Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1879-12-11

Chas. &. Cassesi .....EditoT.
Ghas. I =; Sasse'' rnor"R's.
Editor.
THURSDAY, FEC. II, 1879.
False Issues.

The question, IS there any real IS
SUI, has presented itself to more tn an
one honest thinker in our politics ana
has more than once been answered IN
the negative. There have been Issues
between the great parties OF great mo-
ment, but they have been few. Alex
auder Hamilton would fain have made
an ISSUE of monarchical ideas IN his day
and had his chances for a liberal lol'
loving been better, would have un'
doubtedly have attempted Its open
advocacy. 1t failed TO be real issue
in its time, because the minority rep
reseuting it was so powerless. Inc
first, really the only one great ISSUE
was slavery, for before it, none divided
the country by any recognized and de-
ciled geographical line, nor has any
since the verdict rendered BY our CIV
il war; in the case of slavery, divided
tho nation or the States thereof oV
anything really pertinent,or local. 1t
is true that at present we hear OF 'he
Solid South and the Solid North; we
are asked to believe that these ex'
nresslons represent an idea, an issue.
What arc the facts? 10 what source
nav. we trace thi. patent subdivision
OF our country? Are they traceaoIe
to any irrepressible iirst-cause II the
natural philosophy Of our politics.
TO make it still palmer, are the fun
damental principles of the two great
PARTIES as they respectfully represent
this patent and unnatural! DIVISION SO
diverse, Lat on them could be build
ed, two governments, so unlike astoJos'
lify the division? Are their interests
different, so different, that they coull
exist separately, as advantageonsIy as
conjointly? pshaw! No. The facts
are that the South has always been
Democratic and the North anti demo-
cratic, and SO it remains. 1t IS all
stuff and nonsense, to talk OF States
RIGHTS on the one hand, and centrall.
zation on the other. The American
Deople would be an unit tomorrow,
against any outright attempt at oeces'
sion, or Dictatorship, A greater 49,
sue than slavery ever was, must arise
before secession, or any other violent
pronunciation Of state sovereignty
will be tolerated, ard the American
people must become much more tur-
bulent mass, than the French OF Us,
before we may expect trlumvirate,
much less a Casa. Were it possible
TO abolish the Constitution entire, dis
charge every official, from President
TO Postmaster and attempt a new or
canization Of the government, from
Alpha to Omega, the issues that would
be raised would not convulse the coun-
try, to any much greater degree than
would the organization Of debating
society, convulse Il small community.
The principal shock would come with
the rush for office, and that brings us
to the point Of our argument. The Is
sues to-day are, device Of the ms
to keep the Gins" in, and the "outs
out; device Of the "outs', to get the
"ins" out and the "outs in, that IS,
so far as the two parties are concern
ed. Far be it from us to say, that
there are no vexed problems in pollt-
ical economy for us to solve, but Mat
there are no real, self-evident issues
as clearly defined and as m omentous
as was that of slavery, we do submit.
The country to. day is able to congrat-
ulate itself on the fact, that the work
before it is, not one of healing we'll
grounded sectional animosites, Tor Of
dealing with dangerous issues, but
that its two parties may only be ex-
pected to keep up sufficient friction to
warm it into tie robust health Of po-
litical life.