The Shasta courier., 1871-07-29
THE NEW DEPARTURE.

It is certainly refreshing to uo.e that
the Democracy of California have awaken
ed from the Rip Van Winkle slua Der in
which they have been wrapped for the
past ten years, aud are beginning to real
ize at last that a wondrous change has
come in the affairs of the country since
they were hurled from the power which
they used, only to extend and perpetuate
the interests of human slavery in this free
republic Following in the wake of their
Eastern brethren, a resolution has been
incorporated in their platform, accepting
the three last amendments to the Federal
Constitution, and denoting their intention
to consider the questions at issue in those
amendments as being no longer before the
people However much We may be dis
posed to question the sincerity of this de-
claration, we must recognize the fact that
it is now promul gated as principle Of the
party, and that We have simply to consider
what effect it will ard ought to have upon
the approaching canvass.
could have been written with half dozen
words Resolved, that we are opposed" +"
1t requires no great amount of intellect to
find fault and qubble at any measure how
ever just, or polite, for, in country like
ours, it would be impossible to enact law
which would bear equally upon all classes
and conditions Of men. Hence, without
putting forth any Affirmative principles OF
governmental policy, the Democratic party
of the past has contentsd itself with waging
guerilla warfare against every measure
which the party in power has, from time
deemed it necessary to enact for the bet
ter government of the nation. The ''iu-
exorable logic of events" however, has
from time to time driven it from its attitude
Of opposition, and compelled it to the rec
ognition of what will henccforth be the
living truths of history. his course was
undoubtedly the best which that party
could have adopted-it was the means OF
drawing to its ranks those of the Union
party who, soured by disappointed ambition
or disagreeing with the party upon some
question of minor import, chose to surren-
der up the many principles known to be
right, to accomplish the defeat OF the one
principle believed to be wrong. "A plat
fern which contained the real sentiments
of the party would have met with no favors,
except at the hands of those whose motto
has ever been "Tke party, right or wrong" "
But, driven from their vantage ground OF
opposition to Republican measures, their
leaders have been compelled to recognize
the abolition of slavery, the success Of the
Union armies and other events to which.
they had declared undying hostility, as ac-
complished facts. In their late resolutions
endorsing the "New Departure" we see a
final surrender Of their long cherished
views upon the question of suffrage, and
with the abandonment of their principles,
the fight on their part has degenerated in
to mere scramble for the spoils of Office.
We are at loss to know what the text
of Democratic oratory will be in this cam
paign. Heretofore it has been "Aigger,
Digger and Cinnamon" but new rallying
cry must now be found i he length OF
Cufee's heel becomes of no value, when it
can no longer be adduced as proof that
Cuffee is not capable of being good etize l.
And the kinky locks which adOrn Sambo's
head are but so much lost capital to the
relies of the 'lost coz We wonder il
they are prepared to ego the whole hog,
and admit negroes to that social equality
which We were gravely assured would in
evitably follow close upon the heels Of
impartial sutfaage! Nor have we forgotten
that two years ago it was howled at Us
from every stump that the Fifteenth
Amendment carried Chinese suffrage with
it. 1t certainly means the same now that
it did then, are we therefore to infer that
Democracy will acquiesce in Chinese suf-
rage, or, we their assertions false.
We rather pity the poor devils who left
the Union party because they .'couldn'i
stand the niger" and, in so doing, jumped
from the frying pan into the fire. And in
the endorsement of the new tangled doc
trine we notice this class of Democrats are
ever foremost And here comes question
which it would be well for ,nservative
men to consider. If the Democracy has
been invariably wrong in its assuml tions
tor the past ten years, is it not equally apt
to be wrong at the present time. Is ii
not probable, judging from its past, that
their next Stateplatform will acq1iesse in,
or at least be silent upon the measures
which are so loudly condemned now. We
well remember the clamor which was
made against the Registry Law, which was
denounced as unconstitutional and fra nd
upon voters, yet, although they have had
the power and the opportunity to effect its
repeal, it has not been done, thus proving
that it is regarded by the Democrats as a
wise and necessary measure. 1t is not
necessary to multiply instances of this
kind to prove that Democratic hostility to
Republican measures is more assumed than
real, aud that the principle of factious op-
position which has been the life of the
Democratic party, is rot calculated to con-
duce to the good government OF the coun-
try.
CoGHLAN AND PEARCE-Next Monday
evening Messrs. Coghlan and Pearce, the
opposing candidates for Congress, will ad-