The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-09-03

raey.
"Fourth-Democracy opposes al
kinds of class legislation, refusing t.
rob the rich for the benefit of the
4 poor, or the poor for the benefit o.
l the rich; and views with equal alb
horance the partisan who advocates
the collection of unjust elaini
and the advocate of the Reputation
of just ones. But, knowing that lie
I gal provision for the security of pri-
vate property generally sufiees fol-
the protection of the rich, Demoera
cy, without violating individual
rights, will always aim to educate and
elevate the masses of the people.
"Fifth-Ofiees should be created
only when clearly demanded by nec-
essary public business, and such sal.
aries be paid as the nature and i'm
portanee of the business requires,
leaving no just grounds of complaint
or excuse for peeulation. a policy
that leads to or requires the multipli-
cation of Offices is anti-Demoeratic,
unjust and dangerous to freedom
A policy which changes men in Office
for individual profit instead of public
good, is a perVersion of the princi>
pies Of business, anti-Democratic, cor
rupting, and perilous TO the liberties
OF the people Official power is a
trust for the common good, which no
public officer has right to use for
his private benefit, and whoever does
so is greater scroundrel than he who
misapplies funds in his trust; because
the official trust is more sacred, and
the wrong done more difficult to de-
tect and measure. Whoever obtains
votes under false pretenses is baser
knaYe than he who obtains goods un-
der false pretenses. and, on account of
the greater difficulty of detecting and
measuring the evil done, deserves Sc
verer punishment and reprObation.-
Regarding all officers as servants of
the people and trustees of power for
the common veal, Democracy favors
such modes of appointments and ten
ures of Office as reason and expert
ence show best calculated to secure
good conduct aud efficiency in the
public service, without regard to pri-
vate interests, public customs or in
dividual pretensions. Reason and ex-
perience alike condemn frequent and
needless changes of public officers,
and the generally prevailing practice
of making them for private benefit,
instead of the public good, is acting
in great matter of the State and ma
ton a principle which would ruin any
private business, and, unless correct
ed, will bring the administration of
free government inte deserved con-
tempt. 1t is essentially opposed to
the principles Of democratic govern
ment, and it behooves the Democracy
of the United States to make war on
the practice without truce or delay,
to the Jeffersonian stand
ard of official qualifcation-GIs he
honest, capable and faithful2'
"Sixth-The immense increase of
national Executive patronage, plac-
ing upwards Of one hundred thou
sand Offices, besides numerous minor
positions of emolument, at his dis
posal, and the habit of changing the
to secure or reward Ex-
scutive partisanship, have become
dangerous to the liberties of the coun-
try, and demand a prompt and efica.
,ious remedy. That remedy, at least
in part, and numerous important ma
tiouai advantages may be found by |
that no President shall be
eligible for more than one term, with
,ut joint resolution of Congress
passed by two-thirds vote in. each
House previous to the election de-
,laring the same, and further pro-
7ision that the Presidential term shall
be extended to six years.
"Seventh-The Democratic doc
rine of suffrage requires a distinct |
,eaffirmation. Democracy has always |
leld that suffrage is not a natural
light of every human being, nor of a
particular sex or race, but political
privilege, and who should exercise it
! question to be decided by what will
produce the greatest good to. the great
,st number; and, therefore, as far as
possible, to be determined locally, |
where lies the great body of the rights
IF the people. But in these local
the Democratic idea ia
Tors a broad, rather than a narrow
,dsis of suffrage. 1t is not unmind-
iul or regardless of the rights of wo-
men, of minors, of property, and in
erior races; but seeing other effective |
md advantageous ways these can have
heir influence in all legislation af- |
Fecting their interest at present it pre-
fers giving the right of voting to
and qualifications which will
.end to create bonds of political broth
erhood between the rich and poor,
based on mutual interests, and to
avert conflicts between capital and la
Dor. The caucus system, invented by
the Democrats, is practical way of
finding out who is proper person
to be voted for, where a constituency
is too large to know each other per-
8 sonally, and, in spite of its glaring
and corruptions, now
adopted by all parties, should be i'm
proved by the Democracy, and care
fully regulated by wise provisions of
law.
"These views l believe to be ex-
plicitly held by three-fourths of our
voting population and only require
distinct Democratic enunciation to
elicit substantial reponse from the
people, who well know that neither a
public policy based on passion nor
Radicalism, per Sc, can long rule with
out running the country, and would
be glad to combine for the public
good, on grounds that would restore
our State and National administra-
tions to the spirit and practices Of
democratic, republican simplicity
Should there be Democrats, whose
mental organization or temper does
not permit them to recognize existing
facts or conform their action to great
popular changes, let them, for the
public good, abdicate the leadership,
and leave the energies OF the people
free to act in the line Of life and pro-
yress. The exceptional political con-
ditiOn of parties, and my desire to
recall well-knoWn fundamental prime
piles, and indicate some of the logi-
cal consequences and applications in
my judgment yitally important to the