Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-06-06
A Distinction with a Difference.

There are two campaign clubs at Washing
ton, says the Tines, devoted to the support
of the President and his policy-onea Dem
ocratic Club, and the other National Union
Club. The Democratic Club according TO
that journal, contains number of open and
active sympathizers with the rebellion the
latter is composed Of men devoted to the
Union and the Republican party. The open
and active sympathizers with the rebellion
are a very mythical class of personages we
have never seen one of them, and our expe-
rience among Democrats is probably quite as
extensive as that of the editor of the Times.
We have met few men whose convictions
OF the in6delity of the free States to the
Constitution, and of a consequent right of
withdrawal on the part of the slave States,
were fixed, but they were never active they
understood too well the distinction between
the freedom of thought and the freedom of
action, to mistake their duties as citizens
Therein lay the difference between them and
both the brave Abolitionists ike Garrison
and Phillips, and the sneaking Abelitionists
like Seward and Chandler. The Abolition
lists were not content both with freedom of
thought and freedom of speech not content
with Constitution which secured them
both. The bold called it a covenant with
hell; the sneaks invented the higher law"
They we're not content with the rapid growth
of free States, insuring eventually power
constitutional amendment. They preached
and they practiced resistance to it by physi-
cal force. 1t is notorious fact that there
was 10 part of the free States in which one
clause of the Constitution was not practi-
cally made worthless to those it was intended
to protect.
The leaders of the Republican party to-
day are men who by every form of evasion
sought to shirk their duties as citizens of the
United States The men who accepted
them as leaders and pushed them into pow
er necessarily share the criminality, if it
we're criminality, of their leaders
As matter Of course, they stole, and dir
tied in stealing, as gipsios the child Of ceanli-
ness, the name of the party which, under
jefferson, fought the battle of the Consti-
understood it. As a matter of course, they
dropped the name as soon as they had made
it odious, and took that of Union men,
Both names belonged to the Democratic
party. 1t Tasthe original party Of the I'm
ion when called Republican it is the party
of the Union under its present name. 1t
knew neither North nor South nor East nor
West-it knew only the Constitution. When
the Princess. Elizabeth was questioned upon
her belief as to the real or the typical pres
ence, she answered
"Christ was the word that snake it.
He took the bread and brake it,
And what the word did make IT,
That believe. and take it,"
So, when the Democracy was asked any
question, it answered: what does the
Constitution say? That is our political BIZ
ble IF it authorizes anything, no matter
how repugnant to cur notion of what ought
to be, we obey it ''No,' said Seward &
Co, ''our notion Of what ought to be is our
law, and if we can get a majority with us it
shall by your law
Wen, those highly educated, intelligent
free States, which upon the history and
politics Of the United States, were very
much worse educated than the slave States,
chose to receive the Seward standard and
exposition of the Constitution Is the correct
one. and through the very doctrine of State
allegiance, and overwhelming physical pow
er and enormous material resources. have
succeeded in making the Southern States
submit 10 it. If the Republicans we've con-
tent with power, the Democrats would sub
NIT without word TO the inevitable, and
grid up their loins for the battles of the fu-
ture, supporting any man who was doing the
best in his power under the circumstances,
and hailing every measure which promised
advantage, irrespective of the election of one
or of the offer Of the other by political OPP
ponents But they viii not cease to be Dem
ocrats; they viii not cease to cherish the
doctrines of Jefferson as the true sources of
prosperity to Union.
When the United States constitute ma
ton; when States become counties when
the Union becomes an union of individuals,
not of States-the Democratic party viii
have no principle of cohesion, and viii be
disbanded But not till then
We trust that the President understands
that we support him as Democrats, without
anything due to us on his part and without
anything due to him from us. We support
him because he is doing the best in our
opinion TO get the country out of the scrape
into which the Republican party got us. If
we know him, the consciousness of duty per-
formed and praise earned, are, asthey ought
to be, the highest rewards But if it were
at all possible that he, an old Democrat, who
battled the higher law doctrine in the
Senate. could evnect that we viii eyer strike