The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-07-11

| your city raised some millions nj ,,onov
Tor inmediateAexpenditure in war prepar.
n.''s Cnc distinguished citizen Of our
s,atc' the late General Wadswortb opened
nooop, 1870 purse ana bought, on his own
"od w. W ;oaus OF provisions, which he ship
p" uasnington, TO meet what he knew
would be pressing need of tho Govern.
mont. When the central autbor;,ios worn
again IN free communication with tho
country, they found that lust what ,bcv
would have ordered TO be done bod baoy
| done by the people without orders. To
the discontinue of those who had sneered
at its helplcssncss, our governmont wos
found to be very strong its strength was
real, not apparent; its strength had boen
well preserved, for it had been left In Tho
guardianship of the people. All through
| the. terrific contest the effective
work of procuring recauits for the
union army was done by the people them
selves, in their town meetings and through
their local authorities. 1t is my belief
hat if at the outbreak of our great civil
war we had been living for any length of
| time under II strongly centralized govern
ment and had had that, with great show
of strength, as our only reliance, we should
have failed to preserve the union.
Those among us who arc advocating
| wcat they call stronger central govern
ment are urging policy which leads in
evitably to weakness. A disregard of the
healthful rules prescribed by the founders
Of the republic must end in decay. What
we need to insure to our glorious union
long life and prosperity is, that we should
keep the people strong by limiting the acts
OF the government to its simple, necessary
duties. The government, too, will then
be strong in its simplicity, and in its secure
reliance upon free people
Under system which seeks by one GEN.
trail agency TO look after everything in
every part of our extended country, moth
ing will be well looked after. The public
service must necessarily become more and
more corrupt; for watchfulness over the
countless host of subordinate officers be-
comes an impossible task. One of the most
| effcstive measures to-day towards much
needed civil service reform would be to
| simplify our tax-laws, both those which
regulate the tariff and those relating to the
internal revenue. and thereby TO reduce
the officers engaged in their enforcement
to number that can be we'll watched.
| 1t is right that the practice of celebrat-
ing the 4th Of July should be kept up by
the Tammany society, founded, as it was
for the purpose of resisting efforts made,
soon after its formation, to divert our gov
eminent from its true principles and
practice. You will celebrate the day, am
sure, not as mere partisans, but as Ameri.
cans, claiming sympathy with and from
all who have faith in the constitution and
pride in the past history Of our land, and
all who are ready to guard the the Ameri-
can system Of government as we'll from de.
cay as assault. 1t is essential, especially
| at fhia ti,,,a hot "A, T..
minded at what cost our free government
was established, what vigilance on the part
of great leaders it has required to preserve
it from time to time, and that they should
be reminded, also, that we here have, in
fact, tho guardianship of the cause of pop
ular freedom for the whole human race.
No event could occur that would be moro
disgraceful in the history of man than that
we, with our eminent advantages and with
this great trust in our hands, should suffer
free government to be lost on this CONT
nent and should initiate here the bad ex-
amples found in the old world, max
ing one man and his will supreme
over the people and their rights.
We should not emit on this occasion, "a
recall to our memory the illustrous ad.
ministrations of Jefferson and jackson
who, when called ut different periods il
our history to the presidency, although
themselves clothed with the extensive
powers legit:mately belonging to that high
office, and having, each Of them, an extra
ordinary degree of personal in
fluence resulting from the conf
dence and attachment of tho people
abstained from taking advantag,
thereof to enlarge their own powers, but
on the contrary, devoted themselves to re.
storing the proper limits upon both the ex
ccutivo and legislative departments of Thu
federal government, which had been, il
many respects, overlooked and disregardeC
honor TO the memory Of these two
the work in which they were so earnest
restraining unwise and impro ident legis.
lation, restoring simplicity and con sequent
purity in the administration Of federal af.
fairs, combating the disposition Of con.
gress to NEEDLE with matters outside oil
their jurisdiction, lessening the burdens
of taxation, and putting the government
once more on the safe track pointed out
in the chart left to US by the wise founders
Of the republic.
The acceptance or non-acceptance Of
certain amendments which have recently
|
United States is not a practical question
The civil status of the colored man is es.
tablished, and he is in actual possession Of
the right o suffrage The task before vi
is to save the constitution as whole. To
save it as it is requires our best efforts
The question of the day is wheth or
we are to live under q constitution at all
which shall be construed by an impartial
court, SO as to limit and restrain, as it was
intended to do, legislative and executive
power alike, or under hollow form Of q
constitution, interpreted according to the
expcdiency of the hour by congress itself
such Interpretation being enforced by ar
unrestrained executive. The danger il
imminent that we may lose sight OF thu
principles upon which the government il
founded, and which constitute its vita
force-principle which gave,to the repub.
lie great prosperity before the war, and In
war saved it from dissolution.
| Nety truly yours