The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-04-20

frlueS OF free government. Is such a
character a stranger to the minds of
members2 DO you not recognize and
drea1 him? 1ft cs b
Again, behold the fallen emperor of
France-falien now, like Lucifcr, the
bright sun of the morning, to hope no
more. What manner of man was he
twenty Years ago, aud how aid he at
tain those giddy heights. from which
righteous sretribntion, the aYenging
hand of God, has hurled him to the.
ground? Without military capacity,
he was supposed to possess it, and
able generals surrounded him and
clung to his fortunes. History pic
lures him TO my mind in striking
semblance to the present Chief Mag
istrate. His exterior was chilling
and repellabt. He had Inscriptions
favorites, who would stop at nothing
in his behalf, and on whom he lavish
ed unmerited houors and wealth. He
! was regardless of human life and hu-
; mad misery. His designs were hid
den. :9his purposes were mysterious
and ,HnlSnown. He ciimed to powe by
breaking all the pledges by which he
got his first foothold in the French as
sembly. And, when the hour came,
j it was by virtue of just such prepara-
tions as are made in this bill that he
found the way plain. the obstacles all
removed, the ladder set up on which
to ascend to the topmost round, till
he reached the throne over tho pros
| trate liberties of France and the bleed
! ing and mangled forms of his conn-
trymen. Shall this dark and start
ling page of history be all Host upon
us? sstg 1a5 sot ss--y -.
| Sir, when, Cromwell designed the
overthrow of the liberty of his coun-
| try, what did he do I will let Hume
the historian. speak. Hear him: fi''
Cromwell began to hope that, BY
his administration, attended swithEs SO
much luster and success abroad, SO
much order and tranquility at home,
he had now acquired such authority
as would enable him to meet the rep
! resentatiVes of the nation, and would
assure him of their autiful compli-
aDce with his goyernmeRt.sJ He sum
moned Parliament; but not trust-
ing altogether to the good will Of the
people, he used every art which his
new model misrepresentation allowed
him to employy i'll order to influence
the elections and fill the house with
his own creatures. ireland, being en-
tirely in the hands of the army, chose
only such officers as were most, ac-
eeptable to him. Scotland showing
a like compliance and as the nobility
and gentry of that Kingdom regarded
their attendance on English Parlia-
ment as an ignominious badgeof sia-
very, it was on that account more
nac ha nAS 81,
elections. Notwithstanding all these
precautions, the protector still found
that the majority would notAbe favor-
able to him. lie set guards. there ore
on the door, who permitted none TO
enter but such as produced warrant
from the couneil:fa and the council re-
jected about hundred, who either
refused a recognition of the protect
or's government. or were on other ac-
counts obnoxious to him. These pro-
tested against SO egregiouss a violence,
fsubycrsiye OF all liberty; but every
application for redress wes neglected
both by the council and the Parlia-
ment. The majority of the Parlia-
ment. by means of these arts and vie-
lenccs. was now at least either friend
ly to the protector, or resolved, by
their compliance, to adjust, if possi-
BILE. this military government TO their
laws and liberties.
And we too, have our Ireland
There she lies, across and beyond the
Potomac; and the work is done on
her as it was in the days OF Cromwell.
The Ireland OF America is entirely in
the hands of the army, as was the Ire
land of Europe more than two hum
dred and fifty years ago. She sends
up mostly obedient Representatives
now as she did then. In Scotland the
potent chiefs of tribes disdained to
hold power under the Roundhead
government, and there was left to the
protector the easy task os bringing in
such Scottish members of Parliament
as he desired. But when he came,
sir, to England, which with all our
hate, is still our great mother, the
mother, of our language, of our liter
ature, and of our laws, and of that
dauntless blood which has filled all
the four quarters of the earth with its
prowess and glory, when. he came to
England, he failed, and the people,
true to themselves, returned members
that were true to liberty. Defeated
at the polls, he placed guards at the
doors of Parliament. m f..r
They required from parties who
desired to enter passes signed by the
council. Why should not that be the
next step here2 If elections cannot
be controlled at the ballot-box it this
frightful bill should fall short of its
purpose, why not station guards at
the doors of this hall and allow no
obnoxious member to enter? They
might as we'll be stationed here and
at the doors of the Senate as at my
neighbor's balIot-box at home, in the
West. They might as well control us
as to control our brethren who toll on
the land and on the seas to uphold the
government. We are not better than
our constituents. Our rights are not
more precious to us than theirs to
them. Our aged fathers, our broth
ers, our kindred, and our loving friends
scattered overthe plains, the valleys,
and the mountains of this fruitful land,
have stake in this measure as vital
as yours and mine. If the people are
to be surrounded, guarded, and con-
trolled while they deposit their bal
lots, then let the victors advance here
also and bind the peoples Represent
atives and compel them to register
the edicts ola master. The work
will then be complete in which you
are now engaged. Your task will be
finished, your mission. ended. The
nightfall of liberty will be here. The
curtain ofdarkness will descend on
the PROSTATE and humiliated Repub-
lie, and then another curtain will rise
on the naughty, insolent and erect
crest of the empire. s.,,rE
DESERVING THE RADICALS. Al F..
Hon. James G. Blair, member of