The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-12-09
Harrisburg Correspondence .

people untrammeled, tunti' within the
last few years., by oppressive laws and
crushing taxation, were free to seek
their fortunes and their happiness in
their own way. Hence, under crcum
stances so favorable to individual en-
tcrprise, every body sought to make
money aud to become rich, aud The 90 |
uius of the american people soon d.
velope1 itself into the unremitting and !
untiring pursuit of "the almighty dol |
lar !" The enthusiastic believers in the
incessant exercise, by the people, of
their sovereign power, when they un-
dertook TO popularize the State Const
tuition, adopted by our revolutionary
fathers, seem to have entirely lost sight
of this peculiar feature in the American
character. They absurdly believed that
business men who bolted their meals at
the risk of strangulation and dyspepsia
in order to add q few minutes to their
business hours, and who could not find
time to give their children q home edlu-
cation, would willingly devote large
share of their time to the affairs of the
nation! That they, who could not find
the time to devote to their home duties,
would literally devote it to a patient
enquiry into the qualifications, charac-
ter and moral standing of numberless
candidates for office This oversight,
on the part of our political philoso-
pliers, proved fatal to their cherished
theory. Like Archimedes, they failed,
for want of fulcrum to their lever.
That is, the great mass Of the people
failed them and the PoCer, which, un-
| der their amended constitution, they
intended should be welded by that
mass, insensibly slipped, as / observed
in my last, into the hands of an organ
lied band of trading politicians and
demagogues, who, in accordance with
the spirit of the times, made politics a
money making business and specula-
or causes 1 have heretofore enum era
ted, our legislatures soon abounded in
white men, ready and willing, nay anx-
ious, to sell themselves for sums of
money, ranging infinitely below the
prices which likely young Negroes COM
manded, at the auction block, in the
days of slavery with this difference
however, that the poor Negroes had no
choice allotted them in the matter,
while our modern white slaves have no
rest until they have found bidder and
a master Hence, our courts became
political marts, where Coke and Black
stone have much less to say, in the ad
Indication of justice, than paitiZan
newspapers; where the zeal of pettiiog
ging district attorneys, in the prOsecu
ton of crime rises or falls in due pro
portion to their personal interests or
political relations; and where ctbttS
exist, which, in point of iniquity, TX
ceed by ar, tn most infamous rings
thai ever diIgracpd n Legislature or eX
cited the indignation of the people.
Hence, Il State Governor stripped of
power and therefore impOtent to up
hold the dignity or the sovereignty of
the Commonwealth; "a mere shadow
of executive power either, according to
his bent, the ready lackey of the Presi-
dent of the United States, or the help
less and grumbling protestant against
Federal usurpation Hence from all
this fearful exhibition of official demon
alization, the purchase and sale of nom
nations to Office; the corruption of po-
litical conventions; the bribery of elec
tors and the rapid falling off of public
virtue.
Who will now dare to deny these APP
paling charges? If they are not appli.
cable to all the localities of this Com
mOnwealth; the honorable exceptions
which may now exist, will soon diSap-
pear before the blasting examples which
unblushingly appeal to the cupidity
and the worst passions of men. Is il
not then time that the great mass of the
people who have heretofore been quies
cent spectators of the approaching dis
solution of their free government
should rouse themselves to the con
sciousnesS of the many dangers which
surround them ?-dangers involving the
irretrievable loss of their civil and reli
gious liberties, and even of the protec
, tion of life and property which the cor
, ruption of their judicial tribunals viii
soon cease to afford them! This is now
the great question of the day, which
comes home to the bosom and business
of every man, who, upon the least re
, Election, must see his dearest persona
inf in, J;,t,
and thorough reform of the organic
laws of the Commonwealth.
The first step to be taken in this di
, rection is the election of State Reform
Convention, upon principles of fairnes
n without any view to immediate parti
;. zan advantages. This is the imperative
1 and sole condition upon which the Con
@ stitution can be so amended as 10 pre-
, serve for the people the priceless booI
e of free representative government
t To that effect, an honest dpportionmeh,
e of the State should be made, and tn
party minOritieS in each electoral dlstric
should be represented, so that the Who'll
people may be represented in the r.
form Convention.
7 am aware that certain politician
;. will wonder at my implicitly in askin
t IA party III iority 10 forego the opportu
IS nifty OF dl-irancniaing as many OF thei
II political opponents rs possible, wnil
o appur!ipnlng the members of 50 inpOI
" tant body as II convention to remode
i the government of the Cummonweat III
Is But / will tell those politicians, tha
the Convention is to be called for Tn
correction of great political wrong,
u under which the Republic can no lol
u ger exist; that among those wrong,
u gerrymandering is one Of the most od
u Gus and most fatal to Representative
d government and that no Reform Cor