The Russellville Democrat., 1882-09-07
The Great Issue.

Under the existing order of things the election of . democratic majority Tn Congress or Democratic candi- date for the Presidency, implies a vast preponderance of Democratic sentiment in the county, for the Re publican party enters on every cam paign with illegitimate and unfair advantages equivalent to a million of votes.
 The entire civil service of the Gov ernment, or so much thereof ss may be necessary, is attached to or made part of the political machine. The money voted and the men employed to carry on the public business are used to secure Republican ascen- dsncy to such an extent as use of them may be thought requisite to the accomplishment of that end. Thus the revenues gathered from the people at large are employed to prevent fair expression of the pop ular will, and are thereby made sub rersive of the one great principle of a Republican form of government; 1; for an election. the results of which are purposely made to misrepresent the sentiments of the people, is a fraud in fact, although it may be managed in accordance with the forms of law.
 Millions of dollars collected from Democrats, in the shape of duties on imports and internal taxation, and appropriated ostensibly for the main tenance of the various civil depart ments, are virtually used to fight the Democratic party by a bold, un- elushing prostitution of the public service in every general election. Whoever will recall the campaign of 1880, whatever may be his political affillation, will feel compelled to admit that we have stated the mat ter with due regard to truth; for if All the departments had been openly and lawfully placed at the disposal of the Republican management in that canvass it would have been scarcely possible to have so run them as to make them in a greater degree tributary to Republican sue cess.
 All this was not done without a protest from Republicans whose sense of decency was outraged, but that protest was not needed and the work went on 10 the end. If the ap priatlons for the civil service of that year had been entitled "a bill to pro. vide means for the Republican cam paign committee" the money thus appropriated might have been more directly, but 1t would not have bsen less effectually applied.
 Nor IS this all in the way of unfair and anti Republican advantages. All the great corporations and monopo- lies, representing millions of men and billions of money, have been permitted to dictate Republican leg. islation on .he condition that they would help that party with funds, and use their influence with voters in it's behalf in every time Of need. If it be necessary to give illustra- tions Of fhis dictation, we need only mention the defeat of the refand,pg bill by veto in 1881, and the refusal of the forty-seventh Congress to re- duce the war tariff. Tho man who cannot see in these events the con trol of the Republican party by the monopolists, belongs to the blindest of all classes --those who will not see.
 In view of what we have stated it seems to us that there is no occa. sion for Democrats to be hunting up issues. These facts, and the thous- ands of facts growing out of these, constitute terrible indictment, and its truth can be readily placed be. fore any audience or any community so as to startle every mind that has not become fully reconciled to the utter subyersion of our Government.
 We advocate no dilettsnteism. We want no grammar school examina- tions to test mans fitness for the duties of a copyist We do not hold that q man parts with his rights as man when he accepts an office. But when all the executive departments are virtually incorporated with the Republican campaign machine, and when the legislative department IS owned and dominated by corpora. tions that it created, VIC can see that an issue of vital importance IS star. ing the Democratic party in the face. e.-WashiDgton Post