Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1880-08-18

men in office and turning the Who'll
brood OF Federal oiloe'holders loos
10 influence tho elections, The none.
Of the people, taken out Of the public
treMury by these men for seVice'
often poorly performed or not per
formed At all, Is being used 10 vas
sums, with the knowledge aud pro-
sumed sanction Of the Administration
to control tho elections, and even The
members Of the Cabinet are strolloe
about the country making partisan
speeches, instead Of being In their de-
partments at Washington dscharging
the public duties for which they arc
paid by the people, But with all
their clevcrness and ability q disorim-
inatiag public will no doubt read be-
tween tho lines Of their speeches that
their paramount hope and aim ia 10
keep themselves or their satellites four
years longer in Office, Perpetuating
the power OF chronic Federal office
holders four years longer will not ben
eft the millions Of men and women
who hold no office but earn their daily
bread by honest industry is what the
Same discerning public will no doubt
fully understand, as they will also that
II is because Of their own industry and
economy aud Gods bountifal harvests
that tho country is comparatively
prosperous, and not because OF any
thing done by these Federal office
holders. The country is comparative
ly prosperous, not because Of them
but in spite Of them. This contest is
IN fact between the people endeavor-
ing to regain the political power
which rightfa!ly belongs to them, and
to restore the pure, simple, economi-
cal, constitutional government Of our
fathers, on tho one side, and n hun.
dred thousand federal office-holders
and their hackers, pampered with
place and power, and determined to
return them at all hazards, on the 9TH
or. Hence the constant assumption
OF new and dangerous powers by the
General Government under the rule of
tic Republican party, the effort to
build up what they call strong gov
ernment, the interference with home
rule and with the administration of
Justice in the courts of the several
States, the interference With the elec-
,ions through the medium of paid
partisan Federal office-holders inter-
ested in keeping their party in power,
and caring more for that than fairness
in the elections. In fact, the constant
encroachments which have been made
by that party upon the clearly reserved
rights of the people and the States
will, if not checked, subvert the libel
ties of the people and the government
of limited powers created by the
fathers, and end in a great consoli.
dated central govenment-strong, in
deed, for evll-and the overthrow OF
institutions. The wise
men who formed out Constitution
knew the evils Of a strong government
and the long continuance of political
power in the same hands. They knew
there was tendency in this direction
in all governments and consequent
danger to republican institutions from
that cause, and took pains to guard
against it. The machinery for
strong centralized general government
can be used to perpetuate the same set
of men in power from term to term
until it ceases to be republic, or is
such only in name, and the tendency
of the party now In power in that d.
rection, as shown in various ways, be-
sides the willingness recently mani
tested by large number Of that party
to elect President an unlimited num-
Der of terms, is quite apparent, and
must satisfy thinking people that the
time has come when it will he safest
AID best tor that party to be retired
But in resisting the eueroachments OF
the General Government upon the re
served rights of the people and the
States. I wish to be distinctly under.
stood as favoring the proper exercise
by the General Government OF the
powers rightfuly belonging to it un-
der the Constitution. Encroaohments
upon the Constitutional rights of the
General Government or interference
with the proper exercise OF its powers
must be carefully avoided. The union
of the States under the Constitution
must be maintained, and it is well
known that this has always been the