The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-09-11

it worth? You are scattered over /
vast space, and it is impossible tina
1 you should all come up and say, "Wt
want this law" and "We don't wan
that law" The people of Ohio can
not all collect at Columbus and stay
| here long enough TO make their laws
much less could they at the capital o
| the United States and hence, in or
der TO give this popular sovereignty
of yours a sovereign expression il
| the practical administration of youl
government, you are compelled to ruT
| the hazard and an awful one it is-o
meeting on some day of each yeal
and divesting yourselves OF this SOW.
ereign power and putting it all in the
hands of one man. That is what you
are under the necessity of doing, and
hence it is that upon this principle oil
representation rests everything like
the life of this government. Let us
see what this principle of representa-
tion really means. l told you that il
was inevitable, that it seems that the
only human means by which the peo-
pie could express their will is by a
messenger by representatives ap-
pointed in special localities and charg-
ed with special duties. But when
you are called up to do that thing
called electing man, what is it
Take the case of the election of a
member of Congress. 1t will be
sufficient to show you that it is equal
ly applicable to all the ramifications
of our government, to the State Leg
islature, to the Governor, to the very
county commissioners and to the Very
board of aldermen in your city. It
is applicable throughout. This rep
resentative principle circulates and
pervades this mass and becomes as es-
sential to the existence of our organi-
cations as the blood of human body
is essential to the existence of that
body. And it is because the entire
future life of the liberty of this coun-
try stands alone upon the purity of
the representative principle that 1
speak about that thing and show you
what it is. Applause.]
On the second Tuesday of October,
l will suppose, comes the election of
members to Congress and that ten
thousand voters embraced within this
Congressional district walk up at six
O'Clock in the morning and range
themselves in front of some little box
called ballot-box. Mark you now,
before six o'clock that morning these
ten thousand men are the sovereign
people in true sense; they are the
sovereign people of the United States
in the proportion which they bear to
the balance of the citizens of the
United States. Very well, they have
come up, over ten thousand of them
at six o'clock in the morning of the
second Tuesday of October. Now
we are the sovereign people and pro-
pose to send messenger as a repre-
sentative to Congress, by putting this
ballot expressive of our will in this
box. You continue to do SO for
twelve hours. When you have fin
ished your work and the ballot-box is
closed and you walk off home, what
becomes OF your sovereign power
which you had at six O'Clock in the
morning? Where is it? You have
dlvested yourselves of it as utterly
and entirely as if you had drawn all
the blood out of your body. You
have concentrated this momentous
power into the hands of one man;
You have told him that You will not
only invest him with all your popular
sovereignty on that day, but you have
invested it in him for two years. And
at the end of those two years, if he
does wrong, your only remedy is to
repeat the very same thing for the
next two years you did for the pre-
ceding two years. Laughter.
Now to show you that there is no
mistake in this, look at the practical
working of the system as you elect a
bad man or good man to Congress.
If he is good man-if he ia O man
like your recently elected member,
Mr.. Jewett [applausel you will be
safe. His character and everything
about him affords an ample guarantee
that he will not abuse your trust; he
will not plunder your pockets. He
will feel contented with the honor you
have conferred upon him, and he will
exert his fine, abilities not to fill his
own pockets, but to prevent thieves
from robbing yours. Applause But
you have divested yourself of your
power, and this makes me utter what
you may think q somewhat striking
but which, nevertheless, is |
true. Practically speaking, the peo-
pie are the sovereigns of this country
only twelve hours out of every two |
years. Laughter. That is the naked |
Gods truth [renewed laughter], and,
with regard to the election of Presi- |
dent of the United States, you are the |
sovereign elective power of the Re- |
public but twelve hours out of four |
years. Now, you will remark as / |
have before told You, that when you
your breasts of this sover-
sign power and deposited it in the
breast of one man, you committed to
him an awful trust. You told him to
90 to Washington and gave him the
power to take as much of our prop
srty as he pleased under the form of
axes then turn around and spend it
ls he pleased, and reward plunderers
md. thieves if he thought proper
Laughter and applause. And, al
.hough the ever vigilant press may
announce to you, day after day, that
his man has perverted that trust, and
his power, and, instead of
1eing ministering angel to you, he
las become curse in the land, what
AN you do?
Let me tell you that on such day
le sold himself to some corrupt ring,
Who wanted a special law enacted by
which ten men might make ten mill
ions or more. And when they came
% cast about where to purchase Con-
gressional votes they found out all the
'otten sore places in Congress just as
ioon as a physician would find out
he wounds that would disqualify a
nan from going into the army
Laughter.] And when they foun d
often fellow they inquired into his
wants. Well. he wants money
Laughter. "All right, you shall
lave it. How much ?" "Well, hun
lred thousand would do me for the
present" $50 if we give you this
zig job we want hundred thousand
lollars." Laughter Now their
see this. They may see
t, as 1 said before, through the ever
7igilant press ofthis country. Wher-
,ver the thing is not covered up too
closely, it will be seen by the scrutiny
of the press and published, and sup
pose it is. Here you are you sec
your member of Congress doing these
Il II I