The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-09-07
Letter From Henry Clay Dean.

Mt. PLEASANT, Aug. 9th 1870
CAPT. SAMUEL B. EVANS. My Dear
Friend This question is presented to me
wherever I go, what think of the French
Prussian War? reply through THE Cop
PERHEAD to all inquiries.
am opposed to all wars in America
and in Europe; war is the brute's law of
reason, and when adopted by men des-
troys morality, religion, knowledge virtue
and justice, not only in the State which
assumes martial law and arbitrary power
above all claims of Justice, civil law and
Constitutional restraints, but undermines
the foundations of society, to overflow
communities with all of the miseries of
crime, all of the sufferings of poverty and
affords tyrants new pretext for robbing
the labOring masses.
In regard to the present European war.
1t is simply a war between tyrants IN
which the poor people of one country will
be butchered during the war by the poor
people of another country who have never
seen each other, can have no possible
wrongs to avenge and are the mere ma
chinery of usurpers, to perpetrate their
power. When the war has ended, the ex-
penses increased to carry 1t on will be
made the pretext for an army of tax gath
erers to rob the people for century to
come in tariffs, imposts stamps and direct
taxes with all of the pomp extravaganza
and show necessary to conceal from the
people their real condition.
This war will embitter the mutual feel
ings of the slaves of William and Napole-
on, for full half century and fasten each
monarch securely on his throne, which is
the real object of the war which will daz-
zle the eyes of the ignorant with its
splendor and enrich the treasures of the
mercenary with its plumbers.
The fundamental idea of Just govern
ment is liberty. The faith fully interpre-
ted teaching Of Jesus Christ was freedom.
The only purpose worthy of true Democ-
racv is the liberation of the people from
chains. The real character Of the contents
in Europe, forthe last four hundred years
has been generally misunderstood in the
United States. Fer the most part of the
European revolutions have been strug-
giles for power and place, rather than bat
| ties for liberty.
The only bold, rational and Radical
attempt at true freedom was in the French
revolution, which ended failure, yet left
love of personal liberty among the
French people from which free govern
ment will ultimately spring and spread
over Europe.
Kossuth was rather anxious that the
Hungarians should be restored to author
ity in their own country (which was right
than that personal liberty as we under
standsit in England and in America should
be given to the people.
The revolutions which drove Franz
| Sigel and Carl Shurz to the United States
were those of plunder and domination
which had nothing of liberty in their OBJ
jects, and how naturally both of these
men IN a neutral free country try to invole
/ this country IN a contest where only hbef-
| ty can be the loser.
The great evils of these wars are that
| they prevent the people from seeing and
| moving to destroy the real enemies of
progress, liberty and justice in Europe and
IN America.
The great mission of the true democracy
in both continents is to establish the per
sonal liberty upon true foundations that
| every man, woman and child may enjoy
| the fruits of their labor and control their
own persons and exercise the most unlIm-
| tied rights of conscience and opinion.
The true Democrat then has before him
this duty and labor In Europe to des-
| troy the entire feudal system with its en-
tails which embarrass the conveyance and
| enJoyments of the lands which were made
for all and should be open to the enter
prise and industry of the people; to des-
| troy with the feudal system the privileged
governing class who claim the right to
| govern from their ancestry by the laws of
the feudal system to destroy all rights of
government based upon the laws of primo
| geniture; to destroy all special privileges
and abilish all special legislation for the
| protection, or aggrandfzement of corpora
tions and individuals; to abolish all ma
/ tional debts, standing armies and govern
ment monopohes.
At the present time in the United
| States the real Democracy are not organ
lzed upon the great principles laid down
| by Thomas Jefferson and unfortunately
for the country they have followed in the
steps of toeIr European consciences and
looking to Sthe attainment of power"
rather than the triumph of PRINCIPLES.
! The war IN America is the one in which
we are most interested-the war of reason
| against brute force-the war of 1ustice
against robbery-the war of capital against
labor-the war of liberty against slavery.
The poor people, the laboring classes
must have something to eat and wear as
cheap as it can be possibly produced. To
obtain this we must have free markets.
! We must abolish all restrictions upon
the sale of the necessaries of life, all tariffs
upon our food, raiment and fuel. Upon
the books, papers, literature, and other
means of intellectual enjoyment and cul-
ture-upon everything that improves as
well as that which sustains life.
Wemust abolish al licences upon every
legitimate business, the full payments Of
which must be made by the EMPLOYER and
consumer, and gives to the license payer a
pretext for adding to the burdens already
weighing down the people. Abolish eve
ry form of-obstruction between the pro-
ducer and consumer
How then shall we pay the public debt? /?
Abolish the debt, make to the bondholder
an equitable peace offering of public lands
for their claim, and if they are not centent
to take that, then repeal all laws provid-
ing for the payment of interest and prin-
ciple on the bonds and emancipate the
people, and restore to labor its legitimate
wages. Abolish with the debt, all of the
] officers that assess, collect and use the