The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1864-10-13
Mlste,lanrOns.
who are the pemooratap

The bare definition of the word De-
mocracy answers this question, The
term Democracy, in its practical, ideal
sense, sigaiGes popular government
This is formed by enfranchising the
masses, giving them political power,
and throwing upon the people the res.
possibility of protecting themselves
Aristocracy aims to deny to the com
mon people the right of voting, or any
voice as to who shall AXE laws and fill
Offices. These two opposing priuci-
Piles in govetnment are now at war
with each other. After the secession
of the Southern States, when the South
ern Confederacy was supposed to be
established, the leading Rebels threw
off all disguises aud boldly declared 10
favor of an aristocracy In all the
lei ng presses, reviews, aud political
litrra.ure of rebeldom, has this prof ect
of overtbrowing democracy and estab-
Fishing an aristocracy been declared
and advocated. The rebel orators and
letter writer's have been equally ex.
pIicit. The arguments put forth by
the conspirators have assumed differ
ent forms, but all have the same mean &.
ing. JEFF Davis rails against the dem
ocratic doctrine of popular govern
ment, and calls it "the tyranny of a
majority" On another occasion, more
recently, he characterized the popular
will as "the despotism of a majority."
1t has been a faverite declaration with
the seceSsionists of the South for years
that government through the will of
the majority must be abrogated." The
Southern Literary MesseDg ger, assuming
to speak as the exponent of the views
of the Southern leaders, says: "Let us
seek to eradicate every veslige Of radi.
cal democracy, every feature tending to
make ours popular government" etc.
Again, in the same print: ave would
not De understood as uniting 10 the be
lief OF the impossibility Of successful
republic, that We cry out for the rs-,
'ablishment of royalty 10 this free couu.
,ry." *% 4 ave have no objections
10 royalty when restrained by ronsti.
tutODal barriers" "You will object to
tho term Democrat" (soys Mr.. Gar
net; in his letter to Mr.. Trescott, of
S. @ democracy, in its original,
philosophic sense, is indeed incompat-
ible with Slavery and the whole sys-
TEN Of Southern society; yet, if you
look back, what change will you find
made in any of our State Constitutions
in our legislation in its general course
for the last fifty years, which was not
in the direction of democracy" Here
is manifested the same repugnauce to
the will Of the majority. DeBow's Re
view is equally explicit, wherein it
contemns the democratic axiom of the
greatest good Of the grea test number
as Ga pestilent and pernicious dogma"
The same article makes the declaration
that "an hereditary Senate and Execu.
tive are the political form best suited to
the genius, and most expressive of the
ideas of the South" The Richmond
Examiner, of very late date, assumes
that the principles of popular govern
ment, and protection to popular rights
through popular government, is the
mistaken civilization of the age, which
a perverse generation has lifted up in
the face ofaucient institutions. De-
Bows Review puts ia the rejoinder;
"Tho real civilization Of country is
its aristocracy. The masses are nodded
into soldiers and artisans by intellect,
just as matter and the elements of ma
ture are made into telegraphs and steam
engines" "To make an aristocrat 10 tho
future, We must sacrifice a thousand
pauPers. Yet we would by all means
make them make them permanent, too,
by laws of entail and prinogeniture.
The UniOnists Of the South, who for
years have faced the monster Rebellion,
aud listened to the reasonings ia which
it originated, are equally explicit % de-
claring the contest to be battle be-
tween aristocracy aud democracy. The
whole intelligence of the world under
stands it as Richard Golden, of Eng
land, understood it when he pronounc
ed the conspiracy "an aristoeratic Re
bellion against a democratic govern
ment." We might compile a volume
of the same kind Of evidence, to show
that the Rebellion involve d a conspira
oy, not only against the nationality, but
against all the principles Of repuO licau
or democratic government-that the
strongest feature of the conspiracy was
hostility to the political rights Of the
non'slaVehOlding masses OF the South,
These were the forces, In the South