more years. The same fundamental principles of free government have ever been upheld and sustained, and as new questions arose, these have been decided by an application of the same old Democratic principles.

Save in the matter of the treatment of slavery in the territories there has been no radical difference of opinion; and with the abolishment of that, by Constitutional amendments and by conventions of the people of those states, ratifying the same and consenting thereto, that, and all questions growing out of the same, have been, so to speak, adjudged by the party to be settled forever never to be agitated or reopened again; and from thence forward the party has gone on in the advocation of these sound and wholesome principles, without the application of which, they firmly believe, free government cannot be maintained.

These principles commend themselves to the young, who are about to form opinions to guide their future political actions, and to all lovers of free government throughout the world. May they find a deep lodgment in the public mind, and continue to be upheld and supported by good men and statesmen everywhere, until their permanency shall be questioned by none.

Under these broad and liberal views, freedom may go on to expand and grow, until not only this whole continent shall be brought under their benign influence; but the oppressed and down-trodden of every

clime and nation upon the globe, shall look to them as the beacon,light to guide them also, to a higher and nobler destiny than that which now seems to enshroud them in the gloom of despair. This is the ardent wish and hope of every American Democrat. For these reasons they are Democrats.

CHAPTER XII.

FURTHER PRINCIPLES OF THE PARTYSTATE RIGHTS-THE RIGHT OF

COERCION.

A QUESTION ON WHICH OPINIONS WERE DIVIDED-ANDREW JACKSON -THE REPUBLICAN THEORY STATED AT THE CHICAGO CONVENTION A GOVERNMENT NOT A LEAGUE-THE RIGHT OF SECESSION A SOLECISM-BUCHANAN DENIED THE RIGHT OF SECESSION -THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY THE PARTY OF CONCILIATION-THE QUESTION OF COERCION-DEMOCRATS CALLED "DISLOYAL". HON. JOHN A. LOGAN'S VIEW-THE DEMOCRATS HAVE NO NEED TO BLUSH ON THE QUESTION OF COERCION.

WE HAVE now gone through with a brief statement of the principles of the Democracy, as ascertained from the expressions of leading Democratic statesmen, and the declarations of the party in their National Conventions.

There are still other questions which have become prominent in the councils of the party, which it is deemed necessary to more fully explain and enforce, giving the reasons and circumstances under which they have become settled as Democratic doctrines.

To a very great extent they could have been settled by applying the declarations of prominent leaders, and of the resolutions in Democratic plat

forms to their solution; but, having, to some extent been the subject of discussion in and outside of the party, we have concluded to give a separate statement of the import of each, together with the reasons upon which founded.

In some instances they assume the character of defences against charges made by the opponents of the party; and in others, as expositions of their views upon particular questions which have, more or less, been the subjects of discussions within the party councils.

They will be treated successively to as full an extent as our limits will permit, and can be equally as strongly relied upon as the fixed and settled conclusions of the party, as evidenced by the utterances of leading members of the party, supported by its platforms and públic assemblies, until no longer questioned.

THE PRINCIPLE OF STATE RIGHTS.-The rights of the States under our Federal Constitution has long been a question discussed, on which great differences of opinion have arisen, even within the Democratic party itself. The view held by Andrew Jackson is the one always prevailing in National Conventions-the only body having power to settle the question for the whole party, viz: That the general government is one of expressly granted powers, in the exercise of which it is supreme. That these powers, faithfully and vigorously carried out

are necessary to the general welfare of the whole. That all powers not expressly granted in the Constitution to the Federal Government, in the language of that instrument itself, are reserved to the States and to the people.

The Republican party at the time of its organization planted itself upon this doctrine; and in their platform at Chicago, when Abraham Lincoln was first nominated for President, they passed the following resolution:

"Fourth. That the maintenance inviolate of the rights of the States, and especially the right of each State to order and control its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment exclusively, is essential to that balance of power on which the perfection and endurance of our political fabric depends; and we denounce the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil of any State or Territory, no matter under what pretext, as one of the gravest of crimes."

So thoroughly had this Constitutional doctrine engrafted itself upon the public mind-found utterance in both of the great political parties, and in their platforms, that it ought to have beer acquiesced in by all.

The National Democratic party still adheres to that idea. It is unalterably fixed in its creed; but it has not appeared in the Republican party platform