Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-11-07
Mr. Charles O'ConOr's Ideal EemGc
lacy.


nounccd in Mr.. Charles e,Gonor,
letter arc curious anu interesting Il.
the theories of an able man. -Four
tit,hs OF the work now done by gov
ern,ncnt he thinks should be left IN
done, being u usurpation of private
right. The power to borrow money
he says, is fatal to Tree institutions
because it fetters labor as the bond
slave Of capital lay as you g.. /
people wish TO fight, let them foot
,hcii own bills. Ii they cannot, SC
much the better, for then they will
not wis! to tiglh; AMI war, which h,
ealls the "most shocking o. all crimes
and calamilies, wcuid be impossible. "
Mr.. OConor evidently th;ahs tha,
"thers Was never a good war nor a
bad peace IN which doctrine, prob
ably, The sons OF Revolutionary siros
do not agree with h,m.
There is, however, a certain sim.
nllci,y in Mr.. O'Conors views which
recalls the democracy oil the old
G.: eek cities, ana that OF some OF the
Swiss cantons to-day. Mr.. Bayar'i
Taylor gives as the latest account oh
Appenzell. 1t is all mountains, yet
il supports more population 10 the
acre than Holland, and is full of in
dustry and riches. But it is pure
democracy. Nobody is allowed to
d, cline public Office; 10 public OF,
ticer receives any salary-which was
Dr. F,anklin's theory OF our national
officers and he repairs from his own
property any loss 10 the treasury due
to his official conduct. Yet they tax
themselves ronndiy, and within the
last fifteen years have raised seven
hundred thousand dollars to improve
their communications with the world.
Once year all the people OF AppeE.
zell assemble. Each nan wears ut
his side the sword which the law
commands hlm to carry, and fol bids
him 10 draw. When the !andamman,
or chief magistrate, has been elected
by majority OF all the people pres
ent, ho binds himself to obey the
laws, and he then solemnly admins
tcrs to the multitude the oath Of
obedience to their own laws. Mr..
Freeman, who was there i'll 1868,
says: "To hear the voice of .hous
ands OF treemen pledging themselves
to obey the laws which they them
selves have made is moment in
ones life which can never oe forgot
ten, moment tor whose sake il
would be worth while to take Il far
longer and harder journey than that
which leads us to Uri or Appenzcll.' ;
So in the canton OF Uri, . canton
which has scarcely twenty thousand
inhabitents, and which is composed
of bleak and bare mountains-St
Gothard is in it, and the valley OF
the river Re9ss-therc is a simple
democracy which would cheer the
soul Of Mr.. OfConor. Once year
in the village OF Bozlingcn, William
Tells birth place-it scholarly re-
search will still leave us William
Tell, OF which there seems to be some
doubt-all the people Of the contol
assemble. The little army OF III.
canton, 500 men strong, which car
only be summoned to expell invaders
from the canton, marches in from
under the old Uri banner OF the bulls
head, which floatcl over the head 0
Arnold Won Wirkelricd at Sempach
Then follow tho magistrates and th'
people. A prayer is offered in the
green meadow whore the assembl,
is held. II new laws are wanted
they are now proposed and explain
ed. Tho magistrates OF the yea
surrender their trusts. The Chief Q
the commonwealth leaves his otlicia
seat and places himself among hi
fellow citizens. Ii he has not los
their confidence, they recall him Z
the Office, and it is the experience o
the little canton OF Uri that republic
are not ungrateiul. This has beel
tho simple habit of the goycrnmon