Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-10-28
The Duty of the Hour.

tndt WHICH lney VIII DC caileu upon 10
perform on next Tuesday. Moment
Gus and far reaching consequences
hang upon the result of the elections
to be held in every State of the Union
on that day. One issue, at least, in
volving the veal or the woe of free
institutions is suspended in the balance,
and the election of Hancock or Gar
field may determine whether the price
less boon of civil liberty under the
sacred guarantees of the Constitution
shall be preserved and perpetuated or
whether n centralized and irresponsi-
bic despotism shall be enthroned at
Washington and permitted to trample
under foot the rights of the people
and the States, and destroy the last
remnant of that wise and beneficent
form of government devised and be-
queathed to us by the grand old faith
ers of the Republic.
This assertion is no mere idle fig.
ment invented to mislead and deceive
voters in the closing hours of an ex-
citing political campaign. On the
contrary, it stands forth to the public
a palpable and startling reality that
should command the earnest and seri-
Gus attention of every patriotic and
conservative voter. For almost twen-
ty years the executive branch of the
Federal government has been held by
the Republican party, and with the
incoming of the Grant administration
in 1859 began that series of bold
usurpatiOns of power, of encroach-
ments upon the reserved rights of the
people and Of open disregard for the
plainest provisions of the fundamental
law, which received n signal though
fruitless rebuke at the ballot from an
aroused and indignant majority of the
voters of the land four years ago. A
fruitless rebuke, we say, because the
desperate and unscrupulous men then
in authority we're powerful enough to
defy the expressed will of the nation,
and continue by means of force, fraud
and perjury the rule of the party they
represented for another Presidential
term. And while it may true that
under Hayes fraudulent administra-
ton the violations of the Constitution
and the insults to the principles and
genius of American liberty have not
been so fragrant and atrocious as they
we're under the administration which
preceded it; while it may not be charg-
ed that State governments, set up by
majority of the citizens most deeply
concerned for the peace, welfare and
prosperity Of their respective localities,
have been ruthlessly pulled down by
the strong arm of military force /; while
it cannot be said that soldiers we're Or
dered to invade legislative halls, or
that bayonets cleaned around the
election polls, still the underlying and
animating spirit has been all the same.
1t is heard in the cry for strong
government" 1t is n signal of dan
ger and should not be regarded by the
thoughtful and patriotic voter who
properly values his privileges of citi-
zenship as any less perilous than the
undisguised usurpations of Grant.
Garfield is the avowed representative
of the "strong government" idea, and
IN his avowals has gone so Tar as to
Congratulate himself upon what he
terms "the gravitation of more power
in the hands of the government" In
New York he was even outspoken
enough to say to the public that he
was pleased TO notice the fact that the
theories of Hamilton were growing in
popular favor, while those of Jefier.
son, the apostle of American democ.
racy, we're apparently dying out
Conkling, the imperious leader Of the
radical hosts in this crusade against
! Constitutional rule, elaborates tn,