Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1874-10-01
from the work they did not own, they

from the work they did not own, they
desired to get more money.
They hit upon the eXpedient of hy-
pOthecating the canal and raising
money under pretense of enlarging
it. In 1850 Congress authorized the
directors, ~ with the revenues and
credits of the company, to enlarge
the said canal" Under that act the
company mortgaged the work for
some two millions of dollars and it
is not yet known whether the Gov
ernment will be able to recover it or
not.
OTHER SPECIMENS OF DEMOCRATIC
RULE.
That party did not overturn our
land system, notwithstanding it was
very good one. During the year
1841 the system was much improved;
that must be confessed. But the DEM
ocratic party was not in power that
year. We ought also gratefully to re-
member that the grants of land made
for educational purposes were not re-
pealed. The fact furnishes a striking
illustration of spaFing mercy. But
the phenomenon is not difficult to
explain. Such grants were made
to States in which the lands were.
Such lands were found for the most
part only in new States. The new
States were very unanimously Demo
cratic in politics. The States Feeeiv-
ing the grants could alone administer
them, and the party seems to have
felt confident that grants so admins
tered would not promote the cause of
education more than grants of money
had promoted the cause of commerce.
All who are familiar with the early
experiences of the school funds in the
Southern and some of the Western
| States, will need no other assurance
| that that confidence was not mis-
placed.
The Capitol was not transplanted
But when the Democratic party re-
tired from control, in 1851, scarcely a
building belonging to the Govern
ment was finished. Perhaps, how
| ever, the party would have avoided
| that cause of reprOach if they had
earlier formed the design of transfer
ring those buildings to the use of an
other government.
Armies were then maintained.
Their ranks were thin, but they were
sumptuously officered-officered far
/ too largely by those who had been
educated in every soIdierly grace save
that of allegiance. ia5
A navy was suffered to exist. But
as it was found a little too loyal to
! desert its flag, and a little too gallant
to surrender it, when the hour of ma
tiOnal peril arrived, that navy was
scattered in remote seas.
Do-NOTHING POLICY.
! The Presidents of those haIf-forgot-
ten years, were as diligent, by annual
and special messages, to explain why
the Federal Government could do
nothing, as the Congresses were to do
nothing. Like the two brothers en-
gagged in the temperance cause, one
of whom lectured on the evils of in
| temperance, while the other furnished
a shocking example,; SO Democratic
Presidents were perennially eloquent
expounding the impotency of the
National Government, while Demo
cratic Congresses were as persistent
in asserting it. ~,
The pretext for this strange slug
gishness was an amiable one. Con-
stitutional inhibitions were pleaded
in excuse for all omissions. They
constantly neglected great national
interests, because they feared to in
fringe upon the prerogative of States
they proclaimed themselves the
champions of States rights they ar
rogated to themselves the name of
the States rights party.
1t was a specious pretense, but it
was utterly insincere. So long as our
archives remain, so long that very
! party will be known as the one which
struck the foulest blow at the rights
of States which could be contrived.
That is the party which, on the 18th
of September, 1850, wrote the fugitive
| IL - d.
that act the United States command
ed the Federal Courts to multiply
Court Commissioners without limit.
By that act the United States offered
such commissioners a clean bounty
of five dollars each, for certificates
that residents of Massachusetts,, or OF
any other State, were fugitives from
Texas orsome, other State; and when
Isuch certificate was obtained,
pledged all its forces to remove such
resident to the State wherein he was
claimed; which made that certificate,
so purchased of such hucksters, con-
! elusive evidence of the right to re-
move, and commanded every tribu-
nal within the insuIted State to be
still, and all its citizens to aid the
outrage-a statute the very first vic
tim of which was free man from
Pennsylvania, who, being declared a
fugitive by. a fye-dollar commits
siOner, was transported by the United
States to Virginia, and finding no
man there base enough to claim him,
he was allowed to get back at his own
expense.
In all those years the national
character had not been raised an
inch. On the contrary, through them
all, it had fallen constantly lower and
| lower.
! When England and France propos-
ed, in 1852, to join with the United
States in mutual Remuneration of all
designs on Cuba, an American Sec
/ retary of State did not hesitate to
assign as a reason for refusing to join
such a convention, "that it would
/ give a new and powerful impetus" to
/ attacks "on the island of Cuba, by
lawless bands of adventures from
the United States, with the avowed
design of taking possession of the
island'-attacks which, he argued,
no administration would be strong
enough to resist.
/ NO POWER TO SAVE THE GOVERN
MENT.
A government which. denied its
right to aid commerce over the DeS
| hO1IleS RapIuSI ana WAlcn advertised
its impotency to control its own fill
busters, could hardly be expected to
make becoming figure when con-
fronted with war. When, therefore,
in 1861, the standard of rebellion was
raised, and State after State wheeled
dedantly into the ranks of revolt,
it was perhaps not so very surprising
that one-half the Democratic party
Joined the revolt, while the other half
exclaimed it could not be resisted
not SO very surprising that the six
per cent. bonds issued in February,
1851, were sold at a discount of six
per cent, and not so very surprising
that Great Britain should have pro-