The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-07-16
Vitality of the Democratic Party.


A gentleman OF this city, who, in his day wa
the intimate associate of, and accounted able t.
encounter, man for man, either in the forum o.
ut the bar, such men as Abraham Lincoln, Ste
phen A, Douglas Giles Spring, leslie Smith
Archey Williams, or any of the long list of Hi
nois' giants, who have about passed away without
leaving any progeny behind them, has beer
amusing his leisure,--for he has measurablv re
tired fro the active duties OF professional life
in writing history of the political parties Of
this country. At first intended to be IA mere
pamphlet, the manuscript has grown into a cou.
pie Of hundred pages and before closed, may
grow into large volume. should it ever be
printed point which, we believe is not vet de.
cidcd. We are kindly permitted, after running
over portion Of the manuscript, TO transfer a
few pages to our columns.
VITALITY Or THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
The extraordinary vitality Of the Democratic
party was strongly exhibited in the canvass of
1860. Organized seventy years ago, by the fer
tile genius OF Jefferson, aided by the superior
constructive abilities of Aaron Burr, it had then
withstooi during six decades the corrosons of
time, the grievous ravages of its own errors, and
the fierce assaults of the four or five other par
ties whom it had successfully combatted and des-
troyed. The profound and comprehensive mind
OF Jefferson also, like Franklin's, singularly
practical and observant. 1t was wholly devoted
to political thought and study. He read all that
could shed any light upon the art of statesman.
ship and, like Napoleon's studies of the military
art his reading was not for the purpose of imita-
ting any thing any system, but for the pur-
pose of educing from particular facts the pyiaci-
pies of the great art which was the study of his
life. And, like Napoleon, again, he assembled to
no second place in the first rank of the great
masters in the art of craftsmanship, not more
numerously composed than the seven great cap.
tans, who, in the estimation of the great Captain
who was perhaps superior to them all, had at
tanned during period of two thousand years,
from Arbela to Lutzen, the head of their sub.
lime but terrible art. 1t is, perhaps, easier to
name those seven great peers, Alexander, Han
nibal, Scipio, Cesar, Belisarius, Marlborough and
Frederiok,-than it is to designate the seven
peers of the great civilian. The civil system of
Jefferson was, that on this continent, and of our
race, it was possible to compose the body polite
OF the whole adult male population with "A per-
feet, interchangeable equality of rights, and that
it was possible to make in fact what the system
imported in theory, every individual the guaran-
tor of the equal rights OF every other for the con-
elueidJioh IucicUy ue seCuTtu Jut guarantee
of the whole for his own Jefferson was per-
fectly aware that this system had been often
tried and had always failed but he believed
that he clearly saw the cause OF its failure. He
saw that in the civil system, as In the military
system, there certain fundamental principles
upon which both systems rest that cannot be
displaced on neglected without subjecting one,
equally VITA the other, to destruction. The
military system that neglects to provide either
II permsLynt or movable base of operations, and
seear4.- l.--, certain connection between il and
its marching columns exposes those columns to
irretricvabla disaster Il is,Always the first OBJ
ject Of an able and eutalprsing enemy to des-
troy that co-ne-uln. The civil system which
provides no FORTRESS or AZ lum in which the right
to the writ Z. h.utas CorpUs--the right OF public
trial b. tribunal OF well defined powers, which
ii is made power!ess to exceed and the guaran.
tees that no tribunal magistracy or officer what
ever shall ever, anywhere or in any place. ex-
ercisc any power or function whatever that has
not been beforehand clearly conferred by the
whole body polite can be gathered and ut all
times protected from assault OF mulestaton,
would be system, as jefferson perfectly knew,
that could stand. Ii /. fortress, secure in it.
self Tor the shelter OF these and the other guar
antees IN which the liberties of free people are
bound up, were once provided, could not the body
polite, or sufficient Of its numbers for the pur-
pose, be educated to defend it This question
that great man answered in the affirmative, and
to that end he raised, equipped and munitioned
with political weapons the great Democratic
army. But Is was necessary to give this vast
army an enduring esprit dU corps, without which
masses OF men are but mountains of flesh. By
breathing into its nostris that natal love of
country, its liberties, its honor, and its glory,
instructive in every human heart, and inspiring
the conviction that they, this army, were its
chosen defenders, and that all who were not of
them were its enemies, or at least Enthusiastically
friends this OBJ Jet attained. 1t was strength.
ed by inspiring among them the sentiment at
once military and religious, that deserter from
their camp, or a backslider from their faith, was
an object OF adherence. The impulsive force of
ambition was to put and sustain in motion the
vast array The rule OF great nation constant
ly to be struggled for, often renewed, was to be
the reward of their campaigns. What higher
reward of ambition great captains or great
statesmen ever sought? But without a leader
and head success is doubtful, and conference of
masses in pursuit or maintenance of a common
object impossible. Without Alexander at the
head of the Macedonians at Arbela, NAPOLEON
at AIsterlih, would it not have been the "silyer
shielded warriors in the first case and the
french IN the last, who would have succumbed,
instead OF the Persian king and the Russian
bear How long after the last of the APOSTLES
had assembled to heaven would christianity itself
have endured, if the Holy Father had no. been
anonted to maintain its conference az the apos.
ties successor! But the common object being
ever present, incessant action constantly impera.
tive, this want of leader and head would ALWAYS
tend to be a self supplying one. Failure some.
times, would be the eption,-succcss always
the rule as long as the esprit du corps remained
MS and AMBITION as rule, would be sufficient
1. la or NJ Ill ~