The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-12-31

pafore the nature of the Govern |
r,ant and its relation to the States were
changed by the war and its results, the
Democratic creed embraced the doctrine
~ the State sovereignty which carried
With It the right of secession by any mem
her of the Union, if in its judgment, the
compact by which the States were united
was violated to its injury. In the language
of Mr.. Jefferson, it contended that each
Of the States was the judge of the extent
of ;ts own injuries as we'll as of the mode
and measure of redress, and that the
States had reserved to themselves the
right of Withdrawing without incur
ring the imputation OF bad faith
70 the others. This doctrine was
often promulgated by the State and Ma
tional Conventions of the Democratic par
~. and it was in defense of it, and 10
protect the rights which its maintenance
was believed necessary to guard, that the
pace of battle when rendered by the North
| in 1861. WAS accepted by the South.
AS a result OF the war, the United
States government, representing the stron-
lgersection, acquired the power, and hasex-
ercised it, to change the Constitution so
as forever to settle the question of State
sovereignty, as interpreted by the seeed-
| ING States, contrary to their theory. But
while the paramount authority of the
Union, and its indissolubilitys has been
Incorporated into the Constitution, the
doctrine of local self-government, the
power of each State and community to
adopt its own laws not in conflict with
the supreme law of the Union, remains
untouched, and this doctrine was embodied
in the resolutions which were adopted by
the Liberal Republicans at Cincinnati and
endorsed BY the National Democracy at
Baltimore in 1872.
But amid all the vicissitudes of the war
and the changes of the federal COnstitu-
ton. there is one feature of the Democratic
creed. the existence of which is coeval
with the Government itself 1t was born
amid the throes of the first resolution,
and is an essential part Of free govern
ment. Its the grand underlying principle
of the Democratic party-the chief stone
of the corner, without which the entire
edifce would fall to the ground. This
principle is the equal rights of all men
whose allegiance is claimed by the Gov
eminent, of whatever race, cline, nation
ality or religion. 1t recognizes no distinc-
tions. 1t tolerates no caste. Its blessings,
| to quote the familiar sentiment of Andrew
Jackson, like the dews Of Heaven, fall
impartially with like refreshing influence
on all 1t was in defence of this immor-
tai creed, in the early days Of the Repub-
| lie. that the cohorts of the Democracy
rallied under Thomas Jefferson and beat
down the Alien and Sedition laws pro-
scribing the foreigner who had come to
make his home in this country. The
same despotic principle of prescription
developed itself Indignantly against the
foreign element and the Catholics under
the title of Know Nothing or American
party in 1855, and again encountered the
fierce and successful opposition of the
Democracy.
Though the doctrine of secession is Grad
icated from the Democratic creed; though
State sovereignty as first enunciated
by Jefferson, and expounded by Calhoun,
and vindicatcd on an hundred battle fields
by Southern valor-is not the shibholeth
of the recognized and rejuvenated Dem
ocracy-its essential elementary principle
of equal rights to all men, and no distinc-
ton among classes or nationaIities, is as
fresh a. when it WAS first ushered into
existence cotemporaneous with the estab-
lishment of free government on the Amer
lean continent.