The Republican journal., 1875-06-03
Usurpation CT Power.

Usurpation CT Power.
The great danger to free government
in this country is the gradual and almost
mperceptble degrees by which designing
men encroach upon the prerogatives of the
people, in the endeavor to perpetuate power
or to enrich themselves at public eX-
pense. 1t was this against which the Fare
well Address of Washington warns his
countrymen, and which all patriotic and
weak point in our system Of government.
| There is always a tendency, as jefferson
said, for power to be stealing from the
many to the few. An exchange says that
ii is instructive to trace cursorily the his
tory of the growth OF usurpation as an
element of our politics, by citing some of
the most notorious instances: Beginning
with the outbreak of the quarrel between
Andrew johnson and Bed Wade, which
| speedily ripened into an open war be-
tween the President and Congress- usur-
patton first took shape in the tenure-ot-
office law, which deprived the responsible
head of the government Of the powers
which constitutionally precede his respon-
siblity and lodged them in the hands Of
the Senate--a headless collection of ire
ming 4 regular programme OF usurpation
was inangurated-little less than secret
ly organized conspiracy of Republican
politicians which was carried out to the
extent of overthrowing state governments
by armed force wherever the cXigencies
of the ruling party required it; to the eN-
tent of turning the contents OF the United
States treasury into Il Republican cam
paign fund whenever it was necessary to
''carry the country by pretence or
mockery Of Presidential election and to
the extent of attempting the subYersion
of the freedom of the press when such
step was deemed necessary by the con-
spirators in order to prevent disastrous
exposure Of their villaines Through all
these operations a purpose Of personal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT at the expense of the
body polite was conspicuously patent to
all intelligent observers. There was no
logical argument and very little even of
specious pretence set forth by the usurp
ers that they were impelled by a desire to
secure the public welfare For the most
part their action was in brazen, fragrant
contempt Of all truly popular considera-
tions and in open, violent af1'ront to the
average public intelligence and sense Of
decency. Men like Ben Butler and Simon
Cameron and their kind impudently pa
raded the viciousness Of their practices
and the wickedness of their designs, and,
SO far from seeking to mask their pur-
poses made boast of them and claimed
the public admiration for the audacity of
their maletactions.
so far it was logical to ascribe these
vicious tendencies wholly to the Republi-
can party and to account for them wholly
by pleading the intoXication of revolution
airy success and the exultant, exuberant
terocity of bad men who had been hoisted
into power on the crest of tidal wave of
war. But while Republican usurpation at
Washington was at its widest riot, with
its attendant and consequent profigacy,
corruption, bribery, peculation and fraud
OF every description, we had only to turn
our gaze upon the Tweed rigime in New
York city and state to find similar code
of political ethics in full force and SINH
lar system of official conduct ia full prac-
tice under Democratic auspices. In each
case we beheld the same subsection of the
popular mass to the sway of individual
"bosses; )" in each case we saw the same
prostitution Of the public forces to the
prepetuation of the power and authority
of the persons who abused both. In fine,
we saw an aristocracy of office-holders
governing that they might plumber and
plunderng that they might govern" on
the one hand, and on the other hand the
popular mass ''being governed that they
might be plundered and being plundered
that they might be governed"
They all involve the same usurpation of
power by a few men, and the same denial
OF the popular right to elect public Off
Gals by ballot. They all show fixed
purpose on the part of few men, once
placed in power,'to keep themselves in,
and to pull their friends in after them at
all hazards, and conversely to keep their
opponents out at whatever cost of crime