The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-08-16
GENERALIZATION.

Our Republican and Democratic
friends have a great deal to say
about the Capitalization tendency of
the general government. No one
questions the power Of the general
government to protect its humblest
citizens in foreign lands or on the
high seas, and for that purpose to
use the whole power of tbe army and
navy. This new "what is it, party,
in sympathy with the old pestilen-
tial secession and rebel dogmas of
State rights seems to be greatly
alarmed, because, in the exercise of
this power of the government to
protect the citizens, they have sun
denly made the discovery that when
the government interposes to check
murders, and burnings, and barbara
ties at which all humanity shudders,
we are in danger of centralism.
JEFF. Davis could not spout more
vehemently against this tendency
than the "bushwhacker of Chappa-
qua" has recently. Has Greeley
forgotten his former utterances?
Listen to his words spoken July II,
1871, after he had returned from the
South:
81 hold our Government bound by its duty
of protecting our citizens In their fundamental
rights, to pass and enforce laws for the extir-
patton of the execrable Ku-Klux conspiracy;
and if it has not the power to do it, then say
our Government is no Government, but a
sham, therefore on every proper occasion
advocated and justified the Ku-Klux act. 1
hold it especially desirable for the South; and
if it does not prove strong enough to effect its
purpose, hope it will be made stronger and
stronger"
The Republican party believed this
was sound doctrine then, and we be-
ieve the country will indorse it now,
Notwithstanding the apostasy of him
who made this utterance. The law
he speaks of is the law exactly as it
exists to-day, except that the ha-
beas corpus provision has expired
by limitation. 1t received on it's
passage the votes Of all Republican
members of both Houses, except
Schurz, who did not vote.
No other act of centralism has
been enacted during Grants Admin
istration, unless it be an amendment
to the election law vehemently de-
manded and approved by Horace
Greely. Hear what he said about
that only few months ago:
It is urged by the Democratic organs that
the law is to be enforced in State and munich
pal elections. This is done to make it more
obnoxious, if that be possible, to their party.
But, unfortunately; this is an error. The law
applies only to Presidential and Congressional
elections, though we heartily wish it could be
made to apply to all others.
The centralism of this law amounts
to allowing the United StatesCourts
upon the application of ten persons
in any election district of the United
States to appoint two persons, one
from each political party to watch
the polls at any Congressional or
Presidential election. These watch
ers have no power to assist, or to do
anything but to look on as witnesses
and see whether fraud takes place,
and this too without compensation.
viii any, honest man object to so
harmless and inexpensive safe
guard against fraudulent voting and
counting? No man doubts that great
frauds were practiced by Tammany.
No man doubts that the State of
NewYork and Louisiana were carried
by fraud and intimidation for Sey-
mour in 1858.
Here is a law which can do no
harm, and under which the honest
Democrats of New York said last
year 'we mad the only approach to
a fair election that we have had for
years" No, my fellow citizens, the
cry of centralism is mere clap trap.
THE DANGER.
You need to guard against the
doctrine of paramount State sover-
eighty which brought about the in
rebellion, and which if again
triumphant will usher in the payment
If the rebel debt, the payment of
rebel pensions, the payment Of los |