The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-10-09
STILL THE SA M E.

work of Elk. President Van Buren,, just
issued from the publishing house of
Hurd and Houghton, New York. The
venerable statesman undertook, late In
life, the task of writing his own me-
moirs, Before his narrative reached
his own administration-an era which
greatly requires calculation. and whose
acts he understood better than any
other man--the ex-President was call
ed away from Earth. The materials of
this incomplete work have been handed
over to a gentleman who is engaged in
writing biography of Mr.. Van Buren,.
The "history Of parties" is a separate
work which grew out of the Memoirs
It fills an interesting volume Of more
than four hundred pages.
OF the qualifications for writing such
work Mr.. Van Buren, unquestionably
possessed at the time of his death more
than any other man in the country
He was born in the year 1872, the same
year with Calhoun, Webster, Cass,
Benton and Woodbury., and was asso-
ciated in public life with those eminent
statesmen the greater part of their
eventful career. He was old enough to
remember Washington and Patrick
Henry when they died. He had heard
Hamilton make one of his greatest
speeches. He knew we'll Jefferson
Madison and Monroe, the great leaders
of the Republican party, and doubtless
enjoyed their confidence and respect
He formed a part of the administration
of Andrew Jackson, and was a great
fayorite of the hero of New Orleans
i He was three times candidate for the
Presidency--ln lS36-40 and 46-and
filed the chair during four Of the most
eventful years in the history of his
country.
It is natural that the work Of one
who had been so long a partisan should
not be entirely free Of a partisan col
oring. But while his party feelings are
apparent in every page of the work
before us, we do not think they inter-
fere to any serious extent with his
impartiality as a historian. For in
stance, we look in vain for the egotism
and subservience to private objects
which characterize a work published
some years since by Col. Thomas ii
Benton. Such being Mr.. Van Buren''
: qualifications as historian we regret
that he had not commenced his worf
some years sooner than he did. HI
might have filled what has long beer
:, felt to be blank in the historical liter
allure of the country.
The present volume can scarcely b.
considered of itself a political histor.
of the United States" The origin o
parties is investigated with considera
BILE industry, and their early principle
discussed, but Mr.. Van Buren, seem
: to think his task completed with tina
:. investigation, and spends but littl
time in tracing their subsequent histo
~. How the government worked du
! ring the administrations of Jefferson
. Madison, Monroe and Adams, he doe
not tell us. He dwells but little on th
"war of the giants" during the admin
istration of Andrew jackson, when tn
i "money power" under Clay made a
r vigorous a fight as it made under Ham
g ilton in the days of Washington. II
tells us little of his own administration
which witnessed the rise OF the aboli
er ton party, and of his success as
IS "Northern man with Southern princi
PIES" We hear nothing of his bein
n defrauded Of the nomination in 1874 b
1T the friends of Cass; and his own cand
lie dacy in 184S is modestly calleda "divis
IN ion in tile ranks Of the Democracy
as which caused the election of Taylor.
But however much we may regrt
that the Ex-President did not ente
fully into the subsequent history
y parties, it must be admitted that hi
~ account of their origin is full enough
= exceedingly interesting, and very sal
:, :, istactory. The leading idea of tn
work is, that ever since the Revelutio
= there has existed two political partie
in the United States, the one Of whic
- favored a strong government, backe
by the "money power" and the otht
. liberal republican state-rights COY
ry eminent, such as was contemplated b
ne the trainers of the Constitution. I'll
II II one, founded by Hamilton, was Gale
ne the Federal party, until its final ovel
throw in the election of Jefferson
1900, and reappeared many years afte
" wards as the Wing party, which MOI
II than once was successful in a PresideI
to tial contest. The other, called at fir
9 Republican and afterwards Democrat
ic, was founded by Jefferson, came il
to power with his administration, an
controlled the government for sixt
= consecutive years, with the exceptio
- of four years and one month. MI. Va
= Bnren is very happy in his demonstr'
- ton Of the identity Of the old FEEDER
i party with all subsequent anti-Dem'
:, cratic organizations. The only FEEDER
:, principle abandoned by its successor
= was the hope of eventually supplantir
the present Constitution with Const