Council Bluffs bugle. [volume] (Council Bluffs, Iowa) 1860-1868, 1865-06-15
m IlIll \
YOUNG MEMS DEMOCRATIC
ASSOCIATION"
OF LANCASTER, pENEsYVAsll

ASrSAsAA ESF&AkIA 1sAAh1lH 10 A44lEgAs
goar association, While compliance il
person would be most agreeable TO me,
do not believe that either time or cireun.
stance 10 suspicious just now for acsiv,
political agitation, But / avail mgseli
OF your kind request, TO present, very re,
speetfully, in writing, few thoughts or
ihe present position and duty of the Dem.
| oeratic party. at best, they can be but
conjeesars in part, and 10 part suggestion
for he would be O bald man, and ough
10 be ounicient Of as well The future a,
the present, who shouid attempt to Iay
aOwu, 10 these times, when the scenes
change With the diversity. saddenness anc
marvellous centrariety Of theatrie repre-.
| sentation, fixed rule of policy upon AM
public question. Yet with this qaalifica
tions and speaking for myself ONLY.
shall address YOU With becoming freedom
and candor. l do not, indeed, conceal
from myself, the apprehension that WI
are rather at the beginning than the end
of great revelation, and that free iusti-
tRtIons IN America are to-day fer mors
upon trial than at any period during tbs
past four years. If, indeed, the agencies
OF force were at once to give place TO tbs
arts OF peace, and placid liberty regula.
ted By Law, stlb pho rege, to succeed the
sword, the melancholy forebodings Of rht
more thoughtful among US might yei
prove to be the vain fears Of men v hon
much learning Ia history and an enlarged
study OF human nature have made timid
J. | surrender myself willingly, however,
for the present TO the cheering illusion o!
those who believe that miraculous power
will again, iDterpose, and a great calm, al
tho woEd of command, follow the TEN
pestuous raging Of the sea.
The Democratic organization will, o!
course, ho maintained. SaEriFiag exery
lchange Of party and policy from near the
beginning of the government to this day;
often triumphant, sometimes defeated
never conquered; always adhering, as
national organization, to the essential
principles of its founders, but adapting
its policies, 50 far as these principles ai
mitted, to the changing circumstances eI
the country. enduring eren through tbs
great dangers and the mistakes Of the
past foUr years, and at the end, nulnber.
| ing one million eight hundred thousand
voters in the States which adhered 10 thl
Union-a Bunber larger within the same
States than at any previous election 1t
needs now eRlya reorganization and dis
| cirline to make it powerful at once anG
ultimately tFiumphat. For myself, under
no circumstances will consent that tbs
Democratic organization be dissolved, Sc
long as il shall have vitality enough u
bold together. The masses Of the party
wsil never agree to the surrender, what.
ever "the leaders," so. called, might at,
tempt.
The Fundamental principles Of the Dem
ocratic party, IF course also, muat re.
main unchanged SO long as eur Fedora
system, or even anS form Of Democratic
Republican government. shall survive
and especially its true States rights doe
triae-nos nuIiifoation, not secession, hul
the theory Of our system laid down in thg
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions oi
1903, as inscrrreted by their authors: tht
one by Madison in bis report Of 1880
an the other by JeiFgr<on in his solemn
Official IBauguFal Of ls1l. Thus inter.
pretcd they were, aui, | doub. not, still
are the constitutional doctrine of the new
President. So long IA these constitute
the accepted theory and the practice un-
der our system, there can be 10 eonsqll-
dated government. either republic oI
monarchy, IN the States which uow make
Up the American Union, The other gen.
eral principles of the Democratic party
are but variations or amplifeations Of tbs
maxims, sfthe interests of The Masses
"the rights of the many against The cx
actions Of the axioms which, tho
the demrg gogue may misuse or abuse them,
lie, nevertheless, at the foundation Of al
Democratic government.
But true as all this is, it would be tbs
extreme Of folly not to comprehend aud
recognize that as to men and politics, tbs
events Of the past four years, and espeef-
ally Of the last FIVE weeks, have wrought
0 radical change. Old things have pass
ed away; oil things become new. New
books, as Mr.. Webster said upon an oe-
casion Of far less significance, arc now Ia
be opened. 4 new epoch in the Ameri-
can era has been reached; and he who can
net now realize, or is net willing TO 40.
ccpt this great fact, would do well to re-
tire 10 bic closet and eonane himself to
funfbr meditations over the history OF
the dead pnst, or airy speeuIati0ns upon
the impossible future. lie may become
m instructor, but is not TT to be an actor
in the stirring scenes which are before us.
The time will, indeed, come, aud NAV no;
be far giistaut, when il will be iastifable
und may be necessary to inquire into the
eauses Of the civil war just now arpar-
ently at an end, and to institute a scruti.
nv into tbs measure Of guilt Of those who
are responsible for il, as we'll North as
South; and II is fortunate that we have a
President who, upon neither side, is n
mang tie authors, unless, indeed, bis sup
porlof General Breekinridge fer the Pres
idcncy In 1860, be reckaned UP against
bin. In oil else. az least, whatever may
have been his position during tic var, or
shall be bis course now, be is gu itless.--
Upon The ether band, by our political foes,
the iina OF conduct of those who opposed
var, demanded eoneiIiation, and insisted
that the path Of peaco vas tho shortest,
easiest. cheapest rbad to the UnIon, and
of those who, marching in ihs same di-
rrction, bat along the rugged and bloody
highway OF war, denounced only the poll
iefes Of The late Administration, will be
called in question. For myself ! ana ready
to anawew, and By the record to be adjudg-
cd. If | erred, ii was Ia lhe glnri0as
company of the patriot founders OF our
peculiar system OF government. And
nov, acsepting the new order OF things,
yet eaiar upon ne dsfenss for sdheriug
to the last moment 10 tba policies Of those
great men, adopted and sanrtioned Is
lhese policies were, by she sec md genera
ti0n oh AmeTiean stasesmcn. So far
from II, / would o3aform YET, a. far as
rassibis, to their teachings and rgacsiee.
We may not, indeed, be ready 70 follow
the enthusiast who bad rather err with
pIAto than bo right with other mea; yet
nsasher are Ne far enough corrupted, |
tTuss, to be obliged 50 apologize foF ao-
T.xF