The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-06-21

as the shect-anchor of our peace at home
and safety abroad.
"a jealous care Of the right Of an cleo
tion by the people.
"The supremacy of the civil over the
military authority.
Economy in the public expenses, that
labor may be lightly burdened.
"The honest payment of our debts and
sacred preservation Of public faith.
"Freedom of religion, freedom of the
press, and freedom Of persons under the
protection of the habeas corpus, and trial
by juries impartially selected"
Such, Democrats, are the principles of
your party, essential to public liberty and
to the stability and wise administration
of the Government, alike in peace and in
war. They are the principles upon which
the Constitution And the Union were
founded; and, under the control of a party
%&iGH adheres tO them, the Constitution
would be maintained, and the Union could
| NNSaSA HssSSSoSAa .... ..~,.,- -
( is -sae r,oifIio,y' o. tS9 DtS;dtHsSc party
wrong, that it should be disbanded?
It's policy is consistent with its princi-
pies, and may be summed up, from the
beginning, as follows: The support Of
liberty as against power; of the people as
against their agents and servants; and Of
State rights as against consolidation and
centraliscd despotism q simple govern;
ment; no public debt; low taxes no
high protective tariff; no general system
Of internal improvements by Federal au-
khor.Kv, National Dnnly hnrl
for the Federal public dues; no assump
ton of State debts; expansion Of terrific
ry; selfgovernment for the territories,
subject only to the Constitution the alb.
solute compatibility of a Union of States,
"part slave and part free" the admission
| OF new States, with or without slavery, as
they may elect interference by the
Federal Government with slavery in State
or Territory, or in the District Of COlum
bia and finally, as set forth in the Gin
cinnati platform Of 1856, and re-aifirmed
in 1860, absolute and eternal "repudia-
tion of all sectional parties and platforms
concerning domestic slavery, which seek
to embroil the States, and incite to trea-
son, and whose avowed purposes, if con-
summated, must end in civil war and dis
union"
Such was the ancient and the recent
policy of the Democratic party, running
through period Of sixty years, policy
consistent with the principles of the Con-
stitution, and absolutely essential to the
preservation Of the Union.
Does the history of the Democratic par
ty prove that it ought to be abandoned ?
"By their fruits shall ye know them. y
Sectional parties do not achieve Union
triumphs For sixty years from the in
auguration Of Jefferson on the 4th Ol
March, 1901, the Democratic party, with
short intervals, controlled the power and
the policy of the Federal Government
Forty eight years out of these sixty, Dem
ocratc men ruled the country for fifty.
four years and eight months the Demo.
cratic policy prevailed. During this Pc
riod, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, New Mex.
leo and California were SucceSsively an.
nexed to our territory, with an area more
than twice as large as all the original thir'
teen States together. Eight new States
were admitted under strictly Democratic
AdminiStrations-one under the Admin
iStration of Fillmore From five millions
the population increased to thirty-onC
millions. The revolutionary debt was ex
tinguished. Two foreign wars were sue
cessfuly prosecuted, with moderate out
lay and small army and navy, and with
out the suspension Of the habeas corpus
without one infraction of the Constitution
without one usurpation of power; with
out supprcssing single newspaper
without imprisOning single editor
without limit to the freedom of the press
or of speech in or out of Congress, but il
the midst Of the grossest abuses Of both
and without the arrest Of u single "trai
tor" though the Hartford Convention sa
during one of our wars, and in the othel
Senators invited the enemy to "greet OH
volunteers with bloody hands and vel
come them to hospitable graves"
During all the time wealth increased
business OF all kinds multiplied, prospect
ty smiled on every side, taxes were low
wages were high, the North and tn,
South furnished market for each other
products at good prices; public liberty
was secure, private rights undisturbed
every mans house was his castle tn
courts were open to all no passports 70
, travel, no secret police, no spies, no in
formers, no bastles; the right to assem-
ble peaceably, the right to petition; free
, dom of religion, freedom of speech, fire.
ballot, and free press; and all this tim
the Constitution maintained and the Uniol
Of the States preserved.
Such were the choice fruits Of Demo
cratic principles and policy, carried OH
/, throughout the whole period during whicI
, the Democratic party held the power an
: administered the Federal Government
Such has been the history of that party
1t is Union party, for it preserved tn
5 Union by wisdom, peace and compromis
: for more than half century.
. Then neither the ancient principles, tn
policy, nor the past history of the Demo
} cratic party require nor would justify il
2 disbandment.
, Is there anything in the present criSi
} which demands it? The more imlnediat
q issue is to maintain the Constitution as
, is, and to restore the Union as it was.
1 To maintain the Constitution is to re
, spect the rights of States and the libertie
. of the citizen. 1t is to adhere faithful,
6 to the very principles and policy whic
the Democratic party has professed fc
. more than half century. Let its hstC
ry, from the beginning, prove whether
. has practiced them. We appeal proud
to the record.
? The first step towards restoration {
the Union as it was, is to maintain tn
Constitution as it is. So long as it wa
maintained in fact. and not thrcatene
with infraction in spirit and in letter, az
tual or imminent, the Union was unbrC
, ken.
3 To restore the Union it is essential, frs
$ to give assurance to every State, and
the people of every section, that thei
= rights and liberties and property will b
! secure within the Union under the Cor
: stitution. What assurance so doubly sur