Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-03-05
Party Spirit.


While the independent press, and al who
presume to call themselves independent in
politics, or to falter in their allegiance to the
leadership Of "the party are being duly
castigated by the party organs and whippers
in, let us remember that in tho early history
of this country there wero those whose rev.
erence for parties was perhaps as weak as
that ofthe independent press Of to-day. The
following rank political heresy is found in
the farewell address Of one G.. Washington
once president Of the United States:
The disorders and miseries which result
from immoderate partisanship 1gradually in
cline the minds OF men to seek security and
reposo in the absolute power of nm indvid-
ual: and sooner or later tho chief of some
prevailing faction, more able or more
fortunate than his competitors, turn this
disposition to thelpurposes his own elova-
ton on the ruins of public liberty Without
looking forward to an ext entity Of this kind
| (Which, nevertheless, ought not to be entire
ly out of sight), the common aud continual
miscliefs of the spirit of party are sufficient
to make the interest and duty of a wise peo-
| plo to discourage and restrain Il. IL serves
always ito distract the pnblc councils and
enleeble the public administration. alt agi-
| tates the community with ill-founded Jealous
| les and false alarms, kindles the luminosity
of one part against another, foments OCCASION
nj riot and Instruction. There being
| constant danger of excess, the leffort ought
to be, by force OF public opinion..to mitigate
and assuage 1t. A fire not to be quenched,
II demands uniform vigilance, to prevent
| Its bursting into flame; lest, instead oil
warming, it should consume.
One of the expedients.o of party to acquire
influence within particular districts is to
misrepresent the opinions and aims of other
districts. You cannot shield yourselves too
much against the jealousies and heartburn.
ings which spring from such misrepresenta-
tons; they tend to render alien to each 9TH
| or those who ought to be bound together by
'rateTnal affection.
1t is requisite, not only that you steadily
discountenanco irregular oppostions to its
(the gOvernment's) acknowledged authority,
but also that you resist with care tho spirit
OF innovation upon its principles, however
speciuus the pretext. Let there be nc
change by usurpation; for, though this in
one instance may be the instrument of good
il is the customary weapon by which free
governments are destroyed. The precedent
must always greatly overbalauce in perma.
nent evil any partial or transitory benefit
which the use can at any time yield.
The second paragraph of the above de-
scribes exactly state of affairs that exists
to-day. The party organs here at the North
"to acquire influence hero for their party
"misrepresent the opinions and aims of" the
South, which "teuds to render alien to each
other those who ought to be bound together
by fraternal affection"
There is plenty of rufianism aud dsre
spect for law at the South. There are thosc
who as unreasonably hate the negro and the
abolitionist as the insane party leaders her,
would have US hate the whole white race
or the whole democratic party, of the South
There is said to be reasonable limits in al
things, however, and there is no proof-eon
gressional committees sent on for that ldent
ical purpose have not been able to discover
any prooi-that the majority of the people
Of the South, blacks and whites, want anything
more than law and the preservation of order
With equal rights to all.
The democratic party have committed
crimes which should kill all respect for it
The republican party has done the same
There are great and good men nominally be.
longing to both parties, and there are al
good men belonging to neither. The Amer
lean people respect men, but not parties
That was why the republican party suffere,
defeat last fall while the democratic part,
did not win victory. That is why we az
likely to see both parties defeated at once il
future elections. Honest, upright, able mel
will be the choice of the people because they
are so, and not because they are republican
or democrats. Hasten the day