Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-11-09

8eOpo0s1bG11sy q Power.
u b very dsdiculs for Americans 10 recon
Gle shem-elses 70 Be governed BY minori.
y. The habit u yielding 70 the Ill Of the
majority. when that viii has once besa On
nouncsd Is 90 ,ngrainsd In the character Of
The Americas people that they ara generally
disposed TO scquiescs IN measuses 10 which
they have been most bitterly opposed rath.
CT than to carry on hopeless etssggle.-
These rsaashs ere upss sSpksstls - eur
put than " 80 vtsesss hissssy cd par
de- tAsn - Nv. fes ~ osss tins 10 the
lie q cur psopss they 6nd shensslvss gov.
ernsd By ssasvity-s minority, too.whieh
10 'aking the mcat Effective usssure to per-
pstrase its power. We oil know how che
division Of part CO, 10 1860. in the qsadran.
eulsr contest between Douglas. Bell, Brsck-
,nsidec and Linco'r. permitted this political
anomaly to occur. Unfortunately possess
son." in government a. in other things, "is
ninc points Of the law" and although the
popular vote averse to Lincoln and u.cless-
" FILTERED away among bic eompsti,ors
amounted in the aggregate to majority Of
one million, yet il cannot be made available
against the minority which nov holds the
reins Of power.
Il Is the tendency Of oil powers toperpet-
la,e itself. and ,ins,snces In which either par.
ties or individuals have willingly surrender
81 power ~ very rare. In net, W may
modify ous rusrks by saying that. although
indiriduals have somctimcs, but very sci.
dom, parted with power, vet parties never
have. The pressure Of responsibility may
sometimes be too heavy Tor the mind and
conscience IL one man. but when many
share the burden Of publ, wrong the load
10 easier to bear. fot accountability is thus
more readily evaded, because Of its disper-
sion among many. Congress is less amcn>
able 10 the opinion OF the world AMI tho
people Of the United States than the PRESS
dent For their deeds or misdccds Com
grcssmcn only answer 10 the constituents Of
their respective districts. The President
fills the eye of the universal American pco-
pie. and makes colossal figure in the his
tory Of his time. Il can, therefore, be read
lily appreciated how power 10 more likely 10
be abused in the former case than in the
latter. The world watches one . petty lit.
tic Radical district only observes the other
Until the South il admitted 70 her just
and constitutional participation Ia the Gov
eminent, the people Of the United States
will be subjected 10 the wilf Of minority
for We imagine there can be no doubt that
the majority Of million Of votes In the old
Union. which wee cast against Lncol,
when lie received = plurality election, ar
against the Radicals nov. The policy o
exclusion from ofIics. and Of governing .
people. by an insignificant minority, ha
been tried in more than one portion o
Europe. and the end Of il has always been
misery and curse. When the Nor her,
people attempt 10 govern the South, instcat
Of permitting her 10 govern herself, they
not only assune = very grave rcspon
s,bili,y. but they undertake very Difficult
job. Our country has no, yet been nsoli
dated like Ruasia. by the despotism Of thrc
quarters 81 = century, nor Is power, eve,
whom posscsscd. 40 conveniently handled b.
two or more hundred politicians - BY tn
Car. I, wil soon be- found that. in takin
upon itself the du, les which properly bc!on
TO aur State Legislatures, Congress la
mo Q than it can well attend To- When III
national government leaves the great nation
al highways, and takes its course along Tia
local by paths Of tho States, II viii, exc long
he discovered that the MATES Which, undc
the Constitution, should alone engage ,h,
attention OF Congress. are seriously suffer
ing. This view atioids Us a faint nope 0
encouraging reaction.