The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-09-05
O'COnOr'S Letter.

O'COnOr'S Letter.
| The following letter from Charles
! O'Conor, of New York, was read before
the recent National Democratic C0nven-
| ton in session at Louisville, KY:
NEW YORK, August 81, 1872.
To the National Democratic Convention, appoint
ed to assemble at Louisville on September 3,
1872:
GENTLEMEN: representative Democracy
must be necessarily degenerate in practice
and become at last an intOlerably miSchiev-
Gus domination if its official corps be allow
ed to WELD without effectual restraint those
powers correctly denominated regal, by which
| from the very beginning, and in every cline,
! civil society has almost invariably hitherto
| been made the prey of its rulers. When
| founding institutions, the fathers were
impressed with this belief, and in order to
itself they introduced regulations of unex-
| ampled completely. Rejecting two funda-
| mental bases of the pre-existing system,
they yet adopted the English policy of
may be in a land of three estates, Kings,
| Lords and Commons, experience has shown
| that this policy is inadequate to the main
tenance of public order where absolute
! equality is recognized. With us it has proven
| exceedingly mischievous. By its enormous
| multiplicity of offices alone, it affords no per-
manently effectual restraint on power. To the
| query how such restraint can be imposed
| in country, politicians have responded,
by the virtue and intelligence of the peo-
ple.'' But this a delusive speech. Labori-
Gus attention, constant watchfulness, and
combined action are necessary to practical
results, and attajnable. If our
people were placed upon sterile soil,
their perpetual hand-to-hand conflict for
subsistence with niggard nature might
qualify them for resistance to the official
plunderer. Their poverty would diminish
his temptation and invigorate their defense.
But, in a great and prosperous country, such
popular guardianship cannot be had, and the
only efficient protection against official mis-
rule is in totally prohibiting those powers
which can be etfectually regulated by law.
This fact was asserted in the public councils
which gave birth to our Constitution. But
its recognition was prevented by the want of
prior human experience under just systems
of Government. History furnished no pre-
else parallels, and consequently that patriot
ism which saw and appreciated the light was
unable to prove its statements, or maintain
its arguments by convincing illustrations.
Failing to engraft on the written law the
limitation deemed necessary, the Demo-
cratic fathers sought a practical establish
ment Of them by advocating strict cOnstruc-
ton of this doctrine, which was never thor
oughly enforced by any party, and is now to-
tally disregarded; hence, in our present po-
litical condition, far-reaching changes are
needed to obviate its evils. 1t is only by
such changes that we successfully inau-
gurate the second stage in that grand social re-
form which was initiated by the Fathers. A
Tree ana 6nISnUenoU people, Win capacities
matured under the benign influence OF their
experiment, we can now detect and remedy
those defects in their glorious, though I'M
finished, work, which experience has devel-
oped.
Upon us is devolved the duty of complet-
ing the superStructure.
The enormous growth of official malversa-
ton in this city and State, which was
brought to light during the last year, invited
good men to action. The discoveries made
tIrriy,
eral mind to persistent effort for reform.
The opportunity was improved, and except
for the inopportune recurrence of Presi-
DENTAL canvass, the current OF popular sentl-
Iaenu has ever since moved steadily in the
| right direction. The desire has been extern
! sively entertained that this movement, which
| originated in the national metropolis, should
| be permitted to run its natural course, and
| draw into harmony with itself the honest
masses throughout the country, and thereby
lead to the establishment of efficient, self
| sustaining, and permanent barriers against
/ prevalent evils. The facts, however, warrant
| an apprehension that the pending conflict
| for the control of the Federal power has
| broken in on the tendency to reform, and
may completely reverse 1T. Governmental in
| termeddling with those concerns of society
which, under judicious laws, might benefit
| cially be left to Individual action, is the only
real evil actually developing in our system
| This eminence is assigned to it because it is
| the fruitful parent of all others existing, and
| because the measures required to correct it
| are precisely those which would eXtirpate
the understandable power now so mischiev-
| ously exercised by our officials. If, instead
| Of prohibiting or diminishing these vicious
practices, our people would impart to it new
| sanctions and greater vitality, reform must
| become impossible.
OF this practice, above all other living
| Americans, Mr. Greeley is the recognized
champion, and nobody of organized OPP
ponents to it has ever existed in the country
| except the Democratic party. Yet by de-
| cree of Convention assuming to represent
that party, Mr.. Greeley has been gazetted as
| its standard-bearer Opposition to that
proceeding has, in my mind, far deeper
| source than mere attachment to party. That
1, at least, am unduly Influenced by that
sentiment, may appear by the measures
| adopted against the recently detected NUM-
cipal maiefactors. In organizing the forces
employed, equal opportunities for purging
| itself from completely were conceded TO each
of the great political parties and to every
| class Thus innocence has been shielded
from the diScredit of evil associations, in
advertently formed; official villainy stands
| literally defenseless under actual or impend-
| ing judgment, and all honest men in this
great city and State are united as brother
hood in common defense. Looking as do,
then, from party sentiment, my views of
the public interests, and Of existing public
necessities, compel ME to repudiate the
| Baltimore nomination of Mr.. Greeley. When
| ever speaking or writing on the subject, L
have uniformly condemned it, and declared
my readiness to support Democratic can
| didate. This circumstance has led TO a sup
posal in some quarters that had aspirations
to office, and it has been suggested that my
| name be offered to your acceptance as can
didate. The object of this letter is to avoid
misrepresentation on that point
If compelled TO decide between General
Grant and Mr.. Greeley candidates for the
Presidency, the Democratic elect Or must re-
ly very much upon mere conjecture. Those
who incline to the latter as a choice of evils
suggest that a mitigation of oppression at
the South would result from his success.
There may, however, be equal ground to
hope for that good result in either issue of
this rivalry. Once his second term shall
have been secured, General Grants only mo-
tive for infiicting misery on that portion of
his countrymen will cease. An effort to Sc
cure a third term or to establish dictator.
ship cannot reasonably be appreLended, and