St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-03-04

uiitlel all duililllStidttoI VI tHc IT. |
mocracy, arc we not under the rule Of.
federalists, tories and monarchists 2
The Ethiopian cannot change his
skin nor the leopard his spots but
may it not be true that names have
changed, and that Federalists and
the sons of Federalists have stolen in
to power and are now ruling over us
under the name of Democracy, giving
additional emphasis to the forebodings
of Jefferson, who said in letter to
Lafayette just before his death, that
" they are more dangerous now and
more to be feared since they have as
sumed the more popular name Of Dem
ocrat2"
Nothing can be more significant of
the revolution of parties than the pres
ent position of some of the more prom
inent Southern statesmen. Note, for
instance, Alexander II. Stevens of
Georgia, who is the Democratic lead
er i'll the National House of Reprcsen-
tativcs. For many years Stephens
was one of the chief Wing managers
in the same body, the bitter and impla-
cable enemy and opponent of jackson,
Van Buren, and Polk. Now, he is the
organ of the Buchanan administration,
But the people are opening their
eyes to the dangers that threaten the
overthrow Of their rights and liber-
ties. They arc finding that Buchan-
anism is Democracy only in name.
Tyranny and slavery propagandIsm,
to which the energies of the present
administration seem to be applied, do
not comport with their ideas of De-
mocracy and free government, and
they are casting about for remedy.
Already the kansas-Nebraskaites are
being laid upon the shelf, till scarcely
a corporars guard Of them is left.
Let the people go on, and complete
the work, no matter under what name,
(Republicanism is as good as any
other, until they have brought back
the government to its pristine purity
and simplicity. No matter if the
slave-driving fire-eatcrs howl with very
rage at the loss of power; they must
be taught that this is and ,riil be land
of frccmen, and the sooner they re-
|, ccivc the lesson the better. The des-
potic influences that surround the
Chief Magistrate of the nation mast
be restrained. no matter at what cost,
and the cctralizing tendencies Of the
Government broken up at once and
forever. Gov. Grimes, abiding to
this subject in his late message, made
a strong point when he said
"The events of the few past years
seem to indicate that the predictions
of some of the men who achieved our
liberties for us, were being fulfilled.
Our Government is fast becoming an
elective monarchy. The States are
! gradually losing their consequence
and will soon be reduced to mere mu.
nicipal appendages to the central
: power. The influence of the federal
! government is prosttutcd to inter
ference in State affairs, even to that OF
municipal elections. The doctrine in
heritcd from our ancestors that stand
ing armies are dangerous to the liber
ties of the people, is repudiated by
, constant and strenuous efforts to in
! crease the national army. The fcder.
, al government now asks to control all
: the banking Institutions in the States
by virtue Of some law of Congress.
Sinecurc offices are created for the
: purpose Of influencing public opinion.
+, The army of ofiice-holdcrs scattered
through the states, uttcring the senti.
mcnts, disbursing the money, and
obeying the commands of the Central
Authority, govern in great degree
the sentiment of the country. Thus,
the federal government, instead of be-
ing as ii was designed to be, the mere
creature and under the control of the
. States, is fast becoming their master.
"This ccntralizing influence of the
government-the immense increase of
our national cxpenses-the history of
slavery propagandism in Kansas, and
the completely of the federal GOVERN
ment herewith the attempt to over
throw the clearest right of self-govern-
ment for the purpose of extending the
institutions of slavery, and the efforts
to destroy the rights of the States by
political decisions of the Supreme
Court, should remind the freemcn OF
: Iowa that their political rights are in
danger.
. The liberties of the people can only
r be preserved by maintaining the in
tcgrity of the state governments
against the corrupting influences OF
: the federal patronage and power"
In the Senate of the United States,
Mr.. Hamlin of Maine pointcdly alluded
to the encroachments of executive
power as follows:
Sir, step by step You witness the
aggressions of executive power. Look
at the manner in which the army has
been always increased. Look at your
debates when you created your dra-
goons. What were the purposes for
which they were raised? To suppress
Indian hostilities, or to keep the
Indians in check F; to protect the
frontier settlements. What have they
done? Sir, stand here, and chal-
lenge contradiction not single
thing have they done since they were
created, except. on one occasion,
to murder few poor squaws and little