The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-08-19
DEMOCRATS AND THE UNION.


Whether it is Republican perversity or
Ignorance we cannot say. but true il is,
nevertheless. that many Republicans insist
that the Democratic party is the party
which disrupted the government in 1861 .
that il is not only the party that WAS re-
sponsible for the war of that period, but
that now its principles in some way or
other threaten the destruction of the
Union. With some OF our local, new
fiedged Republicans, ambitious of stump
oratory, this is their chief stock in trade.
As we are unwilling to believe them
knaves we shall credit their conduct to
their ignorance in this mstter; and will, if
they will listen, try to enlighten them.
Let such Republicans know, then, that
neither the Democratic party nor indi-
vidual Democrats, as such, were respon-
sible for tie civil war that broke out in
1861. That was not war of parties. but
Of sections. The Democratic party is not
party of secessionists, nor does it
entertain principles which lead TO
that calamity. Democrats believe in
the American constitution. in the
by it; but they believe that it is as neces-
sary to the perpetuity of that government
that The righIs of the states under the con-
stitution be maintained unimpaired as IL Is
TO maintain the rights. powers and integ-
rity of the general government. Because
of the stress they lay upon that fact, and
the opposition they maintain against the
constant tendency of the Republican party
by misconstruction OF constitutional
powers and bare-faced usurpation to swell
the power OF the general government
beyond constitutional limits, the charge of
'secessionists,' "disunionists' is made
against them, cry now worn out aud only
made use of by the vilest knaves or few
novices in political work who know not
what else to do for their party than to
falsely accuse its political opponents.
When 'nullifcation'' and secession"
first reared their heads In South Carolina,
in 1882. it was the master hand of great
Democratic leader, ANDREW JACKSON, then
president of the United States, which ar
rested them. On the oath of November.
1882, only two weeks after the presidential
election, South Carolina went so far as to
issue an ordinance TO nullify certain acts
of the Congress of the United States, pur-
porting TO be laws laying duties and i'm
posts on the importation of foreign COM
modities.n The ordinance further pro-
vided that if any attempt was made by the
federal government to enforce the OBJ
noxious laws except through the state
courts-which of course under the Cir
cumstances would have decided the laws to
be unconsl itutional and void-such az at
tempt would terminate the continuance OF
South Carolina in the Underworld ab-
solve her from all connection with the gen
eral government, and establish her as a
separate government, wholly unconnected
with the United States or any other state.
President JACKSON promptly met this
issue by a proclamation In which he ex-
horted the people of South Carolina to
obey the laws of Congress, stating clearly
that it was his intention to execute the
laws even if he had t. resort tc force. The
president did not wait for extraordinary
powers to be granted him by Congress- bur
commenced making such preparations for
the enforcement of the laws that ''nullifi-
cONCSo4OA4
sight. The proclamation of Presldens
JACKSON announced his views in regard to
the relation of the states to the general
government, and as next to THOMAS JET
FERsoN Democrats recognize ANDREW
JACKSON as q leader in their party, his
views may be said TO reflect Democratic
doctrine on that subject. This is what he
said:
The people OF the United States formed the
constitution acting through the state legisla-
lures in making the compact 10 meet and dis
cuss its provisions and acting in separate con-
ventions when they ratified those provisions;
but the terms used in the constitution show 1t
to be government in which the people Of all
the states collectively are represented We are
one people in the election of president and vice.
president. Here the states have no other
agency than to direct the manner in which the
votes shall be given. The people then
ana not the states are represented in the exec
utive branch. In the House of Representatives
the members all representatives of the
United States, not representatives Of the par
ticular states from which they come. They are
paid by the United States not by the state, nor
are they accountable TO it for any act done in
the performance OF their legislative functions
then, forms a government not a league; and
whether it be formed by compact between the
states. or in any other manner, its character is
the same. IL is government il which all the
people are represented, which operates directly
on the people individually not upon the states
they retain all the power they did not grant
But each state, having expressly parted with
so many powers as to constitute Jointly
with the other states, single nation,
cannot. from that period possess
any right TO secede. because such secession does
not break league but destroys the unity OF
the nation, ana any injury TO that unity is not
only breach which could result from the con-
iravention of compact, but is an oifense
against the whole Union. To say that any
state may at pleasure secede from the Union
is to say that that the United States is not q
nation, because it would be solecism to con-
tend that any part OF a nation might dissolve
its connection with the other parts to their in
jury or ruin, without committing any offense.
Such is the pronouncement of one of the
chief Democratic leaders, and in endors-
ing him and enshrining him as one OF their
leaders, Democrats endorse his views and
his conduct in meeting the doctrine of
secession. This ought to be sufficient, but
lest IL Do lgnUreu ny our nepuDlcan oppo-
nents. let US look at some other facts. Let
US go TO the presidential struggle OF 1860
In that struggle the Anti slavery party
united with the Wings and formed
the Republican party. The Demo-
cratic party was divided in that
campaign as to the nature and ex-
tent of the powers of a territorial
legislature, and as to the powers and duties
of Congress. under the constitution of the