
pActs shall be Sacrediy kept. They be.
lieve, too, that it cOnfers certain privileges
upon the citizens OfOur Union, and among
others, the privilege to hold and express
sentiments ct variance with the policy Of
the Administration, even il those express
ions gain strength and influence so as to
mould popular opinion against such ad-
ministrative policy. 1t is true these sen,
timents should conform to the Constitu-
ton and be in harmony with its provis-
ions; and we defy the Opposition to point
out, in a single instance. where uncOnsti
tutional sentiments have been uttered by
the Democracy Of California. 1t is surely
not unconstitutional TO e.;.;e:se the policy
of the Administration 1t is q crime in
the estimation of ignorant partisans, but
not in the eyes of intelligent freemen.
1t has been justly remarked by pa
triOtic old Democrat that intelligent think.
ers arrive at different conclusions, in
politics, Law and religion, from an ex-
animation Ofthe same subject, even ifthey
are seeking like ends; hence, il Demo.
Gratis honestly believe in peaceable set
Element Of our national difficulties, as not
only the best but the only means of a
speedy adjustment Of the same, they are
necessarily opposed to the apparently in.
effectual mode pursued by their admins.
trative opponents They may not be
right but they think they are; and would
be disloyal to their convictions of consti.
tutiOnal duty if they hesitated or refused
to advocate the right as they understand
it They deprecated civil war, and be-
lieved and so stated, that the longer it
continued the more difficult it would be
to harmonic and re.unite the hostile and
exasperated sections; and time has prov.
ed the correctness Of their conclusions.
The belief is now general that it is much
harder to adjust our difficulties now than
it was six months ago. Had the policy
Of the Democrats been adopted it is more
than probable that speedy and satisfac.
tory and honorable adjustment would
have been secured. But demagogues and
knaves, army contractors and upstart mil.
itary officers, took advantage of the ex
citement and insisted that the rebellious
States should be mercilessly dealt with,
and a weak Administration Joined in the
clamor. An obSequious Congress, anx.
ious to display their zeal at the expense
of their judgment, appropriated millions
of money and authorized the raising of
hundreds of thousands Of men, to whip
into obedience the States that had with
drawn from the Confederacy and organ
lied a Government of their own. In
few months at most the rebellion" was
to be queled. More than "few months"
have elapsed, and instead Of it being sub.
dued, it seems to be growing in strength ;
and Secretary. Seward, the master-spirit
Ofthe Admiai ration, is reluctantly forced
to confess til + the policy advocated by
the anti-~Sr Democrats" was the best.
This is his LIST significant declaration:
"The effective part of the war, ON our side,
is over. Thee may be more tighting-6ut the |
EeSs of II Tie sUtsr ,ce are ofspeedy peace. EUery
6dttte Sared-wpich can be honnrably avoided
is gdi" to Sc cause of the Union. The real
foreign affaisS oil will be we'll.
If the Poacy of the "peace Democrats"
had been adopted many if not all battles
would have been averted, and. in the Ian.
guage Of Mr.. Seward. a "speedy peace"
would have followed = Commenting upon
Seward's declaration, the Folsom Tele-
graph, a conservative paper, pertincntly
observes:
"Is not the idea of 'the less fighting we
have the surer we are of speedy peace" the
idea Of the snt-war Democrats Of the North
Certainly! And the succeeding remark sup.
ports it exactly every battle saved-which
can be honorably avoided-is a gain to the
cause Of the Union. Has any Northern Dem.
ocrat, who has been accused Of secession and |
reasonable opposition TO the Republican Ad-
ministratiOn, ever said more in support of his |
notions Of the war than the redOubtable Captain |
Seward now says for himP Indeed Stewards
idea cannot be fully illustrated unless it be
said Therefore, if any battles honorably |
avoided be gains to The cause Of the Union, the |
saving of all battles, the total cessation of Fed.
eral warlike movements, will be the more hon.
Orable to the cause Of the Union and the great
er assurance Of speedy peace"
1t is sufficient to know that the head |
and front of the Republican party, the
champion and leader Of the Administra.
ton, has become a convert to the policy |
Of the anti-war Democrats. If it be trca-
SOnabte to deprecate "more lighting" as
our Republican friends and their base i'm.
itators swear it is, then is Mr.. Seward
guilty Of the vilest treason! We rather
think Mr.. Stewards significant declaration
will put stop to the barking of the Re.
publicans and their neutral allies.
TIE California members of Congress
were introduced to Seward and other |