The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-10-01
BLOOMSBURY, PA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER |. 1869.

liz VIII ldNOE anu HlU the
development of the former and all DOS.
sible extensions of the latter, so that our
people shall be prosperous and be ena-
bled the better to bear the great burden
of their public debt.
The present canvass has not been one
OF excitement or of noisy effort. But
we believe that earnest thought has
been directed by our people to the Issues
involved in it, and to the respective
claims of the candidates before them.
There is II disposition in the public mind
land proper and timely one) to pass
from sectional and adventitious uues-
tions connected with the recent war.
and bestow attention upon financial,
monetary and industrial ones, which
come home to our people in their every
oay pursuits and avOcations. Money is
scarce for many legitimate and useful
investments; our taxation is in many
respects unequal, and upon some objects
oppressive; the rates of interest upon
public loans are improvident; the ex-
penses OF government (both State and
Federal) are excessive, ifnot profligate,
and the relations between capital and
labor are uneasy and disturbed; and
then there is unquestionably general
lowering ofthc moral tone of public life
below the level Of former times.
For remedy for these manifest evils
(which none can deny, and all good
men must lament the people must act
with energy and wisdom. They must
call better men than they now have TO
places OF public trust, and hey must
oreoh up the monopoly Of po,ce. 6y the
Republican party. The election of Asa
Packer will point to reform and i'm
provement in our affairs, and will 90 n
great way toward securing them. For
1t VIII mean that integrity and capacity
high honor, spotless character, busi.
ness ability, experience in affairs, and
chaxitable, tolerant and magnanimous
spirit are appreciated by the people,
ana that men possessing them will be
secured whenever possible, for the pub
lie service; and it will mean also, that
party in possession of unchecked pow
er for many years, whose performances
in the administration of government
are unsatisfactory, will be called upon
to surrender its power, or to divide that
power with another party more faith.
full or more competent.
The Harrisburg Convention claimed
for our State the right and privilege of
determining for herself the rules of pop
ular suffrage within her limits. This
right, which was recognized in the Re.
publican platform of 1868, is one of vi
tai importance, and should never be
surrendered or waived. For if the right
to determine whether Africans, Asiat-
les or Indians, shall be electors of a
State or not, be taken away from the
States-no matter in what way-their
character as sovereign freeStates is clear.
ly gone from them. We are not so di-
rcctly interested in the adjustment OF
suffrage in the Southern States under
the reconstruction laws of Congress, as
in the general question of State power
over the subject OF suffrage. Though
we may acquiesce in the former as an
| accomplished fact-as an exceptional
exercise of Federal power over seeded
States which is beyond recal-we must
claim for the latter an enduring interest
and vitality. Our brethren of Califor-
mia have declared at their recent elec-
plt tl,,& ~.
gress shall have power to create japanese
and Chinese voters for that State. They
claim for themselves entire jurisdiction
over the subject Of suffrage within their
State, and will not surrender 1t. Nor
will we surrender our similar right, if
we shall be wisely instructed by history
and by reason, and shall be regardful of
our interests and our honor.
The country desires not only peace,
but all the fruits of peace-restored con-
cord, restored prosperity, and a COM
plete restoration of constitutional rule
in all the States. We seek for this; we
desire this with all our hearts. So fur
then as national policy is concerned,
our cause is the cause of peace and of
good Will among men; Of pure and just
government conformed to fundamental
law and inspired by humane and
christian spirit, and it Is opposed only
to mismanagement and wrong-to the
rude rule of the military in time Of
peace and to the plunder OF the people.
BY order Of the Democratic State
Committee.
WIN. MUTCILER, Chairman.