The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-06-03
rng ASrl.MoSrolY LEAcuE
From ,le nroOklyn DAILY Raele, Ma, 8.

been able in public matters to do little
more than agree to disagree, The sig
nifcance of these gatherings will hardly
be overlooked 10y the shrewd gentlemen
whose craftsmanship begins and ends
with party organization. Experience
has taught them to anticipate the
of some existing piece of po-
litical machinery, when intelligent men
who have been acting in opposition are
drawn together by the feeling that a
great public interest is being sacrificed
between the apparently rival, but fire.
quently confederated, sets of wire pull
ers who operate under the chief party
names. Suoh movements, like chat
against slavery, either compel an essen
tial change in the attitude of one of
the parties, or ultimate in the rise of
new body composed of elements drawn
from the old divisions. This antimo-
nepoly agitation cannot be stopped I'M
til the objects in view arc accomplished.
There are no arts of rhetoric or appeals
to frothy passions which will perma-
mently prevail against the determina-
ton to subject every corporation III the
United States to the common welfare.
The plain issue is made up, and cannot
be obxsured. Every day the thought.
fal men of the country are being
brought to see that more pressing than
any other question is this one; Shall
the corporation be the masters OF the
servants of the publicl To defer the
struggle which this inquiry points
to is but to strengthen the evils com
-plained OF and perhaps make their eradi-
cation impossible. Not to recognize
the necessity for the attack is to DO
blind to the most obvious facts in the
legislation of our time.
! The railroad corporations in partieu-
lar have pressed forward steadily to the
goal of supremacy over all the other
interests eentered in our government
They own the Senate of this State and
apparently of the United States. We
get whatever legislation they assent to,
aud which they oppose. So far, at
least, as the internal commerce of this
and the neighboring commonwealths of
Pennsylvania and New Jersey is con
cerned, the notion that popular in
huences shape the laws is childish
delusion. Under such circumstances,
to talk about putting off the contest till
a more convenient season, as Mr.
Beecher did few months ago, is sirnp-
ly to urge delay in the interest of the
enemy Ii, indeed, the men who ap-
preciate the foothold already secured
and the tendency to strengthen it,
should postpone the conflict, who will
pretend that in the interval the gain
would be on the side of the peoplel
Will it be easier TO effect reform after
the corporations have doubled their
wealth, extended their influence into Il
thousand new departments of industry,
habituated constituencies to corruption
and terrorism. and made our politicians
so familiar with prostitution that those
who refuse bribes and denounce the
takers of them will be regarded rs wild
theorists or bilious disturbers sf nat
ural arrangement No man in his sen.
ses can be in doubt as to the pIopriety
of dealing with the evil now, and of lift
ing it TO the first rank in our politics.
That, at al events, we take il, IL the
opinion of the gentlemen wko have en-
rolled themselves rs members of the
ti-Monopoly League in this city and
New York. They would be very glad
TO see either the Democrats or Republi-
cans address themselves as a party sin
cerely to the rescue of popular sovereign
ty from the hands of the adventures
who have usurped it, but they are re-
solved to make party that will do so
if need be; and whether there is need
or no they mean to ascertain with the
utmost possible certainty, without
much delay. As we understand il, the
feeling is that the Democracy is power
less, and the Republicans are bound
hand and foot in the service of the
monopolists. 1t is at least doubtful
whether the Democrats, under their
present leadership, can be depended on
TO do anything of an adequate nature.
The mass of. the party is, of course,
sound enough. With all its faults, the
Democratic party, at least, has this ore
enormous virtue; 1t is composed in the
main of men who do the hard work of
the country, 'and are therefore directly
interested in maintaining the doctrine
of political eqality. with all that it i'm
plies. YeNthey, too, have f.l'en vic
tiAs to the wire pnller and TIE politi
cal trickster. Can the plain, honest
manhood of the party sweep these
trimmers, traders and traitors aside and
once more stand stnrdily, as it did in
the early days, for the sovereignty of
the people, for the dignity of manhood,
for the rights of labor, for fair field
and no special favors to anybodyl We
shall not at present undertake to an
swer this question, though we have no
hesitation whatever in saying that if
this new uprising does not take place
shortly within the Democratic fold, the
party will at an early day be number
ed with the things that were. Here
are the new issues, and if the Democra-
cy cannot deal witt them the party
must de unceremoniously buried.
So far as the Republican organization
is concerned it seems to us there is
little to be hoped for. It has had the
power and it has systematically used it
for the building up Of the monopolies.
1t is to-day the avowed ally of every
monopoly of Importance in the country.
It is at the present moment in complete
charge of the Judiciary, the Legisla-
tive, the Executive and the administra-
tive authority of this State, and the
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