Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-10-22


ing OF the kind but on the contrary
, a perpetual union of States. 1t is III
United States. We are States an,
there are rights in the States and o
tho States and to those rights W.
J must cling, if we would prevent thi
centralizing power that essays TO di
rect and control you in your own in
dividual rights aud that, il permitted
will continue TO do so until you are
finally, absolutely and utterly under
Federal control.
/ have said that the man is the unit
What would you be without your
Townships How would you get along
without your country organizations
and State governments How could
| you control your affairs in connection
with yourroads and your schools with
out township oflicers2 What better
system could be devised? There il
more attention paid to the money used
there, because the tax comes d.
rectly from you. The fellow that
cheats you does not 60 into Office
again. What does this mean? Ii
means that you, yourself, are govern
ing. You look to see that the man is
honest and faithful When he cheats
you, you turn him out, and put some
one else in. In your county, let the
Sheriff be dishonest, and he does not
go into Office again. Why? Because
you, the taxpayer, are interested in
seeing that these affairs are looked
after. That is local self.government.
You go beyond that, to the Capitol Of
the State. The fellow who goes from
your district to Harrisburg disposes of
his vote to Kemble & Company. You
watch him, and you do not send him
back. That is local seltgovernment ;
the State and individual combination
together. The nearer you get to the
individual, the stronger it is. "But,"
say they, "you ought to be controlled
from Washington" What, to have
the Agricultural Bureau fix the time
when you are to plow, and to SOW
your wheat To let the Commissioner
of Education there get you up school
system, and u course of instruction,
and then apply that to Pennsylvania ?
Then take this school system, and
course of instruction, and from the
State apply it to the Cumberland Val
ley, and then to Cumberland county,
and then to Lower Allen township ! |
tell you, if you have the spirit of De-
moeracy as have, having sucked it
with my mothers milk, you cannot
get rid of it, daughter and applause }
you cannot get rid Of the doctrine
that government comes from the bot
tom, and not from the top. Watch the
thieves at home, and do not allow these
plunderers that are assisting you by
putting it upon your postmasters TO
send out, through you and your sons,
these centralizing theories and doc
trines from their postofiices. Do not
allow them to make slaves OF your
selves and your families, for every
right taken from You has that ten.
uenvy. Wnat man OF lntellgence,
who has examined it, has any faith in
such system of government All
the rights that are taken from You and
given to Federal power, and centraliza-
tion powers, are just that much Of a
robbery OF your rights. If you get to
examining these things, your own ex.
perienec and Judgment will tell you
what | have said and when you get
to realizing your natural rights, then
you have the spirit Of Democracy and
have already fallen in with the Demo
cratic party. And my Republican
friends, if you will look at this condi-
tion Of affairs, from this standpoint,
you will throw off this power that as
sumcs to govern you from the top;
you will govern yourself from the bot.
tom, and will join the Democratic par.
ty. (Applause.) This is what is com
ing. Tho question Is, whether to have
a centralized government, and be con-
trolled and dominated by Federal
power and Federal sway, or govern
ourselves from the bottom, as the Gov.
ernment was originally created.
As a consequence OF this centraliz.
ing tendency, what has followed ?
Why, Federal election laws, an idea
that had never been thought of until
1870. In oil history, until 1870,we never
heard of Federal election. What is
Federal election ? 1t is the claimed
right of "Republic" to place at your
polls, when there is an election for
Congress, two supervisors, who can
take your election officers by the
throat, and say "That is irregular
and improper If you take that vote,
we will put you into prison" OF
course to day IL applies only to cities
OF over 10000 inhabitants. But it is
a tremendous power. And with these
deputy marshals, 1t is n centralized
power brought down TO a locality and is
controlled by Federal power. Is il
right to put two Republicans as super
vlsors, and half a dozen deputy mar
sbals at your polls, with unlimited
power over those who, in their iudg.
ment, have violated State law Not
Federal law, but State law. Go to
Philadelphia, or New York or Provi.
dence, or Boston, where | have been
recently, and on election day these
Federal officers are at the polls on
either hand. They can pick up n
voter without warning, and put him
in prison. In the city of Philadelphia,
in ut least one instance, they took an
election officer away from tho polls,
and put him in prison because he did
not obey the command of the Federal
marshal. Tho excuse is that there are
are members of Congress to be elected,
and that, therefore, it is a Federal
election, | shall not weary you with
going further into these election mat.
ters. Suffice ii to say, that every man
knows that the people have the right
to elect their own officers, and regulate
their own State laws as they SEQ fit.
With that right, an attempt TO inter
fere with IL is trespass upon your
rights rs an individual In locality,
whether in city, or in the country
and it must be resisted by every power
you can command, Of course peacefully
and lawfully. "But," argue our Re.
publican friends, "if you had controlled
your elections in the right way, IL
would not have been necessary to do
this"
How il II nm IN Rennhlican Rbodo