The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1864-08-17
Engrossment of Power.

II Is important TO consider, at this time,
the fact OF the engrossment of all power in
the Government OF the United States into
the hands of a single political interest The
party OF the Administration has moi been
subjected TO any efficient check upon its
action from an opposing interest or party,
since lis attainment of power ir 1861. Car
rying all the Northern, Western, and Pa
ci6c States with single exception, at the
Presidential election oil 1860, and being re-
lieved from all Southern opposition in Com
gress by the withdrawal of the States of
that sections 1t was able TO do its will and
pleasure without check or hindrance in the
Government of the United States. All pub
lie patronage was subsidized to It's use: all
Government oullays land they are enorm-
Gus in amount) were disbursed by its Off
cials; all public power was welded by its
arm; and this condition Of things hasEcon-
tinued TO the present time. Ii has reveIleG
in power, and of inevitable necessity, from
It's very nature and from The opportunities
presented it, it has aoused its powers; il
has forgotten or despised and irampIed
under foot the duties imposed upon il by
the people, and The objects announced by
It in the outset have been supplanted by
others, which now inspire It's action and
! occupy its hopes.
No truth is more certain, or better estab-
lished by history, than this, that political
power is aggressive, that it will always
seek 10 enlarge itself and increase its dom
inatlon, and that no free government is
possible where by the very constitution Of
the Government Itself, power is not made
check 10 power. Freedom is secured
by the action and reaction upon each other
OF Political forces, so organized and so linn
tied that no one can absolutely dominate
over or control The rest. And hence, the
| necessity or constitutions which shall go
divide and arrange the powers of govern
ment, that no single interest, class, or
individual, shall become supreme and en-
gross the whole mass of political power
Now the capital source OF mischief and
evil in The Government of the United States
during the past three years has been, that
| constitution, has obtained and exercised
the whole mass of Government powers,
free from all check or Limitation whatsc-
ever. The fatal results are obvious. 1t has
been false 10 its promises made as the con-
drtion upon which it attained power; i: has
broken the Constitution shameiully aud
| often; it has wasted the public treasure; il
has suspended the ancient writ Of liberty,
the "habeas corpus" rendering it impossible
tor the citizen TO obtain redress against the
crosses, outrage; il has changed the war
into humanitarian crusade outside of ang
constitutional or lawful object; il has gross.
| ly mismanaged the war in the conduct of
military operations; il has degraded the
currency of the country by profuse issues
/ OF paper money, and coniscated private
property by legal tender enactment; and,
to retain its power, that il may riot in puln-
der and be subjected 10 no check and TO no
restraint from public opinion, il has under
taken 10 control State elections by direct
military force or by fraudulent selection of
voters ftom the army. Thsee are some CT
the results already achieved, and "the end
is not" No impartial observer can con-
template the future without apprehension
OF still greater evils or can doubt that some
real division of public power or its lodg-
ment in new hands, is necessary uoI merely
TO the success but 10 the very existence of
| free government in the United States
Congressional address