Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-09-12
LETTER OF CHAS. OsCON0R
To the National Democratic
Convention at Louisville
--He Repudiates Greeley.

New YORK, Aug. 81, 1872.
To the National Democratic Convention
appointed to assemble at Louisville on
September Sd, 1872:
GENTLEMEN-A representative De-
mocracy must be necessarily degenerate
in practice, and become at last an in
tolerably mischievous domination if its
official corps be allowed to WELD, with
out effectual restraint, those powers cor
rectly denominated regal, by which,
from the very beginning and in every
cline, civil society has almost invari-
ably hitherto been made the prey of its
rulers. When forming our institutions
the fathers were impressed with this
belief, and in order to curb the tendency
of power to aggrfndize itself they in
troduced regulations of unexampled
complexity. Rejecting two fundamen-
tai bases of the pre-existing system,
they yet adopted the English system
of checks and balances. However use
full it may be i'm land of three estates,
king, lords and commons, experience
has shown that this policy is inadequate
to the maintenance of public order
where absolute equality is recognized.
With us it has proven exceedingly mis-
chievous. BY its enormous multiplica-
tion of offices alone it affords no per-
manently effectual restraint on power.
To the inquiry, how such a restraint
can be imposed in our country, poll
ticians have responded, by the virtue
and intelligence of the people. But
this is delusive speech. Laborious
attention, constant watchfulness and
combined action are necessary to prac-
tical results, and unattainable if our
people were placed upon a 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 great and pros
porous country such popular guardian
snip cannot be had, and the only eff
ficent protection against official misrule
is in totally prohibiting those powers
which cannot be effectually regulated
by law.
The enormous growth of official mall
versation in thif city and State, which
was brought to light during the last
year, melted good men to action. The
discoveries made afforded an opportun-
ity of stirring the general mind to per-
Sistent effort for reform. The oppor-
tunity was improved, and, except the
inopportune recurrence of a presiden-
tial canvass, the current of popular
sentiment has ever since moved stead
lily in the right direction. The desire
has been extensively entertained that
this movement, originated in the ma
tion's metropolis, should be permitted
to run its natural course, 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, how
ever, warrant an apprehension that the
pending conflict for control of the Fed
eral power has broken in on the tend
ency to reform, and may completely !
reverse it.
Governmental inteimeddling with
those concerns Of society which, under |
judicious laws, might beneficially be
left to individual action, is the only real |
evil actually developed in our system.
This eminence is assigned to it because
it is the fruitful parent of all others ex-
isting, and because the measures re |
quired to correct it are precisely those :
which would extirpate the unrestrain-
able powers now so mischievously ex- /
ercised by our officials.
If instead of prohibiting or diminish
ing the vicious practice, our people
should impart to it new sanctions and !
greater vitality, reform must become
OF this practice, above all !
other living Americans, Mr.. Greeley
ls the recognized champion, and no
body of organized opponents to it has
sver existed in this country, except the !
Democratic party. Yet by the decree
IF convention, assuming to represent
hat party, Mr.. Greeley has been gazet-
ed as its standard-bearer.
Opposition to that proceeding has, In
ny mind, far deeper source than mere I
attachment to party. That I at least
lm unlnfuenced by hatsentimentmay