The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-12-12
The Democratic Party and Impartial
Suffrage.

One Of the proudest boasts Of the democrat
ic party is I.s antiquity. The principles
which rest at its foundation were anterior 10
the government; were ooeval with civIliza-
zion. For they are the assertion of the ina.
lisnable rights OF man against kIngly preroga.
tive Their earliest development naY be
traced in those ancient Saxon constitutions,
BORN Of the spirit of freedom, and fashioned
by the geuiUs of the grees Alfred into body
OF laws of such wondrous excellence that
since their overthrow by the Norman con-
querors the struggle Of succeeding genera
tIons has been, not to inaugurase new theories,
but to restore tue Old liberties of the people.
For thousand years, this struggle of popu-
lar liberty, on the one hand, againsi despot-
&c power, on the other, this contest Of DEM
ooracY against aristocra0y, has proceeded.
Whatever in that struggle has wrenched pre-
r0gative from power has restored, not grant
ed, franchises whereof the people had been
uDiustly deprived. Magma charta, habess
corpus, the abolition of foeiai slavery, were
but i'm portant steps in the gradual reclama-
ton By the people Of their auoisnt rights, the
foundation of all which, under the ancient
Gothic constitutions, was the right of every
man TO be governed upon basis CT equality
with every other man through his own as
sent-the democratic right of IMPARTIAL SUI
FRAGE.
The separation Of the American colonies
from the British crown gave to this Testora-
ton of popular liberty ie1petus on this
side Of the Atlantic which it has not vet ct
tanned on the other. Ii cut OFF at one blow
every remaining prerogative which des potism
planted on the leland OF Great Britain. Il
brought the people of America q. once to the
broad bssis of those fundamental truths
which their Saxon ancestors had recognized
and proclaimed 1t is most remarkable
fact that the principles Of government enun-
ciated in the declaration Of American indie
pendendence are identical with those upon
which the earliest nationality of our race
was founded more than q thousand years
ago. Those princi pies were the foundation
and have been the life of the democratic par
II.
The earliest division of the people Of this
country into political parties took place with
reference TO the structure of the government
itself. Il was the old division, the old con
tsst between liberty and prerogative. Fortu.
nately for their descendants, the friends OF
liberty triumphed, although tue triumph in
volved concessions and compromises which
are not even yet altogether done away.
The grand democratic principle which was
the recognized foundation of the government
was the absolute right OF every individual
who contributed TO the support of the govern
mont u nave VOICE. IN TIE government. IN 0
taxation without representation" was not an
idle sentiment; it was u principle held vital
by every man who denied the right of kines
10 rule in America. We fn3 it, there.
fore, recognized and affirmed in the organic
law OF every one Of the sixteen states which
entered originally into the formation of the
government, excepting only the state of Sontb
Carolina.
The democratic principle of IMPARTIAL, sr-r.
FRAGE was affirmed in the Constitution of Ma.
ryland in the following words:
THAT the right in the people to participate in tn,
legislature is the best security OF liberty and til,
foundation of all free government; for this purpe.,
elections ought to be free, and every man having
property in, common interest with, and an attach
ment to- the community, ought to have right 0
suffrage"
In Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Yer
mont, New Hampshire, the same principle
was affirmed, in almost the same words. II
two or three Of the states it vas slightly va
ried. In North Carolina, the language of sh'
constitution was:
HThat the people of this state ought not to b
taxed or made subject to the payment of any i'm
post or duty, without the consent of themselves,
sheir representatives in general assembly, freely Civ
en-"
In every one of The states, even South Car
DINA, it was recognized as q fundamental
principle that there should be 'no taxation
withous representation" The property quail
iication was established in every state, but
ID was made uniform and impartial(in all bu,
one) as respects different CLASSES or races of
persons. There was no distinction on &C
count OF color. The word "white" 10 not