Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1859-06-17
The sanotItY Of the pallol boz.


are Of interest not merely because r party
Of rowdies set the law at defiance, for tha,
is an every day occurrence in the south, not
because blood was split and violence offered
to respectable citizens, for the papers Of the
Crescent city are continually flllod with re-
cords Of like character, but because tho
sanctity of the ballot box was invaded, the
superintendent Of the elections stricken
down While attending to his duties, and the
elections controlled by the destruction Of
ballots, by Know Nothing bullies, in those
districts of the city whore they had no hopes
Of success
When such outrAges as these are commit,
ted, II becomes every good citizen 10 try by
all means in his power, to put an end to such
insurreOiions, and to inquire, seriously and
calmly into the results, in which such prac,
,ices IL permitted to continue will end. A
Republican. government owes its very exist
ence to the purity of its elections. 1t de-
rives its life, and the very essence of its
power, from the untrammelled will Of ma,
jority Of the people, and when that will fails
70 be honestly and truthfolly expressed, the
governing power is at an end. The very
idea Of government, smbodies within itself
the idea Of governing power and without
it, no nation would exist day, without an
archy and confusion. In an Absolutism, it
is vested in an Autocrat ip limited Mon
Archy, in the Kings and Lords and in a
Democracy, in the will of the people. Do.
stroy the power of either of these and that
moment the Empire, KiAgdem OF Republic
ends. In England, to attempt to take the
life OF the King, or even Compass his death
in thought is treason; and in like manner
in the United States, to attempt to overthrow
the only ruling power we recognize, viz: the
will Of the people, is in theory at least, treasr
on also, and that, too, Of the deepest, darkest
and most villainous character
We, US a nation, are disposed to place too
much confidence in the security and stability
Of our National Government, and to consid.
or as too triaing for a moments attention.
efforts which tend to its overthrow. We
reason as follows We have existed for sew,
enty or eighty years an independent govern,
ment, and have during all that time enioyed
prosperity and internal harmony; therefore
we must continue to do So ad in6nifum.-
The conclusion does not follow The exper-
imeut Of Republican Government in Amer
ica, though so far successful, is, as vet, but
an experiment. Nations do not, like men.
establish their characters and work out their
des.inies in year or in an hundred years;
1t requires ages for them TO become 30 thor,
oughly individuAliEed, that we can obtain a
correct idea Of their distinctive character.
istics; snd ages moro must Olapse, before il
can be said that their system of government
is success.
The judgment, the intelligence and the
foresight Of our Fore Fathers, in establish,
ing the American form Of government can,
Aotyetbe certainly aiRrned. for time enough
has not elapsed, torshe energies which they
set to work, 70 produce all their legitimate
results. Only one generation has passed
and 1t is to be doubted, if they ever contem.
plated such emergencies az have already
arisen. Party opposed to party on a ques-
ton which is already exciting internal dis
sension and threatening to array one section
Of the country against another, local preiu-
dices, intense excitement and occasional
outbreaks on the subject of allowing emf,
grants from other countries, to share the
blessings Of our free institutions, tell us not
to be too sanguine of success, and warn us
to cling closely to the original principles, on
which our government was founded.
These symptoms OF discomfort and dis
satisfaction seem trining now, but they may
be the irst visible signs of our approach to.
ward that whirlpool, which may eventually
wreck us in the vortex Of political destruc-
ton, In no nation has any terrific govern
mental revolution ever occurred without
long previous warning. Before the English
revolution, away back in the time Of King
James, signs of the coming storm were plain,
y visible, and had Charles oheyed the IN.
structionu they were calculated to inculcate,
he might have saved his own head and pre-,
served his kingdom from all the horrors Of
civil war. The same thing was enacted over
again in France, and may occur in the Upi
ted States.
An assembly Of men, gathered together in
Massachusetts, decide that it is expedient to
pursue certain course of action, the results
Of which they do not clearly foresee. Their
cold blood and conservative spirit does not
allow them TO contemplate the goal they are
approaching. But fiery southerner in New
Orleans, imbibes their doctrines and bis i'm.
petuOus blood Immediately carries him to
the crisis, and he knocks down with "bil-
ly" the superintendent Of elections, and
breaks up the ballot box where naturalized
oitiIens are voting. lie has already reached
the point whore his brethren of the north,
in whose veins flows more sluggish blood,
would in time inevitably be led by the prin,
oiples they have adopted.
And what more disastrous spectacle could
be contemplated than the one this country
would present, were the will Of the people
OverlbToWn and the empire Of the ballokbox
destroyed ItvOuld bs worse than plague,