Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-10-16
THE REPUBLIC IN DANGER.

Disguise the Tact ~ We may to our
sell, there Is reason TO apprehend
that this country Ia on the eve Of q
momcntous political crisis For the
lrI time 10 our history the pest'len'
doctrines 81 the old iederalist party
have achieved their practical expoSi
lion, Whit was asserted ha!fa century
aso Of the misc hievous tendency Of
those doctrines, Is proving true by
actual experiment, The facts stare "
IN the face and the people are con
strained to sit IN judgement upon them
Trade Is paialyscd ; our commercial
marinc. which eighteen years ago IL
val ID, il dit not equal, that OF Great
,,ri,ain, has almost disappeared from
the ocean our manufacturing indus
tries are Frustrated in the face "i cnor'
NOUS duties, levied pre,cndedly tor
their protection. Hundreds Of thou
sands Of able bodied men arc labor'ng
1t wages which do not adequately tur'
nish them and their families the ne
cessaries OF life, while other handrcds
of thousand are absolutely without
employment, and are roaming through
the land subsis,ing on its industries.
Meanwhile wealth has accumulated
in the hands Of favored few, in sums
whose magnitude is astonishing to the
imagination official salaries have be.
come enormous, and the number OF
officials and others who draw their
subsistence from the public treasury
are far IN excess ofall precedent. OF.
ii.ial corruption and peculation, and
ever judicial venall,y in some quarters
have become the rule, and honesty
the exception. The wealth of the
country is so nearly balanced by It's
indebtedness, public aud private that
in large districts the high rates OF i'll
tcrrst and taxes are in excess OF the
annual increase of values, so that these
ro,ions OF our country are gradually
Becoming impovcrish' d--thus real
z,ne the prediction Thomas Jeffer.
sou. tha, fcdcrallst asccndapcy would
be the rum Of "lhe plundered p'o~.
man and the btggared yeomanry."
These evils have spread so widely that
they have at length involved their
owu authors, and bankruptcy has be'
c,me well nigh universal. To cap the
climax of this unnatural and mon
s,rous condition of our affairs, fraud
sits in unblushing triumph at the helm
OF our ship OF state, raised to that
pminence under the auspices Of milf
tary torce, in open and fragrant def
auce of the will OF a majority OF the
people!
The fundamental idea of our gov
eminent il that the will Of the people
is supreme. The subversion OF this
idea is revolution. 1t may be accom-
plshed without bloodshed, but is none
the less patricical. But the end is not
yet. The momentsry lull is not a Pc
Rod of inaction. . At this hour the
forces arc mastering for the approach
ing conflict The purpose is avowed
IN high quarters of making the MILL
tary the dominant force in our govern
mpnt and superior to the civil power.
This is no imaginary scheme. Every
feature has been more or less distinct
foreshado we'd or acknowledge by
those who are intent upon its practical
realization. 1t has more friends in
this country than We are accustomed
to suppose. The man selected to play
The part of Cesar in this political
drama is in Europe, taking lessons in
the art Of despotic government and re-
ceiviug unprecedented honors, not
as representative Of republican
ideas. but as an impersonation OF the
idea of military force. We mean Gen.
or ex-President Grant. If to be fore
warned is to be foreamred, and it the
people of this country are indeed
worthy of their liberties and capable
of self government, they need no ex'
hortation TO induce them to crush the
yiperous brood Of conspirators who
are plotting their rnin.-[Exchange.
At a catechetics; examination IN
Scotland, a little girl was asked
"Why did the Israelites Wake gold