Litchfield enquirer., 1880-12-09
Plutocracy Triumphant!

sav, the pluck they have shown abroad, the
Tribune remarks:
Our Socialist guests will fall into grave
error, however, If they imagine there is a call
for them to continue on American soilthe agi-
iation they have bravely begun in the Old
World. Government in this Republic is not
| repressive force to curb the intelligence and
limit the activities of the individual. 1t is the
| product of the collective will of the people,
| md works for the common benefit. Its form
and administration may not come up to the
deal standard of philosophers, but it is pref
~ good institution and the American people
| are content with it. They can
not teach the public on this side of the Allan
| tic any valuable lessons about labor, politics
OF government
All this looks very lofty, aud may possibly
impose on the poor emigrant for time. Is
| is true, in the first place, however, that gov
'rnment here is ''the product of the collective
will of the people?" To certain extent,
undoubtedly yet, on the same page, we read
that 10 New York, such is not the case That
city is governed, it appears. by political or
<anization called ''Tammany." Tammany
10 ito turn was but recently controlled by
thief named Tweed, and is now in the hands
Of one Kelley who is a more honest but just as
extravagant a ruler as Tweed. So much for
the local government under which the Tribune
exists, and which il warns the intrusive per-
sons from Germany that they must not i'm
agine they can improve.
Going from city to state. the intelligent
immigrant would soon learn that New York
isdominated by Mr.. Roscoe Cenkling, diff
ferent man and of different party from Kei-
ley, but just as much of 'boss" Going
across the Hudson to the state of New jersey,
ne would find people now and in time past
dominated by great railroad monopolies. Pass
Ing along to the second state in the Union, he
finds Pennsylvania under the control of
''boss' called Cameron. If he were to fall in
with certain numbers of the New York Times,
he would discover Tin the letter copied on our
first page how elections are managed in the
young and vigorous states of the Far West
He would see how millionaire though Of no
special fitness for high legislative position, and
notorious absentee from his seat, could OBJ
tain and hold a United States Senatorship
against all corners till man worth more mil
lions than he, happens along to contest the
place successfully with him. He would see
the latter, though man with absolutely no
political record, though person with no sort
of experience in legislation, carry his own
election and drag state out of the control of
one political party into that of another, simply
by the interruptions use of money and of influ-
ence 1t would take the intelligent emigrant,
10 short. but a brief period to arrive at the
conclusion that there are many and most dan
gerous exceptions to the general rule that
American government is ''the product of the
collective will of the people, and works for the
common benefit"
Is it true, 10 the next place, that the Ameri.
can people are content with the rule of
''bosses" like Kelley, Barnum, Conkling,
Cameron, and FAIR? Are they content with
civil service that is mere spoils system
Are they content with the way in which Jay
Gould, and Vanderbilt and other railroad
kings, buy up or defy legislatures and control
courts2 On the contrary, the ma;contents in
these important matters are, we firmly be-
leve, the great majority of the American peo-
pie. ~ .--.-.... .......lk s
True, the German Socialist might not be
able to tell US how to remedy the evils he will
certainly observe, but the optimism which de-
clines to see anything needing remedy is even
more absurd than the pessimism which de-
spairs of the republic. In country where
land 10 as cheap and labor as dear rs i'm Amer
lea, popular government OF the present pattern,
bad as it is in some respects, would moi for
years-herhaps not for generations a
failure. But the germs of decay are evident.
Whenever our population comes to be mum.
bered by hundreds of millions; whenever land
comes to be dear and labor cheap and when
ever property gets mainly iuto the hands of
the few, and the many are so heavily weight
ed with poverty and lack of opportunity that
they cannot rise-then, popular government
10 A,nerica is like to prove deusion and
snare. Yet 10 this pass it will certainly come
if plutdcracy'- government by wealth alone
goes on towards universal dominion with such
strides as it has been taking for generation
past. Down.trodden Ireland is to-day an ex-
ample of plutocratic government at its worst
England, of plutocratic government at its
best. We should be very sorry to see Ameri-
ca under plutocracy at its best. Yet if any
thing we have yet discovered in the way of
governmental methods is to save us, it is
universal suffrage the only great step in ad
| vance we have taken. The absence of no.
bility, and our federal and local governments,
were not matters OF choice but of necessity.
Wherever they could, American statesmen
have simply copied from English models.
Manhood suffrage is the sum of our prog
| ress yet, in these evil times, men are doubt
| ing whether that Is or is not mistake. So far
from it, we believe that universal suffrage
will prove the salvation of the republic. just
| now, weighted down as it is with ignorance
at the bottom and corruption at the top, we
see it at its worst But few generations
of schools for the children of our emigrants
and Of our freedmen, and sharp eye on the
designs OF our putocrats in The meantime,
should enable US to AVOID the dangers that at
present 30 seriously threaten the future of
popular government In the United States. s.'-
gs} s45-sit s------------------g----T----
The removal OF an ovarian tumolsis very
doubtful surgical operation but was success
fully performed In Hartford few weeks
since. The Times gives in detail the meas
| ureS taken to prevent auy Infection of the
/ wound:
A suite or rooms in healthy and airy loca-
| ton was secured. The carpets were removed
from these. the furniture reduced to the smp.
| lest necessities. No shades, no curtains, no
covers were allowable The walls and CELL
ing were painted with solution of carbulic
acid. the furniture washed, the floors deluged
with the same. Every article of furniture,