Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-10-23
WHO rs "GOVERNMENT


AT the bottom of the political errors
and fallacics that are now so prevalent,
there is one porvading misconception.
1t is that Government is an all
powerful, all.wise and irresponsible
thing whose business il is to provide
for the wants of the people in pater-
nal way that in some mysterious way
Government is better than the men
who compose 1t that If times are hard,
it must relieve the distress of tho poor I;
it must protect labor against capital /;
it must regulate the hours of work and
the rate of wages the amount OF
money in circulation and its value, and
do all these things not upon the i'm.
mutable principles of business, but to
help the poor man. Take up any
Greenback- Labor platform and all this
will be found there, coupled perhaps
with fierce denunciations of "money-
power" and bankers"
Such ideas are not of native growth.
Like Communism and Socialism they
are imported from monarchy 1t is
tho theory of the American Republics,
Federal as well as State, that "Gov-
ernment" has nothing to do but to pro.
tect Liberty, personal security and
property. 1t has no business to med.
die with the contracts of the citizens
whether they be for buying or selling
goods, or contracting for service or
labor. 1t tho theory of our iorefathers
that Government should limit itself
strictly to protecting life and property,
and leave to the people themselves full
control of their own private affairs, 1t
used TO be said that our system gov
erned best because 1t governed least.
Our people were not only free from the
control of despots and tyrants, but
free from the interference of the Gov.
ernment which they themselves estab-
lished and sustained. Now, however,
there is party which iavors giving
to the Government greater and moro
dangerous powers than can be safely
intrusted TO any set of men, however
pure in aim and purpose they may be.
But we all know that Government {"
is usually composed of gentlemen of
about the same average intelligence
and virtue as the rest of the people.
If a low state of morality exists among
the people, they will choose representa-.
tives who are in general accord with
them. Sometimes very bad men get
into power, and it is desirable that they
should have as little power as possible,
for any power given to Government to
"protect" one class against another,
may be turned from its original pur.
pose. If for example, the Government
under its present powers can bring
misery upon the country by unwlse or
corrupt legislation, how much more
might it bring if its sphere of lcglsla.
tion were enlarged-if, in addition to
the interests that 1t has already man.
aged so badly and corruptly for parti-
san purposes, it should be the banker
Of the country, the custodian ofsavings,
the regulator of wages, the arbiter Of
prices, the manager of lines of trans
portation and manufactures 7 That
all these things would be managed
badly is as certain as that almost every
thing that Government has had charge
of has been managed badly. The tar
ifs have been badly managed, the pub,
lie lands, the Indian relations, the
Navy, the Army, the Internal Revenue,
the National Finances. 1t is, there
fore, desirable rather to restrict tho
field of Government operations than to
enlarge them, and in nothing is this 80
important as in Finance. We will
never be safe until Government goes
entirely out of the banking business.
CURTIN AS A CANDIDATE.-We can
not for the life us imagine how any
Democrat can hesitate about support
ing Ex-Governor Curtin for Congress
in this contest. Governor Curtin &C.
knowledgedly is one Of the most brill.
liant men in America, intellectually,
and bis fitness for seat in Congress
is therefore indlsputable. His expert.