Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-02-02
w.spO~ssRsIITY or POWER

III very difilcul, for hIericlns @ res
onr,le themselves to be governed hy a IN.
norify. The habit Of yielding TO the will
of Ia. maiority, when that will has once
been announced is So ingraine1 in the char
acter OF the American people thai they are
renersllv disposed to sequiesce in measures
70 which they haze been most bitterly op-
posed rather than TO cary on hopeless
struggle. Those remarks are moro appliea-
BILE 10 our past that to our present his Dry
10 oil pTties than to .ne~. Tor the hfs'
time in the life Of our pcop'e they ma
themselves governed by . minority mi
nority. too. which is takirg the most efiec-
tive measure to perpetuate its power. We
al know how the division Of parti.s, in
1850. in che qusdfangular contest between
Dougla., Bel, Breckenridge ard Lincoln,
. Knitted this political anomaly to occur
nfortunately, possession, in government
SIS in other things, "is nine points of the
law" AMI although the popular vie was
a,crse u Lincoln AID u-elessly fritted
away among his competitors, amounted in
the aggregate to alority 81 ene nilhcn,
vet Il cauno, be made available against the
minority whioh nos holds tie rtinl Of
owe.
II j. he tendency Of all powers 10 ltr
te'ua,e Itself, aud instances in whicl ,ithc,
parties or indisidua's have willingly sufren
derei power az. yer; rare. Ia i,ct ws u ay
modify cur remarks By aging that ,al,hoHg,
in1iriduais have sometimes, but very sci
dom, parted with power, yet parties never
have. The pressure of our iesponsbilit,
may sometimes be too heavy Tor the min'
aud cor science OF one man, but when many
shave the burden Of public wrong the !oa'
is easier 10 bear for accountability il thu
more readily cvdaded because Of its disper
kion among many. Congress is les, amen
able 20 thc opinion of the world aud III
people Of tho United States than The Pres
dent For their deeds or misdc,ds. Con
lressmcn only answes 10 the constituent
II their respective districts. The Prcsidch
fills the eve Of tho uni.,ssi American peo
pie, aud makes /, Colossal figure in the his
tor, OF his time. II can, therefore. h
re IDLY nppr.e,a,ed how power Is more like
Is 10 be sbus,d in the former case than
the later The world watches ore. n pet
" little Radical District only observes II
other.
Until the South Is admitted 10 her ia
and constitutional participation ia the CO.
eminent, the people Of the United Stat
will be subjected to the viii Of minority
for We imagine there can lac no doubt III
tbs nalnrty of million Of Votes IN q
old Union. Win h ere cast agasns, l.incol
when he received plurality election, al
aran~t the Radicals now. TIE policy
exclusion from alice. and q goscrnins
people, 10y an Insignificant minority, IA
been tried ia mote than one portion Of J.
rope, al iLe end OF i has always h,ea
ims,r, IVA 4 tDise. Wien Tie Nrith'
r,r,lr nttcupi u ~ "a he South, nsle
OF permitting her to govern herself IL
not only assume very gave i.sruiisib.
~. hut they uudctrLc very difficult j.
"a. country his no yet hten eonsuhdat
Ike Russia, l., the d,si oli,in II three gui
ter. OF centHr,, Tor IS power, even vi
possessed. - to1stnchtiy handled to Il
oa ,noic hna rel politicians as by the Ca
l. wi.l soon ie tannd that. Ia taliag up
itself the dati,, whi-h property belong
"a stat, Legislatures, 'oasresS has M
than il can vel attend to. When the II
,ional government leaves tho great nation
highway, Ia oirsc along the local h
paths OF the States, i. will, ere long, lie d
covered that thu matters which, under
Constitution, should alone engage tie .
tea,ion e Congress, are seriously sufferir
The view affords ~ a faint hope OF enc ~
any reaction.