maintain a free government, there must be purity, honesty, and faithfulness in the administration of public affairs; and that when once corruption and fraud have found lodgment in, or at the head of departments of government, there is no other or better way to reclaim the government, than to remove from office the entire party in all the departments, and place them in the hands of No party thus affected can purify itself-removal from and out of office is the only sure remedy.

new men.

Civil service reform as to mere clerical or mental qualifications, will not purify the government; nor will the mere manner of making appointments correct the evil; nor will a tenure of office alone, because, the promotions from lower to higher positions, will but embolden and entrench dishonesty more securely, and create an officeholding aristocracy; while the people will in no wise be benefited thereby; but removals and rotation in office will excite a healthy competition, and will give the people that equal right to office and official position, which the theory and genius of our Democratic form of government contemplates.

The Democracy therefore, advocate these methods to purify the administration of public affairs, and an economical and simple execution of the powers of government, they believe, will materially reduce the temptations to fraud and corruption in its administration; and they therefore demand from its candidates, as well as its supporters, the strongest pledges, that such will be their conduct if permitted to exercise the powers of Government in behalf of the people.

THE DIFFERENCE.-It may be said, all this may be true; but do not all parties profess these principles more

or less? Why then are you a Democrat when so many of these principles are held only in common with those who act with the opposing party.

We answer, there is an essential difference between the Democracy, and those who oppose that party. This may arise from various causes-certainly it does exist. It may arise from early training, but doubtless more from a view of duty from a different standpoint. The opposition assumes superiority of intelligence and virtue, which they claim as a reason why their peculiar notions should prevail. Were the majority ever so large against them, they would look upon these, nevertheless, as of a lower order of inteligence; vicious in their purposes destructive in results, while they pay little regard to the principles these people profess, or the policy they desire adopted. Their opponents have ever assumed superior intelligence, and have not refrained from expressing a disdain for a party which, they say, is largely made up of the laboring and "ignorant" classes of the country. They seek to govern by different methods than do the Democrats. With them it has been the strength of government relied upon to preserve peace and good order; with the Democracy, love and affection has been appealed to, as the stronger incentive.

The Democracy seek to elevate the citizen. The opposing idea is to magnify the government; with the Democracy it has been a favorite idea to grant the largest possible liberty to the individual citizen, consistent with public order; but the opposing idea is, that the least liberty is safest to a naturally depraved nature. Expansion, elevation, personal freedom in the one; a strong government to subdue human nature has been the other.

The Democratic idea is, "do as you please so long as you do not trample on the rights of others;" the opposing idea is, "the State so wills and you must obey." Compulsion, force, fear, is the mainspring of peace and order with that class; love, reverence, respect, is the incentive held out in the other to secure obdience to law. It has thus always assumed a moral and intellectual superiority, and by virtue of these qualities has claimed the right to govern. The Democracy have not only denied this authority as well as the claim, but denounced the principle as a vicious one; and have relied for support upon the "plain people" of the country.

This doubtless is not the disposition which actuates all who opposes the Democratic party, but there is a certain spirit so to speak, which actuates every large mass of men, and this manifests itself in the general conduct of the body.

Every association has its distinct features—oft-times consisting of temperament, and various other peculiarities existing in mankind. Such as agree, more readily associate themselves together. They feel at home in each other's society, and this general agreement gives them a character, which manifests its peculiarity by its general conduct and intercourse with men. It is to this peculiarity we allude as existing both in a party composed of Democrats, and those more or less opposed to them in these fundamental principles.

No political party can be fairly judged by what a few of its adherents may do or say. Or it may be that even professed leaders like Benedict Arnold, may prove traitors to the cause they once espoused; still the great heart, and mind, and purpose of an army, the spirit of it, so to

speak, is the criterion by which it is to be judged, and not by the faults of its unfaithful friends.

So with the Democratic party. It may have been led into entertaining false views sometimes; doubtless it has been betrayed by trusted friends, as well as denounced and misrepresented by open and avowed enemies; still, whatever may be said of it, these principles announced herein are the principles of the American Democracy, by ⚫ the application of which they have sought to administer the affairs of government.

The Democratic party has a distinct policy to announce upon every great question, if it pays any regard to its landmarks. It has the people upon its side, if it remain true to its principles, as it ought. It has the hope and promise of final reward, by the complete establishment of its principles, if it discharges its duty which it naturally owes to the people.

These pages are not designed as a history of the party. To enter into a critical examination of all its acts, and those of its agents, for one hundred years would fill volumes instead of a few pages; still it would prove the assertions here made to be true.

As the number of States and inhabitants increase, and the borders of the country become enlarged, there is greater need than ever before, for the application of them, in order to give peace and security to the whole country.

This, then, is the faith and mission of the great Democratic party of the country. These are some of its principles, which it were well if every member of the party, indeed, of all parties, would ponder well, and apply in directing the votes which they have to cast.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE RATIONALE OF DEMOCRACY.

Democracy teaches that the Union of these States is absolutely necessary to preserve free government in America. To preserve tranquility at home, to insure prosperity, to maintain liberty itself, the Union under our Constitution must be preserved. Democrats must never be found advocating doctrines in any part of the Union calculated to weaken the ties which bind every other section to it; must never listen to the promptings of sectional self-interests; such would lead them into a course of policy that would injure the inhabitants of other sections, and cause them to lose their affection for the welfare of the whole country.. They must regard the Union as the citadel of their hopes, entrenched within which all assaults from without can be easily withstood; nor must they tolerate within their own ranks, any doctrines which would permit professed friends to overcome their vigilance.

Democrats believe that to cherish this feeling within their organization will influence the opinions of those without, and will cause them to share this anxiety; yet within our party will always be found the largest numbers of our fellow-citizens holding truly national principles equally strong and popular in all sections of the land. Democrats, like Washington said, should frown upon all attempts from whatever source-by whatever means to alienate any portion of our countrymen from