Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-05-13
American Tories.
From the Philadelphia Press.

lists in the United States, says that
the average Englishman, travelling
in this country, regards the Demo
cratic p erty with much favor, because
they aro the stories of the Union,
the representatives of caste and
hereditary privileges. This declara-
ton at first view would seem to be
merely an empty sentence to round
paragraph with sounding climax,
| but, on closer examination, it is eVi
dent that the words are well chosen,
full of meaning an Astounding with
suggestions that are emlnently
worthy of serious consideration. An
English tory, as we understand the
meaning of the term, is supporter
of things as they are. one who main
tains that all change in the system of
government, or the administration OF
laws, is productive of evil, and who
contrasts the present with the past,
always to the detriment Of the former.
ln times long gone by, when the
question OF striking the feudal collars
from the necks of Saxon serfs, in
England, was agitated, many of her
foremost men opposed the measure
as one that would be prejudicial to
the interests of the nation. In the
great Revolutions of 1915 aud 1888,
when the throne was stripped of its
absolute powers, and the tinsel Of
royalty alone left IN the hands of the
British monarchS, able men struggled
against these acts as subverslve of
good government ard detrimental to
the welfare of the nation. Hardly q
century since, Lord Mansfield, Eng
lands greatest Chief Justice, declared
that were the death penalty to be
aboithed as punishment for even
petty larceny, honest people would
have little or no security against
theft and similar breaches of the
peace. Nevertheless, all these things
were swept away, and the world is
better that they are gone.
That the Democratic party in this
country is a tory party is shown in
the fact that it has ever stood in the
way of progress and reform. That
it might partake of the crumbs of Of
fee, it has ever fawned at the feet Of
error and wrong. AT the dictation
of the slave oligarchy it compromised
with human bondage in 1920 to
crafty the Southern element, and to
add one more slave S ate TO the
Union, it waged the Mexican war !;
its influence caused he passage Of the
Fugitive Slave Law-the signing Of
which was Fillmore's political death
warrant-ahd thereby outraged that
State sovereignty which it ever pro-
fessed to hold so dear it sane Toned
the ruffianism ia Kansas, aud cons
pla en- ly yielded the power, honor,
and integrity of the governm Mt into
the hands of designing traitors and,
when the nation was strugsl ng for
existence, it sought &c cripple its en-
deavors by intsrposing captious OBJ
iections, aud by riotOus outbreaks Of
fered indirect opposition to the Fed.
eral government. 1t strove against
the employ ment OF col red troops; il
demanded that military power should
not exercise control over territory
that had been reclaimed by arms,
but that the execution Of the laws
should be Immediately given over to
those persons who were in open and
armed hostility to the Union it
sympathizsd with treason it oppos-
ed all amendments to the Constltu
ton that bestowed the elective fran
chise upon all men, irrespective of
color or former condition, and its ri l.
lying cry then and now was and lie,
"The Constitution as it was" 1t has
ever stood in the way of human pro-
gress 1t has advocated restricted
liberty it has imposed the burden of
supporting the government upon
certain classes, and yet denied
them the right to take part in the
choice Of those who should exercise
the authority Of the nation and it
has labored to overthrow the devel-
opment of manufacturing industry,
by throwing open the doors to for
eign goods, thus undermining the
rapid development of the mechanical
arts in his country. ltClngs to the
dead past, and is una lie to grasp
with the living present. 1t sustains
wrongs because they exit, and it de-
nounces progress because it disturbs
that which is established. 1t is at ali
times eminently conservative In ell
its history it has never enuuciated
measure that secured the blessing of
liberty in a broader sense to any
class whlls it has ever trucked to
those who would curtail those human
rights that were vouchsafed TO all
mankind in the great charter OF
American Indepeuder ce. Hence, we
believe, that the designation by
an English journal of the Dem
ocratic party as "the Tories
of the Union" is rare
instance of felicitous nomenclature
that is signally comprehensive and
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