Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-11-17

The extensions of tho PtDi ?lyania
Central and the breadth OF it's schemes are
wonderfully bold and almost Incompetent
sibIe. If the plans of Mr.. Scott and Mr.
Thompson are successful, this enormous
corporation will control tho country, do all
the carrying business. dictate i s Own
terms, establish lis own bnnkH, control oil
financial operations, and have such intln-
ence in the elections that it will elect Its
own President. We shall, indeed, then
have Railroad King; and before we know
it, we shall have two parties contendlng
for power upon issues new to the country.
Americas Example OF Warning 10 Eng-
land.
There exists general impression IN
England that the Queen is becoming ply
sically and mentally incapable OF d1s-
charging her official duties, and conse-
uuently mons minds turn towards re-
gency, and after time succession 10 the
throne. There seems to be a large and
growing republican party which avoW their
determination to change the form of the
British government. We quoted the other
da7 the utterar ce of Mr.. Bradlaugh. one
Of it's leaders. "She, the Queen, Is the
last Monarch who shall sit on highlands
throne. The reigning family holds the
throne, rot by divine right, but by act of
Parliament. We shall insist that this act
shall be repealed and the republic set up"
No doubt the personal unpopularity of
the Prince Of Wales gives rise to much
opposition 10 lis succession to the throne.
But unless the British nation are blinded
by the fateful gods who first make mad
whom they wish to destroy, they will find
q better remedy then the establishment of
a republic. AS mir. Bradlaugh remarks,
what one Parliament has done another can
undo and it is perfectly within the power
OF Parliament to change the order or line
of succession to the throne without sacri6~
cling the monaIchioal principle, and with
cut the least danger of civil wer. The
Prince of Wales, as Pretender against the
monarch chosen by tie Parliament OF the
nation, could not rally corporal's guard
around him.
A few years ago We might have re-
joicsd at the progress Of republican ideas
in England, but sad experience has modi-
fed our ideas. It is now thirty five years
since Queen Victoria came to the throne
which she has so nobly and worthily occu-
pied. During that period England has
been peaceful and prosperous. No civil
wars have devastated her soil no attempts
have been made by the royal lady to ex-
knn hor OF no nf "a
other branches of the government. On
the contrary, the very limited amount of
personal power and patronage allowed to
the monarch by the Constitution of the
country has diminished rather than in
creased.
During those thirty-fve years England
has been free from those maddening con-
tests for office and spoils which have con-
vulsed this land every four years and as
O consequence the public officers have
been honest in the discharge of their
duties, so that public defaulter is almost
unheard of. And in all that time the lib
critics of the naticn have never been viola
ted. The proclamation of martial law and
the suspension of the AaJedS corpus, such as
the American people now behold with in
difference, would at any time cost Victoria
her throne, and her ministers probably
their heads.
In those thirty-tiVe years, alas ! what
have we witnessed on this continent
Every four years frenzied contest for
power, that is to say, for spoils that were
becoming every day more valuable. Hence
the determination Of those out Of Office
to drive out the party that were il, upon
any issues that would catch the public
favor, whether they were for the good Of
the country or not. Ii free trade or pro-
lection would not answer, then slavery
for who can deny that the slavery agitation
vas, on the part Of its leaders, nothing but
trick to get into power And to what
have these periodical contests led US To
the supremacy of demagogues who are and
must always be more popular with igno-
rant masses than true patriots. To a SEQ
tional issue, unnecessarily forced upon a
deluded people by ambitious politicians
for their own selfish purposes. 70 G
bloody civil war, ending in the destruction
of the once fundamental principles of self.
government. and the qualification of all
former American history and traditions
To hasty and unstatesmanlike legislation,
dictated by the passion Of the moment,
clothing the Executive power, of which
our fathers were SO justly jealous, with
dictatorial powers in time of peace, and
putting in his hand doubie-edged sword,
which will at no distant day DESTROY the
paltry remnants of the liberties of the
country. To a universal and unblushing
corruption without its equal among civil
lied nations, which has transformed the
Federal, State and City governments of
nearly the whole country into concatena-
ton OF Rings of IHieoes, and has gan
greened the whole body politic from the
President-who speculates in gold corners
and Seneca stone quarries, to the lowest