The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-08-28
Partisan Theories of Government.

1
ical campaign, Democratic exchange
says:
The Republican party believes relipiously
I'm the doctrines and theory OF paterual gov
eminent. The fundamental principle of the
Democratic party is, "That government liz
best that governs the least"
This is fair statement of the distinct
i've difference in the underlying and
all-pervading theories of the two par
ties. 1t might well serve as key to
the understanding of the respective re-
cords. Whatever has been the issue
before the public during the co-exist-
ence of the parties, they have taken
sides in accordance with this distinction
in fundamental principle.
Twenty years ago the Republican par
ty was born, having for its motto " No
more slave territory" 1t proposed to
exercise paternal supervision over the
territorial portion of the Union, exclud-
ing from it the deadly curse of African
slavery. The Democratic party said on
! the contrary, "Let slavery be voted up
or down in the territories f; it is. not for
the Government to interfere" Then,
as now, "paternalism was undemo-
cratic. A few years later came the SUI
preme test. Some of the States wanted
to secede. The Republican party
paternally" objected the Democracy
again said, in effect, that the Govern
ment had no right to interfere.
The war over, the Southern States
attempted to restrict suffrage to the
whites. The Republicans insisted that
the Government should once more exer-
else paternalism by inserting clause in
the Constitution guaranteeing the
elective franchise to all, without dis
tinction of race, color or previous condi-
ton of servitude. AS a matter of
course, the Democrats fought against
the amendment. There have been three
great conflicts on the paternal line of
battle, in each one of which each party
has been thoroughly tue to its funda-
mental principle, and the people have
repudiated the absurd idea that " that
Government is best which governs the
least" The truth is that the test of q
Government is in the quality rather
than the quantity of its rule, and true
craftsmanship consists in applying
legislative remedies when really APP
plicable, and only then. Some evils
are too deep and subtitle for political
agency to reach them. AS well attempt
to hold water in sieve as to regulate
the conscience by statute. Between
vice and crime there is broad distinc-
ton. The former is beyond the reach
of legislation the suppression of the
latter is the especial province of law.
To adopt the do-nothing theory of
Democracy would be like disbanding
the Fire Department, and trusting to
private effort to stay the flames of
rising confagration. The disreputable
record of the Democratic party has
grown out of it's false premise as
logical and inevitable sequence.
In the matter of finance there has not
been much opportunity for anti-pater-
nalism. In this regard the Democrats
have not dared to be consistent. No
convention of the party since the pres
ent banking system came into vogue
has demanded that the Government
should go out of the bsnking business.
In order to do that, it would have to
withdraw the greenbacks, and the char
tiers of the national banks, and thus in
effect tell the people to use coin or To-
cal d" shinplasters." AS rule, the
Democrats want the Government to go
still farther with financial paternalism
than it has already gone, and instead of
allowing banks to emit money, issue
directly all the currency in use. With
out attempting to explain the financial
paternalism of tho Democracy, we call
attention to it as an instance of the
familiar old truth, exceptions prove
the rule"
Besides finance, the country is in
throes with the transportation question.
So far as the two parties have been true
to their cardinal principles. The Dem
ocratic States have refused to interfere
to protect the people from railway ex-
tortion, and in Congress last winter the
Democrats voted, almost unanimously,
against any and every measure having
for its object the restriction of railway
extortion. The stupid Republican
Congressional address foundered and
stumbled in the discussion of transpor-
tation /; but the proceedings of Congress
showed plainly that the Democrats drift
toward the monOpolists, the Republic
ans toward the people, the explanation
being found in one word, paternalism.
The corporations only ask to be let
alone. They stand herein where jeff.
Davis and his associates stood In the
rebellion. AS surely as the railroad
question becomes the great issue in
politics, the corporations and the Dem
ocrats will be in alliance. The funda-
mental principle of the latter will
necessitate such an alliance. Chicago
Journal.