Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-13
THE MOVEMENT TOWARD I'M
FERIALISn

premises. They are the careful aud
thoughtful observers of facts; men
who study and compare facts with
reference to their Interpretation of
events calm, undemonstrative men /;
not easily moved by surface agita-
tons; but who look deeper for the
causes and meanings of superficial
movements. Quite recently the
New York Citizen stated that
newspaper was about to be estab-
lished in that commercial metro
polls for the avowed purpose of
promoting the transformation OF
this Republic into an Empire. The
first number, under the title of The
Imperialist, has already been issued.
We have not yet seen it, but its
prospectus boldly avows that "its
creed is revolutionary-its mission
being to prepare the minds of the
American people for the revolution
that has already begun" 1t courts
the support of the bondholding in
terests Of the country by declaring
that the public debt, elf left to the
keeping of the populace, will surely
be repudiated, and that the rights
of public creditors can only be pro-
tected by an imperial government.
1t charges that "the Republic means
lawlessness, corruption, insecurity
TO person and property, robbery Of
the public creditors and civil wal"
and that ''the Empire means law,
order, security, public faith and
peace"
The Citizen went on to assert
that another newspaper, to be called
The Empire, entertaining similar
views and purposes, is soon to be
started in Philadelphia under the
auspices Of the Union League, and
that the movement "is backed by a
powerful secret organization, hav-
ing affiliated societies in different
parts-of the country. Gravely as
all this is told, the story, whether
true or false, as a whole, is not
without its lesson and warning. The
mere announcement of a movement
of this kind indicates, 90 some ex-
tent, the drift of things, and fore
shadows possibilities which twenty
years ago would have been rejected
with scorn 10y the great mass OF
our people. The whole tendency
of Radical legislation during the
war, and up to the present day, has
been to break down the barriers
that protected the States from Fed,
eral aggression, to abridge the
rights of the citizen, and to concen-
trate in the hands Of few leading
men all the power of the govern
ment. Had the powers over the
several States that are now assumed
by the Federal Congress, with the
assent and approval of a majorit,
of the people, been assumed by that
body of legislators eight years ago
the people would have arisen almos
as one man to repel so violent al
attack upon their dearest liberties
The beginning of the usurpatioI
was possible, because it was unseen
1t assumed the seductive guise OF
patriotic desire to preserve republi
can liberty, not to destroy it. l
is so always If we have not We
quite reached a centralized despot
ism, we are at least on the verge o
it. A vast and wide spread system
of corruption has debauched tn
moral sense Of q large portion
of the people, a gigantic none
power has subsidized or overawe
another portion, jobs and con
tracts, the emoluments Of office, an
the opportunities of plumber thir(
In the midst of this saturnalia {
-ra6cality all the old landmarks ar
being broken down; all the wis
admonitions of the founders of til
Republic either forgotten {
scorned, and men witness almo!
daily, the boldest usurpations of al
thority, if not with the actual al
plause, yet with apathy and indi
ference. by shallow fools al
knavish partisans this condition
things is called progress But
is that sort of progress which
fatal to liberty We are travellii
the same downward road that 9th
Republics travelled before us. v
are undergoing the same orde
through which they also passed, al
to which every one of them event
ally succumb. Like us, they on
were prosperous. Like us, tn
grew contentious, and like us I'll,
quarrels eliminated in civil W
with its passions and its unimagi
able horrors. Next followed
clamor for a strong governme
and the usurpation of supre
power by a despotic oligarcl
When this point was reached,
was but one step more to the ele