The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-10-14
The Two Parties.

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drivers concerning the enormous crimes
Of the Democratic party and the ex-
ceeding righteousness and manifold
great deeds Of Radicalism. II we are
Democrats are the worst men in exis.
tence and always have been. They
plundered the public treasury, weak.
ened the national credit, turned upon
need, and now seek to regain power on.
ty to plunge the country into an ocean
of dreadful calamities. Such are some
Of the absurd accusations put forth
against the Democracy, while, at the
same time the dominent party is ex.
tolled to the skies as the savior of the
nation, the workingman's friend, the
restorer of national fame, and in fact
"altogether lovely and the chiefamong
ten thousand"
Now, ii Is scarcely probable that any
considerable portion of the readers OF
the puerile sheets which print such ri
diculous baIderdash believe it. The
writers do not believe it themselves.
They use it simply for political effect.
Every man who knows anything about
the political history of the country,
knows that the Democratic party has II
glorious hstory--a history of which
any party might well be proud. In
deed, the history OF Democracy's pros
perity for the first sixty years of Its life
was simply the history Of the republic.
This isan indisputable fact.
When the government was about to
be formally instituted, two parties-the
Democratic and Federal-sought su-
premacy. The former believed in the
people. 1t believed the people entirely
competent to manage the affairs Of their
own government, since they had just
preserved it from destruction in the
tented field. Consequently it advoca-
ted such system of government as
would confer upon the several States
and the people thereof the largest lib
erty and the most complete independ-
ence consistent with national security.
The Federal party advocated strong
government. 1t had decided monarchial
tendencies, and was afraid that popular
government would prove a failure. In
love with the laws and institutions of
England, it would have loved to trans
plant all of her peculiar institutions
even the throne and the nobility-to
our shores Thinking thus, Federalism
was in favor of placing the felc over the
many, and running tho new govern
ment in quite an aristocratic way. Such
was the condition OF political affairs at
the time the nation came into lite. The
Democratic party under the leadership
of the immortal sage Of Monticello,
soon achieved sweeping triumph over
the foes of popular rights, and for near
ly sixty years thereafter, controlled the
destiny and shaped the policy of the
republic.
Under Democratic rule the country
prospered with rapidity unrivaled in
the annals Of history, and the close o (
the eventful year 1860 saw her occupy
ing proud position among the nations
Of the earth. The limits assigned q
newspaper article forbid resume of the
line OF policy adopted by the Democrat.
ic party during this period OF our his
tory. The magical result of that policy
is enough to convince the most iepti .
cal that it must have been the result o
mature ref lection on the part of the
wiseat and best statesmen the land
could afford. During all this time the
Democrats had been incessantly fight
ing their old federal foe. Beaten again
and again, federalism essayed to cap
ture the popular heart under q thous-
and aIluring DISCUSSES, but deep in its
black heart lay buried the obnoxious
principles which the people scorned.
Then, as now, the fiercest maledictions
Of baffiAd tricksters fell upon our party
and our principles. The only striking
difference between the present and the
past lies in this: That the actions and
conduct Of the olden Democrats, which
were most severely denounced by the
fossils of whiggery, have been most
enthusiastically ratified by posterity.
The future holds within it's silent boz
som the secret Of posterity's decision
on the conduct of those who now wage
political warfare against each other. II
they remain freemen, their decision
cannot be considered doubtful.
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years of the country's existence, the
Democratic party Immediately set itself
to undo the evil produced by the brief
and obnoxious reign Of tory federalism.
Its efforts were crowned with success,
and greatful people continued to pro.
long its mold of power, which it used
only for the best of purposes. During
its lease of power the Democratic party
organized liberal government on prin-
ciples of justice and equality; it con-
ferred on States and people all herights
and privileges not absolutely necessary
to the successful workings of the gener-
al government; 1t threw open our vast
territory to the world, inviting the
people Of all christian lands to come
over and help us develop the mighty
resources which nature had given us; it
reserved the public lands for the use
and benefit Of the people, to whom they
belonged it crushed out remorselessly
that giant fraud, the United States
Bank, regardless of the wealth or influ.
ence OF the man ayers OF that mammoth
for those days-monopoly; it set its
foot against the issue of paper money,
and devised and kept in circulation
sound metallic currency, until Radical
ism temp orarily eclipsed both Democ-
racy and specie; it killed every monop.
oily or scheme TO make money; il fought
to successful conclusion a second war
with the nations hereditary enemy,
while the fanatlcal yankee federal.
lists prayed for the success of the British
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