The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-07-23
Congress Arraigned by the Declara-
tlon of Independence.

Congress Arralgned by the Declara-
tlon OF Independence.
The Milwaukee Neaos says: "While
listening to the reading of the Declaration
of Independence at the Fourth of July Gel
ebration at Oconomowoc, We were forcibly
struck with the arraignment of king George
by the trainers of that document. The
grievances omplained of the fathers of
American independence we're these:
He has erected a multitude of new
. Offices, and sent hither swarms of officers
to harass our people, and eat out their
substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace.
standing armies, without the consent OF
our legislature.
He has affected to render the military
indepe ndent Of and superior to tie civil
power.
He has combined, with others, to SUBJ
ject US to jurisdiction foreign to our con-
stitution, and unacknowledged by our laws;
giving his assent to their acts of pretended
legislation
For quartering large bodies of arm ed
troops among us:
For protecting them by mock trial, from
punishment, for any murders which they
should commit On the inhabitants Of these
states:
For cutting off our trade with all parts of
the world:
For imposing taxes on us without our
consent:
For depriving US, in many cases, of the
benefits of trial by jury:
For taking away our charters. aboL h.
Ia Ia
fundamentally, the powers of our govern
ments: a-etE
For suspending our own legislatures and
| declaring themselves invested with power
to legislate for US in all cases whatever.
"Could we, to-day. frame complaint
that would more completely cover our pres
ent situation than the above eztract? Sub
stituting the Congress of the United States
for king George of England, every count in
the indictment would be held good. The
swarms of new officers created by this
usurping power are ten-fold more harrass-
ing than those of which the colonies CONS
planned; the standing army maintained in
our midst in time of peace is to day as op-
pressive and as arrogant in its assertion of
authority as any that king George main.
tanned in the colonies; the military has
been declared superior to the civil power
repeatedly, and has itself, by authority of
Congress, deprived the people in many
cases of a trial by jury.
History repeats itself. Despotism is
the same in all times and in all countries.
| 1t takes the same means to subvert and
overthrow the rights OF the people, whether
the power is welded by king, an emperor
is not always equally great We expect to
encounter despotic acts by crowned
prince, but from the representatives of the
people, chosen by them to guard and pro-
tect their rights, we look for course of
conduct autagonistic to despotism in every
form. Relying upon their representatives:
the people Of the United States have al
lowed Congress 10 force upon them "a long
train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing
invariably the same object, and evincng a
design to reduce them under absolute des-
potism.
1.-The advocates of an empire in this
country find their strongest arguments in
the lethargy with which the people submit
to such tyranny. They assert that the peo>
pie submit to a worse government than
they would ever be called upon to live un
der in an empire, and would gladly obtain
relief by flying to Imperialism. Although
the burdens are heavy upon the people
they will not fly to such refuge Their
remedy is in their own hands and they will
be called upon ere long to use it in every
State in the Union. Already we see evil
dences of an awakening on the part of the
| people, and we look forward to the speedy
overthrow of the Radical despotism and
the establishment of Democratic insttu-
tions in all their purity-a respect for the
rights Of all men; subordination of the
military to the civil power; purely repub
| lican form of government for all the states,
| and firm adherence to the Constitution. !"
In 1858, when Buchanan was elected