The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1872-11-21
Mr.. Charles O'Conor's Ideal De-
mocYacy.

n
The doctrines Of government IN.
nounced In Mr.. Charles O'Conor's
letter are curious and interesting -
the theories Of IN able msn. FOur.
fifths of the work now done BY GOV.
eminent he thinks should be LEFT I'M
done, being usurpa'ion Of private
right. The pewer To borrow money,
ne says. IL fatal to free institutions.
because II fssters lsboe % the bond
slave Of capital. Pay ~ you go. II
people wish to igit, let them foot
their own bills. II they eau not. %
much the better. kr then they will
not wish to hight; and war, hich he
calls the ''most shocking Of all crimes
aud calamities, would be impossible -
Mr. O'Conor evidently thinks that
"there was never good war nor . Tad
peace," In which doctrine, probably,
the sons Of Revolutionary sires do not
agree with him.
There IL, however, u certain SIM
plicity In Mr.. O'Conor's views which
recalls The democracy OF the old Greek
cities, and that Of some Of the Swlss
cautons to-day. Mr.. Bsyard Taylor
gives US the latest account Of the little
canton Of Appenxeli. II % oil noun
tains. yet It supports more population
to the acre than Holland. and II fpM Of
industry and riches. But II IL . pure
NobOdy Is allo xed 10
decline public office; no public ON
Ger receive, any saiary-which wsa
DR.. FrankIin's theory Of our national
of'icers-apd he repairs fro,u his own
property any loss to the treasury due
to his Ofilciai conduct. Yet they tax
themselves roundiy, and within tbs
last fifteen years have raised seven
hundred thousand dollars to improve
their Communications with the world.
Once year al the people Of Appenzell
assemble. Each man wears at his
side the sword which the law COM
mands him to carry, and forbids him
70 draw. When the landsmmaD, or
chief magistrate. has been elected BY
majority OF all the people present. he
bind. himself 10 obey tho laws snd
he then solemnly administers. 20 the
multitude the oath of obedience to
their own laws Mr.. freeman, who
was there in 1868. says: ITO hear the
voice Of thousands Of freesnen piedging
themselves to obey the laws which
they themselves have made isa mo-
ment In one's life which can never be
forgotten, q moment for whose aake It
would be worth while to sake far
longer aud harder journey than that
~htsA lsada us to Usi os Appenssll."
So in the canton Of uri. canton
which has scarcely twenty Thousand
inhabitants, aud which 10 composed Of
bleak aud bare mountains-Ss. Goth.
ard Is IN II. aud the valley of the river
Reuss-there Is eimpIe democrscy
which would cheer the soul Of Mr..
O'Concr. Once year. In t.se village
Of Boxlingen, William Tells birth
pIace-if scholarly research will still
leave US . William Tell, Of which
there seems to be sOme doubt all tho
people Of the canton assemble. The
little army Of the canton, 800 men
strong, which can only be summoned
To expei invaders from the canton,
marches in trout under the cd uri
hammer of the bulls head. which float
ed over the head Of Arnold Won Wink.
elried at Sempach. Then follow the
magistrates aud the people. A prayer
is offered in the green meadow where
the assembly Is held. Ifnew laws are
wanted, they are now proposed and
The magistrates Of the
year surrender their trusts. The chief
Of the common wealth leaves his OH
cial seat and places himself among his
felIow-citizens. II he has not lost
their confidence. they recall him to
the Office, and It is the experience Of
the little canton Of Uri that republics
sre not ungrateful. This has been the
simple habit Of the government OF Uri
from the earliest history, interrupted
only by the French invasion In l79S.
These are the ideals which Mr..
O'Conor evidently cherishes. But
the practices Of secluded and
states Of y few thousands
Of homogeneous people could be wisely
applied to the government OF . CONT.
nent Of various races. Mr.. O'Conor
ioes not say. But probably every
body except Mr.. O'Conor has decided.
Magazine.
3YmptQmatic.