The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1866-03-29
p0LITICAL ORGANIZATION.

we notice q communication signed "flr-
cinius," the object of which is to show
the political necessity for the crganiza-
ton of "the Constitutional Union Par
ty :" which contains much that is wor
thy of attention, and some things also to
which We cannot entirely assent After
giving history of the various parties of
this country, from its origin down to
tbe time ofsecession, he remarks:
nInstead ofsubmitting calmly TO the con,
sooucnces of their own mismanagement and
internal dissensions, the Democratic party
adonted the heresy Of secession
With all due Difference we insist that
the above charge against the National
Democratic Party is unworthy of 80 able
n writer, and founded on narrow WOW
of the subject Any one who IS capa-
Bile of taking an enlarged and liberal
view. we think, must admit that the
GREAT Civil War was the result of many
years agitation of dangerous sectional
questions, which finally divided our peo-
ple, North and South, into distinct com
munities having antagonastlc interests;
and that this was effected by the gradu-
al swapping of one cord of affection ai'er
another; the Democratic National Party
being the last and most tenacious BOND
Of the Union to yield to the pressure
The secession Of the Southern portion
of the party, about one third OF 1t, IN
1860, WAS indeed one ofthe necessary
usoonrsoys to the Rebellion but, whilst
!, was essentially wrong, it wasnot more
so than any other division Of political or
religious bodies into North and South
which precededit. After the dissolution
Of the National Wing party and the Tor
nation Of the Northern Republican par
~ in 1856 had created an intense ex-
citementin the public mind Of the South,
it became utterly impossible Tor the
National Democratic party, notwithstand,
ing its most agonizing efforts, to retain
its hold upon the South on the compro'
mise ground before maintained 1t lily
bocomes therefore, the adhcrents OF
other parties who succum5ed to the
storm long before the Democratic party
TO taunt that party with failure to keep
the Union together under load made
doubly heavy by their own detection
1t is unjust also to charge Secession
entirely upon Southern Democrats. 1t
pervaded all classes Of citizens and par
ties there before so that the formation
of the Breckenridge party was itself but
a result Of the mixing of improper ques-
tions with politics, and ofthc dangerous
example of the North in resortlng to the
formation of sectional party to force
their views upon the South By means oil
their greater power and numbers. If
this were not SO, why did the whole party
which supported John Bell for the
Presidency in 1860, and almost every
man woman aud child in thcrebel States,
so quickly join in the support Of the
Southern Confederacy? The answer Is
plain-The poison had previously done
its work the public mind had been pre-
pared by outside as well as inside infu-
enccs and the train had been laid ready
to be touched of by willing hands. In
producing this unhappy state Of affairs
we venture to say that the Democratic
party had less to do than any other
party; that it had by its remarkable
cohesion long averted the evil day. aud
that its opponent at the North, the Re
publican party now in power, had more to
do with this unhappy enlargement than
any other party
To the other portion Of the article,
some extracts from which we give below,
we have not SO much objection TO make.
1t is very true that the old Democratic
organization is obnoxious to the preJu-
dices of many conservatives yet we can
not well see how in this great emergency
they should hesitate about name, The
old Democrats no matter how they may
have differed during the war, are coming
together on the new issues Of the day,
filed with the grand idea of restoring
our country to its former harmony and
condition; and, though they too have
their prejudices in favor of the name
and fair fame of theparty, venture to
say they will not be sticklers about that
in their great anxiety to unite every
thing liberal against the radicals. IL
will be their desire to sustain ANDREW
JOHNSON in his recent manly course.
lie can have no prejudice against the
name; but to strengthen his hands, and
enable him to be sustained by the con-
servative portion of the Republican
party, whose detection must inevitably
break down the power of the Northern
party, so strongly built up by the war,
we have little doubt but that the entire
nnnncrncu nf the country will cast their