The Daily Dispatch: April 1, 1864., [Electronic resource]

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The political war in the united States.
[from the N. York Freeman's Journal and Catholic Register]

Is our political malady curable, or is it mortal? Answer us this, and we would know what to do! The men of deep thought, who urge us to agree in the support of the New York Herald's late favorite. McClellan, or its present favorite, Grant, is that the disease is mortal, and that free government is gone for all the American States, North and South, and that all we can now aim at is to have a respectable, in place of a clownish and despicable, military despotism. To have gentlemen, instead of puritans for our masters.

These advisers of ours, who revolt at our telling them they are "war Democrats," say they look only at "facts as they are," and wants us to look at them too. We moderately suspect them of wishing only to supersede the present usurped despotisms by a despotism of their own, more legitimate, as being accepted by a people opposed to puritanism, but lost to our original principles of social self government, as a free people.

Now, if we abandon our faith in the restoration of really free government on our native soil, we tell our misusers of this kind we will, at the same time, abandon the soil where our grandfathers lie.

If a free, representative, local self governing form of Government cannot be here we wish to leave the ground pigs who dig into politics only to make money to the undisputed possession of the countries — the State, that our grand fathers fought to make free; and, with the bones of that grandfather, no longer worthy to lie in such dirt, we are disposed to seek a home elsewhere.--We are too settled in our ways to desire new things, but we wish, at least, that our children may live in a country where they may enjoy self respect and personal security. Cold Canada, on the north, or Brazil away south, is better than their anticipated new aristocratic military defeatist. It may come to this. We wait only to do our part, to fight in the last, to see it out.

But we do not believe that free government on this side is sick unto death! We have lately rehearsed and canvassed history, ancient and modern, with a view to light, from experience of the intimate race, which is traditional and consistent in its history. Despotisms established on free institutions have invariably been velvet pawed. As by God an institution, the people, multitude, communities perfects, is the source of power; so despotisms have succeeded in establishing themselves on the ruin of free government only by the gentleness and beneficence of the despotism towards the multitude. This present attempted despotism seeks to establish-itself by favoritism towards the few, and they of a barbarous, uncivilized race — negroes-- but by a horrible cruelty towards the "constitute" the "constituted community," the people of the States lately united. No prophet is needed, only a man of moderate political wisdom, to know that this kind of despotism is deemed to a speedy fall.

Our permanent danger is from the nomination. Monkeys — the tribes of the baboons, and apes are the present despots, sent by God to be the humanitarian of our proud peoples of States. We fear them not. With their teeth and their claws this animal, growling race have killed many of us, may kill some more. But we fear the men who may supersede them. We say it to men of thought, our danger is not from the braggart stag; our danger is from the man who will make the bargain with the horse by mounting him to expel the stud.

In the words of the immortal Jefferson, Kentucky resolutions, which are the main foundations of the Democratic party. "in questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chams of the Constitution." "Confidence is everywhere the parent of despotism."

The confidence that the men place in "War Democrats," as a means of our permanent recovery of that government. Is Illusory. We never did power conferred Voluntarily renounce its prerogatives? "Confidence is everywhere the parent of despotism?"

He do not believe that a whole generation educated in the traditions and sentiments of the government can have so utterly abdicated their own ideas. We look on this horrible, brutish mischievous, Cash Administration, as a bitter medictcal providence, sent to courage us all for our seemly national sanity. It has pushed the mouth of every decent American deep into dirt. and coasting is abolished among us forever-- except by fools worthy of caps and belts — or, still worst, by thieving Puritan Yankees, who, like their prototype Burham, glory in telling what execrably dirty scoundrels they are.

But, looking at the whole history of the world, we say yet, to true men, courage ! It is not by such means as the present Puritan regime and their Illinois "Ape," that despotism is, or can be, established. We have sharp, aye, terrible encounters yet to go through. But, courage ! Look at wasted Virginia, and Missouri, and Tennessee they will yet be glorious States. Let us assert equally our manhood !

Our grandfathers fought England to assert the right of local self government. Let us not be so cowardly as not to maintain, against the shallow school books, and the shallow school masters, and preachers, and teachers, and lecturers of New England, those glorious conditions of religious, family and individual liberties, of which New England, from her pestiferous foundation, has been the bigoted foe and persecutor-- everywhere.

Oh! for one man, with the additional power and the public position and prestige that Jefferson had in 1798, when the Federal Union was at the paint of death, while yet in its baby clothes! Oh! for even a moderate number of stern and hardy free men, such as then blessed these now distracted and desalted States, to give to Jeffersonian ideas, body and political practical force.

Rather, we cry, rouse up friends! You, readers of our journal, are already more than enough! Do, every man of you, all that he can! Only every other man you can! The principles of simple, integral, Jeffersonian Democracy are too, than to need more than a political hard book! We need only manliness and courage — those of us that think aright, to carry our point. Yes, we need one thing more. You can do it — each one in his town and in his county! We need organization! That is all we want!

And then to say distinctly that only those who keep step to the music of the principles of local self government, and of State independence, as accepted by the people of these States in the year 1800, at the mouth of Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, thereby saving the then raw and endow Union from the disruption that John Adams and New England had brought it to the brink of that only such are to be recognized as Democrats, and that no man, who does not "revert to first principles," and pledge himself to maintain that "main foundation of the Democratic party"--the Kentucky resolutions of Jefferson — can receive, in these troubled times, the support of any true and honest Democrat. Do this, oh, true and earnest Democratic friends, and all these shuffling, truck ling, bobbling "Democrats" and "War Democrats"--If they fall to self themselves for green backs — will fall in! Aye ! They will bellow so load, on your side, that tools will think them "leaders!"

But our cause will be gained ! Courage, then, dare ! dare all!