Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1865-09-20
The State Rights of Democracy,

That the Democratic party" or parties,
as We should say, believe in State Rights"
is very certain. The sincerity of their belief
is exemplifed in the sovereign indepen-
dence' of opinion and doctrine which they
maintain in each State 1t is the 'inaliena-
BILE right" of the Democracy" of each to
make just what kind of creed they please,
and to regulate their domestic institutions
of Democratic doctrine to suit themselves. !"
They guard that reserved right with ex-
traordinary jealousy. A consolidation of
Democratic principles" is as abhorrent to
them as consolidation of federal power.
They detest general principle which are Pu-
ritanical and fanatical, coercive and revolu-
tionary. They stand for the sovereignty of
States and State Conventions, and in the
latter are very careful to distinctly pronounce
their independence of each other
There is no longer, as consequence, any
such thing as Democracy at large
There is the Democracy of New York, -
the Democracy of Pennsylvania, the
Democracy of New jersey" the Demo
cracy of Kentucky, ETC., but no aggregate
Democracy" which embraces ttem all.
The term .'Democracy" has got to be sim
ply much abused common name attaching
to great many different things, and has no
unit sense whatever. i he New York Dem
ocrat'' is not a Democrat in Pennsylva-
| MIA, at all-nor in Ohio, nor in New Jersey,
he becomes blood thirsty radical u nto
| Ohio 'revolutionist into Kentucky a
black abolitionist;' into New Jersey a
'fanatical niger worShiper
In New York he subscribes to the decla-
| ration that the late war was triumph -
In Pennsylvania, to become Democrat, ~
| he must swear with the State Convention
| that it was war 'of slaughter, debt and dis
grace.
In New York he endorses ''the plan OF
| President johnson for the speedy restora-
ton of the States lately in rebellion" by the
appointment of Provisional Governors to
call CT INVENTIONS for the alteration of the old
State Constitutions. In Pennsylvania his
| full approval is conditioned that the Pres
| ident will execute nothing hut the law in
| all parts of the country" that the militia
ry are not to interfere in the State elections,
and that he will suffer no person [inclu-
ding Nlrz, as a matter of course, to be
murdered by military commissions In
| Ohio to become a Democrat, he must
join the State Convention in censuring Pres
ident johnson for not having ratified the
terms agreed to by Major General Sherman,
| in April last by which terms the rebel
Governors were to remain in power and the
pro slavery constitution stand untouched
In New York he applauds the admins
| tration of President johnson as Of ''cnligh-
tened statesmanship and sound political the
ory, and pledges it "a cordial and energet-
ic support. In Ohio, to become Dem
ocrat, he must denounce President John-
son for The continued suspension of the
writ of habeas corpus since the termina-
ton of the war, and when all pretense of
necessity is passed; the denial of the right
of trial by jury, and the trial of citizens not
| in the military service by military commits,
sions, and the open interference with elec-
tion by military, as in the instances in Ken
tucky and Tennessee )" which being ''revo-
| lutionary violations of the constitution it
lis the duty of all good citizens to meet
with the most determined opposition -
In New York, he thanks ''the soldiers
and sailors of the nation" &c, &c In
New jersey, to become Democrat, he
must carefully insert the word ''aohite" be-
fore soldiers and sailors, and by omitting
that defnitive term exposes himself TO the
scorn and contempt of all the true blues of
Jersey.
These are d few of the distinctions and
contrarities by which the Democratic parties
maintain their State Rights, -, and vindi-
cate their sovereign independence of senti:
ment and doctrine