The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-07-11
POLITICAL.
LETTER OF GOV. HOFFMAN TO
TAMMANY.

crxTRAttzATIoS COMMENTED UPON
pr,n Am poyprR.
a., w. r,sc,.t,y, cu,Ynrn.,
''A'" " ''" Hln,Sy, June %, ISL.
To the Council Of sachems of the Tammany So.
ciety;
have received your invitation to be
T nrcsent at the celebration of the coming
Fourth of July, at Tammany hall. i re-
g,et very much that other engagements,
| entered into before received your invita-
ton, put it out of my power to comply
Herewith.
Yon will do well in calling attention TO
the fact that again, now, ms on the great
Fourth of July, l776, the vital question Is
pressed upon the American people wnetn-
CIR they be governed by force or govern
themselves.
Our recent civil strife LED TO greas coh-
centration of administrative power III wy
federal government out as thc Ma' WIZ
temporary "aa our ~ ,nT o,u n~:!r,ion ~
Oh oNeh's 90 tn's cA'' a u'na, eAo. WIN
power shou,u nave pceh 'onIpo,"i a
promptly aDahuoheu 80 sooh US lhc wa.
ceased. In the revolutiVnary slrugs'e Vi
our loreiatnersi ucorSe3 ""'uln S'vn We
LOT tlme inves.eu WIN PoW n "li'os' u
nv avsoiu'ciy u,o.a.oii ai. nVs
a sus war coasei .n's S os;oo. VI 1i,,",a1
| ehieis gave up us Ion'li,ssion, ul'estcu
nnnso,iv u Po"v,, a,u '.ts OF po'''.ea. ~,
si1hs W pe se.',eu ~ sno iieo H TL penaoi
,un ,;i;aJ a"iI ~ -. 'ao peUpbU 49,.
n ~ Li n,,Ia 81 -
lncn' i's s.hoia.s, i.s PoopIc, iooNou VIZ"
awo W." 'ne SIMPLY S,anuH1u. =, n'
ne.o. ou"y sne wo'Iu w 'a uUos
reverence w ms h'enioLy Us W NJ o' .H
na,e a = :nGse WY n"'o ' nv, , W..
Poh',oai ucs.ih'es " iheh' ino nu'iian
race taxes Pr'ue III MN sna' we; MS own
cous'rsaheh' surrenuer our i"''" III MS
wisdom
Our great civil war ehded SIX years ago
deliberations oithe,peopie are not YET Tree
Powers have been lately conferred, uLder
a law OF congress, upon the American pres
ident which ought not to be entrusted TO
any man, ana which no man Is good
enough or wise enough TO WED: AT ms
own discretion ne may, under TINS wicked
law, suspend IN any portloh OF the couh-
try, north, south, east or west, all the law
full rights of its citizens and govern it by
military force, subject to no restraint but
that of his own villa power less limited,
less guarded, more absolute than that con-
ferrcd upon President Lincoln in the time
of actual war.
The great political question now before
US is whether, in the future, we are to be
the subjects of what is commonly called a
strong government or shall continue to be
as heretofore, a strong people; whatever is
conferred on the government is SO much
taken from them. What many men call q
strong government (meaning one of extend
cd, unlimited powcrs) necessarily implies
a weakened people. The Ga strong
government and strong people-can-
not exist together. The question, of what
ever we shall make government strong
or keep the people strong, is one that al
ways underlies our party divisions, but i,
Mt times presented more boldlyand distinct
ly than at others. 1t was plainly presented
at the revolution of l776. The
advocates of strong government
lost. 1t was again sharply pre-
sented in the contest which brought Mr.
Jefferson into the presidency, when also
the advocates Of a strong government were
put down. 1t is again as sharply present.
cd to us to-day; and whatever questions
OF lesser ana more temporary importance
may nave aiV'ueu inc AineriSaa People ol'
other occasions, i. Is lncir IVY NJ" ~
| cohsiuer' aooye All 'n;nS' mnesn,, 'ne , az
sorPt,on Vi ~ Po"ei M .n' So ;,
| erhnhch', "n.n 10 SoHS vh iea' ~.
~ ,;.L H.
weiiare oi tue PeoP'c' or e,eh win .hc
permanent strehSth ana endurance Vi the
government itseii.
IL mas been proved lhal lhis great Cnioh
| OF ours cannot DC torn asuhuer' IL Is
clear, TOO, that the rights oil states are
| rights WITHIN the union, best protected Dy
the peaceful remedies provided by the
constitution II, however, we ABANDON
the wholesome principles which cohtroii-
ed IN the construction OF our union de-
cay more fatal thah violence must super
Vene. ms vast continent can no more
be well governed IN all things by one
central authority NJ Washington
than was tue whole OF Europe well gov
erhed from Rome IN inc DAYS Oh tue no
man empire Inc results would be, now
as then, loss OF chIaacstr ana vigor IN the
people, ana sooner or later the breaking
down Of the government Itself The con-
stitution OF the United states made wise
distribution OF po gers between the federal
government must fail to fulfill lis proper
dutins If il undertakes TO DISCHARGE in oddi-
lion to ia own tho f,nctions NJ sto,e yoy-
crnmcnts HAVING Too much to do il will
do nothing we'll
We have a SHINING instance bof,re our
oyos to'dav in ,hc caso of imnerisI France
/, that treat empire oentralization has