Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-05-29

supreme authority In . State ought to
be entrusted 10 the majority Of
citizens told by the head. Il
have long been convinced that
institutions purely democratic
must, sooner or later, destroy
liberty or civilization or both. Your
constitution Is all sail and no anchor,
Either some Caesar or Napoleon will
seize the reins of government with
strong hand, or your Republic will be
as fearfully plundered and laid waste
by barbarians in the twentieth century
as the Roman Empire was in the fifth,
with this diftcrence-that the Huns
aud Vandals will have been engender-
ed within your own country by your
own Institutions.
The above was written by one of the
most distinguished historians of mod
crn times as prediction of what the
American Republic would bring forth.
Evidently there was candor in the
writer, hence 10 some other cause than
dishonest motives must be attributed
the penning of such sentiments.
1t is hard for man reared and fos-
tered beneath kingly crown to be-
lieve that government by the people
can be permanent. He may have the
culture of a Mscauly and still that cul-
ture be obtained from such sources
and under such influences and sur.
roundins that his mind is as barren of
sound judgment in regard to the sta
bility of Republican government as
was the lean kline i'm .Ioscph's dream,
of flesh.
1t is the fate Of human society to
have connections, political and social
earthquakes, so to speak. This is COM
mon to all forms Of society, and to all
kinds of government. Not unlike the
ocean in this respect is civilized hue
man society each by being tossed in
the storms are in the end rendered
purer Especially is this manner of
the publication Of society the most
successful, where the people do most
nearly rule. We say then, that while
governments by the people are not free
from revolutions, they are almost uni
vcrsally productive of an advance for
the better. Where different persons con-
test for crown, after great slaughter,
it results in but a change of masters OF
in riveting with more rigor the chains
with which the people had been al
ready bound. 1t ia simply the pur-
suit OF wrctched delusion availing
nothing, to fight the battles of two OF
more contestants for crown. On the
other hand a struggle for govern.
mcnt by the people whenever success.
FIJI, is revolution, not backward but
forwards.
This Republic was born amid rev.
olution which will crer mark dis
tinctive era in the history of govern
ments; it was grand stride forwa<
The last revolution was no less bril-.
liant and beneficial than the first
Finally to cap all, Europe is continu.
ously being convulsed with the work.
ings Of Republican ideas, and these
now make her revolutions of the pro.
gressivc kind.
Ii it be true then that the supreme
authority Of a State ought not to be
lodged with the whole people, the civ.
ilized world is fast drifting in tho
wrong direction and away from tht
safer moorings of government. W.
cannot SO look upon the dark side o.
The picture. The writer or the quots'
ton at the head of this article had a
moral obliquity Of yison, because the
twig was bent and it grew crooked.
The world is not rctrograding il
government; it is progressing and tina
progress is towards government b,
the people therefore with the peopl,
ought the supreme authority to rest
not only because it belongs to them
but also because it is most enduring IN
their hands.
| Democrats will read with intcres
Brick Pomeroy on New York Demo
cratic congressman, and therefore w,
give them what he says:
"Two of the New York city Con
gressmen have not been heard from
yet on the subject of the swag stolcl