New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1863-02-13
DEMOCRATIC TESTS,

In nearly every County throughout
The north west the Dem ,cracy are or
canized for the great. contest, that in
1854 is to decide forever the fate Of the
Republic. The test principles being
incorporated into these organizations
embrace no new features, no new princi-
Piles, no tests Of fealty not heretofore
adopted and recognized in the action
and purposes Of the party Its object
in times past has heen to preserve and
perpetuate t. the American people the
blessing Of civil, religious, and political
liberty. A temporary ascendencv Of
the Republican party in the admins
tration Of the government has made it
necessary that they continue their or.
ganization not merely for these pur-
poses, hut to restore to the people their
lost liberties, and to rescue from chaos
for the American people lost, dishon.
ored, disrupted and destroyed Union.
The test of democracy now is wheth-
or man is willing to aid in restoring
the American Union as it vas made nv
patriots Of 1776, with all the rights Of
all the States, old as we'll asnew. North
as we'll as South, unimparci under the
constitution. tits we'll known to the
people that in the struggle throughout
the great States Of the North last fall
this was the question that absorbed all
others-a willingness and purpose
"to restore the constitution as it is, and
the Union as it was" The result Of
that struggle is before them in such
political victory as evidences the will
and purposes, and as none but an out
ragged and indignant people could
achieve. It is decree from the high
est source Of sovereign power acknowl-
edged in this government that the war
should be conducted solely for the pur-
pose Of restoring the Union as it was.
Against its prosecution for such an Oh
ject as this we have the voice of every
radical in the land. They would make
it a war Of suhjugation q war of exter
mination a war for the invasion Of
State rights. the suhversion Of public
liberty, and the enslavement of twenty
eight millions Of whites, that the free.
dom Of four MILL ons of negroes might
lie pr' claimed
The more artful and designing ad
versaries of the democracy assert that
war waged only for the restoration Of
the Union as it was, would rejecta un-
ion IN which slavery WAS excluded from
any portion Of the South not free at the
commencement Of the war. No man
that is not wilfully blind to the trutk
will for a moment countcnance SO grave
6 fa|sehood. The democratic party
admit the right Of every State in tn
union to adopt or abolish slavery withir
tnc;r own State when and how the,
see fit. They deny that the Fedora
government under the constitution
Las any power over it and they conced
20 the President no authority in time
4 war or peace to interfere with tn
Institutions Of any state in the Union
Hence if Federal usurpation shall ex
terminate slavery in any state agains
the will Of the people Of that state tn
democratic party will, in strict conform
;:y to the constitution re.assert tn
sight of the injured states as we'll as a
others to havejust such local institution
ss are compatible With its interests an
-yishes, allowing each state to be the
Judge for itself. This is what the
mean ~ restoring n" Urio. q It We