The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-05-13

nation. is no more the government
founded by our fathers and written In the
Constitution, than military despotism is
mild republicauism. With no further
warrant, no claimed warrant even,
than party force, or party necessity,
States have been overturned; millions
of people have been robbed of their
right of representation the national
Constitution has been torn to pieces and
then pasted together with party
patches, so that the fundamental law
should be made to follow aparty, and not
the people made To conform TO the law.
Our space would fail to admit Of even the
leading details of the past eight years his
tory, which go to show how utterly law
less, how regardless of all written law, the
sworn administrators of the law have been.
The Radical party leaders, like the hea-
then, have only been law unto them
selves. They have ruled the land with
rod of iron. The country has suffered all
the terrors of a despOtism, without the
projections which even despOtlsms In
other nations are compelled to extend.
The Constitution has been utterly dlsre-
garded the highest courts have been com
PEELED to conform their decisions to party
edicts; the Executive has been restrained
from the exercise of its legitimate tunc-
tons the people have been cruelty plum
dered to sustain more than imperial eX-
travagance in administering the Govern
ment; a black despOtism has been set up
in ten sovereign States; and Congress,
which by the Constitution is declared TO
hold but third part in the administra-
ton of the national affairs, has boldly as
sumed the supreme control, not only Of
State sovereignties, but of the superior
coordinate branches Of the Government
as established by our fundamental law.
All this time, behind Congress, we have
seen the drawn sword.
To sustain, certainly to continue such
extraordinary usurpation, the selection of
military leader, as the nominal head OF the
new Government, was not only natural,
but imperative From such an assumed
despotism actual imperialism is an easy
step. 1t is idle to attempt 10 disguise the
danger that now lies at the very door, or
to ignore the impending shock which
may shatter the very last of our liberties.
Nor will it do to turn up our noses in dis
dain at the presumed weakness and in
competency of "The Man on Horseback"
Up to the very hour of the comp detat half
The world and all France thought Louis
Napoleon fool. In the past eight years
the people of this country have been un-
Willingly, but steadily, preparing them
selves for imperial rule. Prop after prop
has been knocked from under the broad
republican platform on which our whole
rights rest, and when the final fall comes,
the staging has been so weakened, and the
people have so gradually sunk, that the
shock will be slight. The Radical party
has exhausted the means which placed II
in power The issues which made the
party have passed away. To continue
that power some desperate resort is neces-
sary. What will that resort be? The new
Administration started with the cry OF
Let us have peace" and now, af er two
months, the order goes forth for an
extensive enlistment tor a standing army
What does this mean? II is necessary to
prop peace with more bayOnets? Military
men believe that all measures must be
conducted by military means.
And the alarming feature OF the entire
situation is the utter apathy Of the people
as to what may impend, or what may
come. 1t is to be feared that the mass Of
us are like the great middle class o.
France who do not care what particular
form of Government so long as they are
permitted to make money and are LEI
alone. Our own quiet submission to 8
gradual but persistent usurpation of wha
we once considered sacred rights; the
! growing love for luxury and extravaganza
80 prevalent throughout the country thu
forced feeling everywhere that republican
ism, at least as Radicalism has admins
tered it and construed it, is a failure ant
that fatal facility we have for change, anC
| ia of pf,1 NIT hon
considering whether it is change for th'
better-these are the dangers of to-day
1t becomes the people to arouse them
selves to true sense Of the actual situa
ton, and tn see how they, their institution
and their rights and liberties stand ant
are threatened now.-New York Citizn
| lNdu 1st