Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-05-28
POLITTCAL CONTRTBUTTONs.


DEFEAT THE REPUBLICANS IN THE COMING
ELECTION.
In the National House of Representatives,
on Monday evening of last week. Hon. j. NJ.
Tyler of this district delivered speech on
the Democratic measure introduced during
the special session, and frequently since un-
der discussion, which prohibits the payment
of money for political purposes by any Off
Ger or employG of the Government, or by
any person having any contract with or claim
against the Government 1t is of course
claimed by the Democrats, with a great show
of superior virtue, that this bill is only aimed
to secure officers, clerks and employees of the
Government against forced assessments for
political purposes; but Mr.. Tyler in his criti-
cal and unsparing analysis of the measure
showed that its purpose is not to prevent
compulsory contributions, but to prevent any
contributions whatever, so far as is possible,
which can aid the Republican party to main
tain its supremacy in the country. In his
opening remarks Mr.. Tyler very happily char
acterized the bill as intended, not as it pro-
fesses, 'to promote the general welfare, but
in reality 'to promote the welfare of the
Democratic party"
The provisions of this measure are of the
most sweeping character. 1t makes it unlaw-
full for ANY officer, clerk, or employt of the
Government of the United States to contrib
ute or pay to any committee or person, or in
to any fund any money, property, or other
valuable thing for any political purpose what
soeyer,' and provides penalty of dismissal
fine and Imprisonment for a violation of its
provisions. These provisions, it should be
noted, are absolute, and have no special re-
lation to the obnoxious levying of political
assessments upon salaries. They unqualified
ly forbid the persons named from giving any
thing whatever for political purposes, no
matter how they came by the property out Of
which they may wish to make contributions
no matter, even, if it was earned by them
in their profession or business or became
theirs by inheritance, years before they came
into the employ of the Government. Fur
thermore, it arbitrarily prohibits any person
having any contract with the Government, or
any claim against the United States from
making such contributions thus blythe last
named provision, placing under the ban of
this law the two hundred thousand ox-sol-
diers who are claimants for pensions
If, said Mr.. Tyler, any system of forced
political assessments were in existence it
ought to receive the condemnation Of all
men, and any proper bill that should be
brought forward to suppress it ought to be
supported 10y every member Of the House ;
but there is no such system. No proof has
been offered to show that Republican COM
mittees are in the practice of assessing Office
holders and clerks percentage of their sal
aries and extorting payment through fear Of
dismissal the fact does not exist The bill
is not aimed at assessments but at voluntary
contributions. 1t is not designed to protect
the rights of Government officers and en-
ploycs, hut to violate them 1t does not aim
to prevent wrongs but to perpetuate them
Mr.. Tyler denounced it as high handed
wrong for Congress to interfere or attempt to
interfere in this manner with the rights of
citizens and took strong and unassailable
ground in the explicit declaration that the
money or other property that citizen has
and which he acquired, whether as a salary
from the federal treasury under contract
with the Government for services, or in any
other Legitimate manner, is his to do with as
he pleascs, and its use cannot be controlled
by Legislation" In support of this position,
the justice and correctness of which are self
evident, Mr. Tyler quoted eminent writers on
the common law, the Constitution Of the
United States, and the Constitution of Yer
mont We quote the concluding portion of
his remarks in full -
Having thus briefly referred to the COM
mon law and to our own Constitution to show
how carefully the rights of citizens in the use
and disposal of private property are protect
ed, and that the voluntary giving of money
for political purposes is "A right far above the
reach of legislation, now assert that it is the
plain duty, as it should be considered the
high privilege of all citizens, whether they
are in office or out of office, who love their
pnrty and believe in its principles, to give of
their time and means for their party's sup
port and for the promugation of its princ-
pies.
Politics is the science of government, and
each of the great parties of this country
claims that its platform is a fair exposition of
that science. The great ma jority of men al
ways have been, are now, and always will be
found in the ranks of one or the other of
these two leading parties, the adherents of
each maintaining that the principles of their
party are the foundation upon which rests
the whole fabric of the Republic. The doc
trines that have characterized the two parties
have been different at different periods in the
nations history, but the great doctrine that
has distinguished the one during the last
twenty years has been that of state sovereign
ty, while that of the other has been national
supremacy 1t is not for me to discuss these
subjects here, but only to say that the former
is the merest quicksand upon which gov
erument WAS ever attempted to be construct
ed. while the other is the sure rock upon
which this Republic has stood through all
the shock of battles and upon which it will
stand forever.
mo fault should be found with a man be-
cause he is n Democrat if he is a sincere one,
aud the more earnest and enthusiastic he is
the more he is to be respected. have heard
men from the South assert, and there may
be such upon this floor, that they were never
citizens of the Federal Government until the
adoption of the fourteenth amendment to the
Constitution made them such that until then
they were citizens only of their States, TO
which alone they owed allegiance. | respect
the sincerity of these gentlemen though be-
lieve them to be in radical error. only hope
that now, having acknowledged that they
have become citizens, they will be as true in
their loyalty to the Union as they were be-
fore to their sovereign States
"But, gentlemen from the South, l ask
you, when you gave everything and risked
everything you possessed in the attempt to
establish your peculiar doctrines, by what
right do you refuse TO allow us to contribute
of our means to spread our doctrines abroad
through the landY And when by the grace
of this Government your people were restor,
ed to all their former rights and privileges,
and that too, when the Government was
controlled by the Republican party, and you
are now permitted to represent your people
TO allow the Union soldiers who are now
claimants for pensions of the Government tc
contribute of their means to aid in publish
ing everywhere, by speeches and documents