The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-06-09

III sucb base actors. do not say that evcvy |
;n1;r;Gun man is personally responsible; but
do say that In pure atmosphere OF honest and
honorable influences, that man-that mere |
nuppet of low political villalny-would never |
have acted thus, nor gotten for himself the re-
nnt.tion he has. He would have lived In OBJ
scnrity, and gone down the stream of time, un-
KNOWN uncensured, - unhonOred, and un-
sung. Fools commonly float on the surface of
public sentiment. and thus get their reputation.
Does any one ask whence these depths of
corruption are derived? Like the waters of
the ocean, from ten thousand springs;-all
poisoned by the political dragon which. for
half century, has corrupted the springs of So
cial and political thought and action, through
out our land. lido not say that parties can be
avoided, under liberal government; nor do
say that they are necessarily mischievous.
When wisely directed, they may even be pro-
ductive ofgood. But when low and unworthy.
issues are discussed, by low and unscrupulous
men, as has been, too often, the case among
tinually.
l believe. however, that the worst agitation
OF our country has resulted from the Operation
OF an Old heredi ary feud which was imported
from England at the first settling of our colo.
MES. Two great parties had existed there
more or less distinct, since the time of the Con.
quest; and although the Saxon and Norman
races had freely mingled 80 that very little
purity OF blood remained, the parties were still
distinct. Hence, l think, our great national
controversy has something of historic rela-
lions. The contending parties were known,
In their early life as Normans, and Saxons:
but OF the time of the Cromwell rebellion as
Cavaliers and Roundheads; and on their first
landing on our continent, they were Just the
same here, as in England.
At the time of the Norman conquest of Eng
land, In the seventh century, the Normans
were, unquestiOnably, the superior race From
their long residence in Normandy, or northern
France, and nearer vicinity 10 the civilizations
of the Roman empire, they had become a
vastly superior people to the Saxons of Eng
nd,-alike in the arts of peace and of war.
Then, by conquest they made themselves mas.
tiers of the island; and on all occasions as
conquerors, they asserted their superiority.
The name of Norman was the synonym of Lord
and Mater; and the name of Saxon was nearly
syn0nymGas with SURF slave. or retainer; and
the epithet, Saxon dog" was commonly
heard, to express the supreme contempt with
which the cOnquerOrs regarded the conquered
race. The English language was driven from
court, and pronounced vulgar. And when,
after lightweight years of Norman rule, the
Saxon line of kings was restored, under Henry
II, first of the Plantagenet kings, the Norman
baron was scarcely interior to the crown; and
In process of time, came, almost to overshad-
ow 1t. The two parties remained in a good
degree, distinct tho one naughty and aristo.
cratic the other, plain, plodding, industrious,
and of democratic tendencies. Gradually, the
Saxon increased in power and wealth; and the
plebeians of the land became very nearly its
lords. Under the reign of Charles l, royalty
was openly attacked; and the crown, and the
peerage, alike. succumbed to a popular out.
break; and for twenty years, the Cromwell
rule was almost as fearful as had been that of
Tudor or Stuart. The main differences between
the parties were that the Norman, or patrician
party, claimed to have all the high breeding.
hereditary wisdom and capability of governing;
and So claimed TO be peer of the realm, and
asserted the right to rule. The Saxon, or pie
beian party, claimed to have all the religion,
good morals, and personal sanctity and so,
haG right to speak for God, in the name of
religion; and to God, the kings of the earth,
of course, must bow: Confessedly, the decen
cies OF morals. and of personal religion, were
much with the ROundhead or Saxon party :;
Notwithstanding the cant and hypocrisy which
entered largely into the Puritan character of
those times. The Cavaliers, while they re-
vered religion, as an Objectivity, were gene
rally profane; and much that was noble and
manly was spoiled by violence and profanity,
and the domineering temper. In the Crom-
well rebellion, my sympathies have ever been
with the Cavalier party, simply because they
stood up for the government of their country,
and labored to conserve its laws and preserve
order, while the Puritan, or Saxon party, waged
war against the rightful sovereign, and set at
defiance all the laws of the land and finally.
destroyed their king, contrary to all law. Their
conduct was revolutionary, and REASONABLE;
and hence, could never approve it; holding,
as do the doctrine that The powers that be
are ordained of God, and that all laws should
be sacredly kept and observed, until they can
be lawfully repealed
About this time, the two colonies set sail for
the New World the Norman, or Cavalier,
for James River, Virginia, and the Puritan COL
ony, on the "May Flower" for Plymouth,
Massachusetts,. Both brought with them their
peculiar characteristics the Norman, or Cav
alier, his domineering, Overbeaving, buster
ing, lordy pretensions,-his love of ease and Of
power, and his contempt for everything pie
beian. The g Blue-eyed Saxon" or Puritan,
his high pretensions to moral and religious ex-
cellence and personal sanctity, his claim to
the peculiar favor of Heaven, and his great
moral cOmpunctiOn about the sins of his neigh
bors. The Norman scorned the low birth and
upstart origin of his New England peighbor,
invited him on being but the " Mudsill of So
ciety," and pronounced him fit, only, to be a
"Hewer of wood aud drawer of water:"-
good to till the ground. and ply the factory,
charging his Southern neighbor with beng
prOfane, irreligiOus, domineering, INDECENT, ar
rogant, cruel, and whatever else was bad. 1
would not be understood to say, that all the
violent agitatOrs of the South are of pure Nor
man blood, nor that those of the North are
pure Saxon. The South embraces in her aris-
tocracy, families derived from Huguenots,
Dutch, Germans, and pure Saxons. So ali
nations have blended and comiugled in the
North. But by assimilation, al! the wealthy
and aristocratic families of the South became
Normans, or Cavaliers, in taste. In New Eng
land, nearly all became Puritan. Thus, GRIM
nation, and recrimination have been kept up,
ever since, save that in times of common dan
ger, they have dropped their hostility, AID
consented to cooperate. Ill tempers have
been cultivated, as matter Of education and
political demagogues have availed themselves
of thes hereditary feuds for the purpose of
carrying their base measures.
The subject of slavery has been dragged in,
and made the occasion, (uot the cause, but the
occasioa) of much agitation. Had that institu-
tion not existed, see no reason to doubt that
some other would have been found. The con.
duct of both parties has been most ungenerous;