M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1865-04-20
From the American M0Athly.
The Democratic Party.

/ "eye
depend upon ii, the strength OF
any party lies in adherence to ia
o;0n theory. Consistency is tie liiO
oiany movement"
So said Father Newman, when
writing, not On pol:tics, but on reliR.
ioB.- But the proposition is univers.
al, and is emphatically applicable to
the Democratic party Of our country.
Consistency is a jewel" 1t gilt!
ters; it attracts; it wins notice and 40
iprobation; it secures Adherents.
There is great temptation, however.
to swerVe little from consistency
and from the theory of the party, Ia
order to win place and power. Man
loves power, and many men love moo
ey more aud, consequently, when the
gilded pinnacle OF power brightens ip
the eyes, or the spols of Office lie allp
rngly at the feet, theory and priuci.
pie are, too often. made to weld in
the foud hope Of realizing the bag Of
gold, or the Jewel OF the coronet.
But the great Democratic party, 90
ponent in the past,in order to be great
IN the future, must not abandon tina
lessons OF the fathers, nor desert the
theory Of it's founders. Ii the spoils
become the dominant object for which
1t hlngs lts banner to the breeze, then
will its folds be tatter-d aud torn by
any gust OF wind that may chance to
beat upon it, aud soon will it trail in
the dusl. On the other hand. let
there be inscribed ON that banner the
true theory OF the party, aud it will
Il at triumphant. ...I
Democracy, rather Federal Repub.
licansm, is the first element OF tbs
Constitution, and the Msory otths
party, as such, is found assnredly- in
the Resolutions Of 1898. The princi
pie OF those resolutions is, unques,iou
ably, ne sooerttgnty Of States, the
States Right, thsory. On this theo.
ry, on theseYprincipIes, was the Feder
al Government conducted. from jeff.
erson's day until the inauguration OF
President Lincoln. Since then, CON-
soIidation, centraism, has been ,hs
theory aud practice of the Republic.
an party, The Constitution has be-.
come nuIIlty; State Rights are to
be secuted at and wiped out of exist
enee, to make way for a mighty con.
sOlIdation OF power, which shall no
self controlled, and shall amszs tho
world. ..t7.,'u.-.
As Jefferson, in earlier days. man.
fully AMI successfully wrthstood tb,
strides OF monarchiaI ce1tralism his
followers now must unite in ctr Gnu,
GUS, determined effort to maintain
the Just rights and sovereignty of tbs
STATES, the gIorIous federalism of the
Union Even OUR opponents ssy as
the N1w York Times does: "The
Union is union of States. DESTROY
the States, or brake d0eon Msir essen
tai POW3TS, aud the Union ia no
longer possible" This is 90 evident
that 1t must meet tho assent OF every
thinking man. There-is, Of COURSE
no other Union here, than "a Union
OF States, and.a union certainly i'm.
plies distinction OF the things unit.
ed; and it is difficult to conceive now
union OF distinct, intelligent agents
('nd here the States are recogniz.d I'd
as those intelligent agents, for politi.
cal purposes, units) could take placs
or b. secured without the il,depcn
dent action Of each, without the soysr
elSh uncontrolled consent OF the Dat.
Ties to the union. .t,...,
We not only believe, moreoy YER
what We think no scholar will deny-
that this is or was, a Federal Uni,n
s09ere'gn of independent States, but
We should further contend, that a Fed
eral system, with limited rights, gran
ted to tie General Gov ernment, ia
, the bsst a lapted to our extended ter.
r'sory aud varied interests, and tho
strongest possible, consistent with thu
ireedOm OF man and the rights of all.
Let us, then, be true to our theory,
consistent with the Constitution aud
Its trainers, valiant in the msinten.
, ance OF conpacts. set Tor the defence
OF federalism and State Rights, and
We shall ultimately prevail. "a
N-~->~~-ON~~~~-o~.oOO
thorOn,t,lr l. 90. 81 -. 80