Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-01-24
Charles O'Conor's Letter.

V0keQ mucn comment. It's ueCldTd-
tions are so startling and its posi-
.tions so novel that were not the ideas
set forth with remarkable brilliancy
people would say, when his past his
tory is remembered, that the writer
is mentally unbalanced. He ex-
presses his disgust With both politi-
cal parties, but if there be degrees
in his contempt the Democratic
party comes in for the larger share
of it. lie thinks our Republican in
stitutions complete failure and ad-
vocates such sweeping change as
would entirely wipe out the identity
of the government. He is in favor
of a form of government something
like those of Republican Athens and
Rome where the people ruled direct
ly.
He says emo idler imagination
could be displayed by the Democrats
than treating success in the Presi-
Dental election as possible" He
bases this opinion upon the fact that
the Maine coup will constrain the
Republican party in New York to
select electors by a vote of the Leg
islature, as the Constitution express
ly confers such power in Article 2,
section l, subsection 2. Without
New York the Democratic party
cannot hope to succeed. The loss of
that State to the party he lays at the
door of John Kelly and the Tam
many chieftains. He scores them
numerically. Reviewing the par
TVS past history he says the bolt
of the New York Democratic leaders
in 1S47-S shook his confidence in it.
He remarks:
Another shock resulted when Ia
ter, in 1872, the Democrats of the
Union nominated as their candidate
and the champion of their own pro-
fessed ideas their open, notorious
and lifelong antagonist, though his
opinion was unchanged and his pro-
cliyities unrepented of. Very short
ly after this event my convictions
became settled. Henceforth re-
garded both parties as equally per-
nicious, and withheld from each
alike any confidence or support, hop
ing for the ultimate expulsion OF
both from power, and the total over
throw of party government,
After showing how our govern
ment was closely modelled upon that
of England, which had balances and
checks unnecessary under the Amer
lean system, he lays down in ten
categories the reforms he would in
augurate. Coming from an able
man like Mr.. O'Conor, whose life has
been largely given to the study of
the problems of government, they
will be read with interest. Some of
the opinions are by no means novel;
they were commonly discussed in
the Constitutional convention and
advocated by the adherents of JEFF
fersonianism. The singularity is
that they should be adopted by so
distinguished a man after the lapse
of so many years. The first three
points are the most prominent. We
give them as follow:
First-the separate State govern
ments should be abolished. This
seems now to be Republican idea,
but certainly no sound thinker
among the leaders of that party will
ever promote its adoption. The dis
sensions and civil war in which their
party was born, nurtured and matur-
ed, grew out of the State organiZa-
tions. Without them its bloody shirt
sectional cries must cease to ami
mate, and their party perish. The
malign tendency of the separate
State systems to embroil the country
in civil war was well explained in
the Federalist, No. rs.
Second-The quadrennial Pres
idency should be abolished. An eX-
ecutive chief might be selected by
lot from the legislative corps for the
ensuing month on some late day in
each month.
Third-The Senate should be abol-
ished and the Representative chosen
for short term, substantially as at
present. They should have no pow
er to make any but general laws. BY
stringent regulations they should be
prevented from assembling in Con-
gress to enact laws except on those
rare occasions when general exist
ing law actually requires amend
ment or new general law isneeded.
The fourth specification counsels