The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-01-06
Congress and Parliament.

Il
There is no reasonable doubt, we pre-
sumo, that this is great cOuntry-great
not only in territorial extent, navigable
streams, large lakes, high mountains, deep
valleys, fertile plains, min eral resources,
&c, &c, but in those peculiar and price
less attributes of nationality which secure
to the citizen unobstructed enjoyment of
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
At least our writers have announced the
fact several times in prose and verse; our
divines have preached and prayed over it
from the sacred desk; our orators have
ventilated their rhetoric upon it from the
platform and the stump, and the agreeable
conviction of our own intense and undi-
luted bliss is duly impressed by every pos
sible means upon the minds of the rising
generation and the generation already
risen. This pardOnable spirit of self-ap-
probation and self admiration has natural
" begotten feeling of pity toward other
nations less happily situated, and more
especially toward Great Britain. Know
ing how much wiser and better we are
than our mother, we have been looking
for the last half century to see her dOmln-
ion crumble into its original elements, and
merge into the vast ocean of triumphant
and untrammelled Democracy But as up
to the present time Great Britain has
steadily declined to verify our Fourth of
July prophcsies, and manifests DISPOSE
ton to live and flourish little while
longer, we have pock led our predictions
and proffered our sympathy. We have
shown John Bull what cheap, Tree and
altogether blessed government was this
of ours, and what an expensive, DIES
potic and altogether damnable govern
ment was that under which he dwelt
we have exposed the crimes Of "a blot
ed aristOcracy" there, and descanted
| upon the virtues of the populace here
| and we have begged and entreated him to
escape from the paw of the British lion
and come and repOSc himself under the
| sheltering wings of the American eagle
| assuring our oppressed cousin that the
proud bird alluded to was exclusively EN-.
ployed in watching over the poor man
and seeing that he received a proper al
lowance of food, clothes, and lodging
Now all this is very fine and very patri
| otto, but the country is just at present
passing through crisis which, if careful
| ly examined, may possibly lessen our con
ceit and add to our wisdom in the same
proportion. Monarchical England is not
exempt from financial commissions, and is
visited perhaps quite as often rs we are
| with seasons Of hard times-timeS when
| money is scarce, the neceSsarles OF life
dear, trade and commerce paralyZcd, and
the masses of the people distressed. Mo
narchical England, not being as far ad
vanced as we are in the science OF govern
ment, has no Congress to do its legislating
but is forced to depend upon Parla
ment. Observe i'll what a queer, old
fashioned way Parliament goes to work t'
meet such an emergency as we have de
| scribcd. No sooner does that body nee
than the condition of its constituency
comes up for consideration and, withOu
unnecessary delay, without useless discus
sion, without senselcss wrangling, wis
measures of relief are proposed ant
passed, and the wheels of business are sc
in motion before the complicated machln
is precipitatcd into general crash TIL
kingdom is saved from impending ruiz
and resumes its wontcd prosperity
Republican America is managed differ
emily. Ongress-cOmlnonly supposed t,
be the servant of the people, and there
fore pledged to guard their interests-ha
| been in session fortnight when it as
sembled the nation Stood on the verge o
a crisis; nearly every branch of industr,
palsied, and the financial system wa
crippled TO such an extent that the mos
thoughtful men trcmbled for the result
All eyes were turned toward Washington
as the only source from whence hell
could come, and il was hoped, nay, be
lieved that the first labors of Senators an,
Representatives would be devoted T.
remedy the evils which oppressed us. Al
conceded that the power was there, if tn
holders of 1t would but employ it rightl
and promptly. There was 40 reason VIII
it should not be so employed, and ever
reason why it should be-and yet it ha
not been. Two weeks have passed away
two precious weeks, which have alread
brought bankruptcy to hundreds all owe
the country, and prepared the elements O
commercial destruction for thousands il
the future. Matters have gone on from
bad to worse until the clearest head dar
not guess how soon the avalanch
may commence its march of devastation
Meanwhile, Congress has OverflOwcd wit
torrents of idle talk about negroes, recon
struction, judicial rights foreign relations
and buncombe generally, but not a sin
gle step has been taken toward the practi
cal solution of our financial difficulties
The country is literally bleeding at ever
pore, while these legislators are frettin
the air of tue capital with mere sound AM
fury, signiiying nothing.
An English ministry which should in
dulge in such shameless trii ing in the fac
of public distress would b. pelted wit
mud through the streets of London, an
consigned to overwhelming defeat an
disgrace by the voice of an outraged pee
pie.
But then, England is q monarchy, an,
we are republic; England has queer
and II nobility, and we have neithe
crowns nor titles Let us, therefore, con
tinue to look upon her with supreme con
tempt, and, wrapping the drapery of tn
stars and stripes about US, lie down to pleas
ant drcams.-Nissouri Republican, Deem
| Der %