Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-12-24

The Controlling Forces in American
Politics"
is the title of an able and forcible article |
Contributed by Senator Edmunds to the cur
rent issue of the North American Regieir. |
From the election of Andrew Jackson to the
.eue1iion Of 1901 the Democratic party, Sen !
ator Edmunds says, was devoted
To the protection of the institution of ne
gro slavery, and to its expansion into the /
territories and new States with al its aristo- I
cratic consequences ofcreating small body of |
great landholders, OF combining education and
political and social power in the hands of the /,
few, who would exert upon the laws and I
other affairs of the Republic the same quality /
OF power that in the free States was distrib- !
uted among the whole body of the people. |;
To the propagation and defence of the dog !
ma of so-called free trade, or, as it has been
lately so well expressed by the National con-
clave of that party, "a tariff for revenue
only" under which it was supposed
that the slave-holding cotton grower
could exchange his products for
those of the underpaid labor of Europe
without giving any encouragement to the
free labor and the free schools of the non
slaveholding States, To the confinement of
the National jurisdiction and the National
laws within the narrowest limits in respect to
the election OF Representatives in Congress,
the privileges of citizens of one State domi-
ciled in another, and the improvement of the
means OF internal communication between
States. To the repression of the jurisdiction
OF the National courts, and to the propaga-
ton of the doctrine that it was the constitu-
tional right of each State to secede from the
Union whenever it should think it best for
its interests to 80 so.
The triumph of the Union removed the
first of these objects. Whether the last has
received its quietus," Senator Edmunds says,
remains for the future to determine. The
party has not in any of its National conven-
tons pronounced against it, and the occur
renee from time to time in the proceedings
of the last and present Congress of the phrase
war between the States, as descriptive of
the rebellion, would seem to indicate that the
doctrine is not abandoned" In Congress the
Democrats have endeavored to cut off or
cramp the jurisdiction of the National courts
IN cases that concern the administration of
National laws, and the rights of persons in
their character as citizens of the United
States.
In the field of economic politics, the posi-
ton of the party as shown by its platforms
of 1876 and 1850, and in Congress, is still in
favor of ievying customs duties in such
way as to produce the greatest revenue from
given commodity, without any reference
to securing the labor Of our citizens against
unfair and injurious competition in foreign
countries and it has, in Congress, gwen
conclusive evidence OF its opposition to any
definltivc resumption of specie payments by
voting with a unanimity nearly, if not quite
absolute against the resumption act of 1875,
and afterward passing inone House u bill for
its repeal.
What definitely are the collective views of
the party except as to the underweighed
and overvaued silver dollar in relation to
the other aspects of the currency question
such as the legal tender quality of paper
money in time of peace, the expansion of the
paper issues of the government and the Ma
tional banking system-it is not easy to say
with certainty. Its platforms are not clear on
these points, although the speeches and votes
OF its members in Congress have been usual
ly IN favor OF an expansion of the issues of
government paper as indefinite as
that expansion of territory which some
of its great lights used to advo-
cate. 1t follows from such a policy
that the system of National banks must be
superseded and abolished, and the whole
volume OF currency, and so, in a degree, the
relative values of credits, property and labor
made to depend, from year to year, solely
upon the discretion or the temper of the Sen
ate and House of Representatives
r1fa IN fINa
amendments the doctrine of the Democratic |
party is that the duties they involve are the |
duties of the States in their character, and |
that no legislation by Congress operating, like |
other laws, upon the persons of citizens is
appropriate. This is shown by the language |
OF the party platform of 1880, |
which accepts these amendments, but |
makes no reference to the laws of |
Congress to carry them into effect and by |
the debates in Congress, where the party has
opposed and voted against every feature of
legislation TO carry them into effect and has
endeavored 10 procure the repeal of all
laws already enacted for that pur-
pose. So, too, in regard to the laws
OF Congress providing for the regis
tration, scrutiny and other rieans of securing
fair and peaceful elections of members of the
House of Representatives, the same party
has opposed them all. and sought their repeal
even to the extent of endeavoring TO coerce !
the President into agreeing to such repeal at |
tho peril of having no appropriations of |
money with which 10 carry on the Govern
nent.
In closing the Senator observes that "the /
Democratic party, in every effective sense,
is, as it was before the rebellion, nothing else 1
than party founded and existing upon the
ideas OF Il slave-holding system. which has
always been. wherever it has exist
ed, corner stone of aristocratical gov
eminent
When the elective, but sometimes slow in
fucnces of time and justice, security and
education, cure the evils that in these States
now affect 10th races in general, and, per-
haps, still more severely those patriotic free
men who bore everything for their love of
the Union during rebellion. or those who,
with absolute and affirmative fidelity, accept
ed all the consequences of its overthrow,
and endcavored To defend the political and
civil equality Of the liberated race, the main
spring of the Democratic party will hc
broken. The inhabitants of all the States
will then he one in respect of the fundamen-
tai principles Of the Government, and, in
general, in respect of the means by which
real and law-regulated liberty is To be
secured and there will be no longer any ap-
parent geography in politics