Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-01-23
1pMrtlbur9 1'irQimiaN.
Friday Morning. January 2s. 1857.

Since the wledgement Of our national indie
pendence, have been working out, with alternate
fear and hope, the problem of self government ART
we be successful in rerpetuang our popular lib
critics and republican Institutions we to add an
other more iilustrous name to the melancholy cata-
logue Of democratic governments that have ended III
failure Events of recent occurrence have given
to the question graser significance than our
forefathers attributed it. The beargarden scenes
that VIC arc accustomed to witness in Congress-the
embittercd animosities that have arisen between
members Of the confederaey-ihe sedtous outbreaks
In California and Kansas and the theory, strenuous
" urged by some, of the impctency of the federal
government even for the punishment, Of crimes
against ITSELF afford food for serious distrnst,
whether the first stages of a rapid decay may
not already have set in IL is Of high Importance 10
those Of us who love the government bequeathed US
by the great men of the revolutionary era, and VINO
believe that IL it be lost al is lost with us, and The
friends of liberty throughout the world TO examine
and discover in what the chief sources OF danger
to the republic Desrosm is the great central evil
towards which governments gra'ita'e-out"e should
remember that there may be a dospohsm OF TOO
much as weIlas too little liberty desposl of the
mob more fesrful and memorable than the desposm
ef,be ,yrant Liberty can only be maintained by |
law III Is bN no WtabS tuat tHV government
that governs ieas, governs best That aphorsm
sprang Of the French revelation that ended ia tho
reign of Terror In guarding ourselves against the
ambitious designs of daring military usurpcr
should begin at the source of dangerthe demaeogues
and politicians who corrupt the people aud dehauch
the public morals, and thus render the national liter
ties an easy prey to the frs, strong handed adreniur
er who darcs to strike the blow. Caesar, it has been
IA Iae, Sc TOR sniy The lhsrtpa
of his coun,ry-bui it not he that did the mis-
chief That work was done by the prohiga,c poll
teians tina, infested the ancient oity-and done so
that the death of the usurpcr could
no, remedy the evil. History is full Of grand aud
instructive lessons TO the Of day. S4per
fetal thinkers may believe that the liberties of the
ancient repnblcswere destroyed by the sword-notso
they fell to pieces and faded under the wasting breath OF
corrupt NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. corrupt intriguing poll
iticians, destroying public virtue in their mad pnr
suit after destroying their rivals By crime. de-
ceivng and debauchng the people Tor votes, and bring
ing elections into contempt by the frauds and violence
with which they were conducted. From the time Of the
Gracchi thare were no elections in Rome that cond
bear the name. Confederate politicians bought and
sold the Offices Intrigue aud the dagger disposed OF
rivals Fraud, violence, brides terror aud the plum
der Of the public treasury commanded votes, The
people had no choice; and long before the time Of
Caesar nothing remained of Republican Government
but the name and the abuse Before Caesar crossed
the Rubicon, all elective government had gone, and
the hereditary form had become necessary relief
from the contests Of the corrupt Bgt let us never
forget that politicians had undermined and destroyed
the Republic before c@sae came to master it. 1t
would seem that our own Republic is ias, ,cuding to
the same end; and il sc take net heed in time, We,
TOO, may yet have our Cesarl