The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1871-12-15
Tie TIN Idlies

condition /; its politics are Still disturb
e,l aud distempcreu It's controversies
arr constitutional, involving n"t mere
questions Of expediency and adran'
tage, hut the greater question Of per
sonal rights. local freedom, habeas eoT-
pus, trial BY jury. the relation between
civil law aud military power. The pow
ers Of tie executive aud the authority
&C congress The desperate spirit oi
the late civil war still Fingers la our
discussions and elections are mortal
eomhats-or, at least. the party IN
uower insists en regarding lhem ia
that light. aud il deliberately resolves
10 carry them at all hazards, and BY
any means. because il esteems them
mortal in their nature. IL not only
argues, but il boldly declares that the
triumph nflhe democracy would par
.ially undo the results Of the war. an-
nul the hardly won aud costly victory
of the north, revive the spirit, il not
the condition, Of slavery, imparll the
newly s.aequired franchises Vi The ne
croes. plaoe the fsderal power at the
mercy of the states. subject nnlonlsis
to the vengeance of the confederate
element, leopard the national debt.
disinleRrate our nationality and, IN
one word. ruin the country. We donoI
oveIsIais the arguments of our oPPo-
nents neither do We propose TO reply
TO them. The experiences VI the pasI
six years has shown that rsplies end
refutations make no IMPRESSION
When party assumes that the contest
which It's antagonists wage against n
mortal one, by that veIy assumption
il places itself above the reach of rea-
son and argument. It declines even
10 entertain proposition for dis
cussi6n. Ii answers 8 democratlp plea
for the constitutional rights Of state
with the Ku-Klux bill /; in reply 10
democratic affirmation Of the right
of habeas corpus, il issues a crisp proc
lamation Of twenty lines, placing state
under martial Law it responds to u
myriad OF columns Of unanswerabie
arguments in behalf Of the eonstitu'
tional right Of trial by jury. by thrust
ing 1000 prisoners in Jail in single
state. il aSsnmeS the existence Of =
condition of things shieh hanlsh all
argument and justiHes Ma action. j.
proclaims a peril 10 the country which
warrants it in casting aside all right
aud usurping all power. IL makes
the election Of four democratic coli
gressmen in Texas an emergency Il
makes the Kp Klux disorders in
Snuth caroliRa, which It's awu patty
Officials neglect to suppress. an emer-
geney il makes a great FIRE al Chic
ago an emergency; and il makes each
of these em' rgencies an occasion for
military rule.
We may say that all this Is uucousti-
tutional, arbitrary. tyranical usurpa-
tive; but what do we accomplish by
saying 30 7 We have said it every
day, for the last siK years or longer :
but it makes no impression on
the northern mind, for the northern
republican states continue republican;
and the northern democratic states
show signs Of becoming republican.
Ii We ask ourselves why the nnrth
should bp lbps impervious To demo
cratic aFgnnsalS, snd Why it should
sturbbornly refuse TO appTeclsie the
perils TO constitutional rights which
till ~ with alarm. perhaps we shall
find the answer to be something like
the follewiny from the Cincinnati Com
mercial. paper which. while being
neither democratic nor strictly repub-
liean, is y fair reflector Of northern
feeling;
The stink Of siaEegy y s,ill 20 be
discoverable in the democratic organs.
and the idioiic incoherency Of jabber
about the sacred and inviolable cover
eighty of states 10 still the favorite
theme Of hundreds uf democratic
country pspep, Why dop't the mem
ben or the democFitip party, who
have good sense and are patriotic. sup
press these fellows Of evil noises and
villainous smellsi The country j.
growing aWey from them. Of course.
Not one day passes but that the Ad-
vance Of the country increases the
difficulty, already iuSuTmouptsble, OF
the return Of the democratic party to
power. The old democratic party
will never more rule America. IL is
impossible. There is enongh of it
left TO prevent the proper attention
to administrative reforms. Incapable
Of good, the democratic organization
10 formidable for evil by psrpeiuating
power in the hands pf republican dem
agogues. The party has perished in
malignant vitality. in spite Of all the
lessons of history. and every demand
Of patriotism. The true parties are
not the republican and the democrat
ic, bot the administration and the OPP
position"
These are rough and uncompiimelt-
AIRY words. but they are valuable as
being revelation Of the northern
sentiment which we have TO deal with
in the next presidential contest. II
the:democrutic opposition and the posi-
bility Of democratic triumph in q
fair election provOkes the party in
p1Rer 70 the nse Of laWless measures
to save itself, under the pTetepse of
saving the country and if il may re-
Sort TO such lawleSs measures with the
approval. or, at least without the sub.
slantial disapproval Of the northern
people. u il not the part Of wisdom
aud Of patriotism for the democracy
10 avert its own inevitable defeat, and
at the same time avert the danger 10
the country Of a radical victory, nc.
conplished by lawless measures, by
staLding aloof from the contest, and
leaving the dissentient republicans 10
ussuil apd overthrow the Grant party,
in their own say, aud With their own
weaponsf A democratic contest Of
the presidency would influence the
northern sentiment which the Com>
mercial's paragraph is an expression
Of. or, rather. it would enable the ad-
rninistFation party 10 ineame it and
call IL to its aid while nn the other
hand, formal yielding Of the field by
the democracy to their opponents
would disarm the fears which the
northern people associate with the
election ofa democratic president. and