The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-05-31
H0RATI0 SEYMOUR.
Views of The Grand Old Man on Present at
fairs.

4
Views of The Grand Old Man on Present af.
1t is not the legislators that rule this
country but the lobby. Our Legislators
and public officials are in office only tenn
porarily. They are there for life. They
know all about the bills before Congress.
They praetic lily do the work. They swarm
at the Capitol in preponderating numbers,
and they stay there while Senators and
congressman come and go, and to them
our legislation is due. This is the great
evil of the day at Washington. First and
last the lobby rules all--President Sena-
tors, Congressional and the dominant party
is also under its control. 1t may not be
wholly the fault of the republican party
as men they arc probably not better or
worse than other men-but it is insepera.
| bly, connected with their system of policy.
1t has grown with their growth and they
cannot shake it off Their tendency has
been to centralize power at the general
capital and to swell the bulk of legislation
transacted there until it has not only gone
| beyond their control but beyond the com
prehension of anybody but the life-mem-
bers of the lobby. The consequence of this
state of affairs can only be disastrous
| as it has already proved, and it now threa-
tens the republican party with dissolution.
That organization has no remedy within
its reach. 1t has found it IMPOSSIBLE to
rot. 70 if41fi r. hos
sought to centraIize everything. and it is
overwhelmed by the gigantic superstruct
ure of corruption it has reared. The dis
orders, temptations and confusion prevail
ing in Washington are not due to the char
acter OF our Observation-Disclosures we
would have to pronounce it a failure. But
if this state of affairs occurs when fifty
million people, with their varied interests,
are to be governed, it becomes a most SER
ious question to forecast the results when
in the near future our population shall
have grown to one hundred millions.
&c There must be a remedy, and 1t is to
be found not in the hands of any states
man, but in a return to the wise and con
sevative ways of the Constitution For
some years there has been disposition to
give power to Congress which is hurtful
to the people and injuri Gus to the morals
of the legislators, which corrupts officials
and tends to make the lobby supreme
Our Government has sought to show its
conservatism by its wise distribution of
political power, leaving to the control of
the local authorities all questions which
directly affect them as communities. 1t
was the design of the men who framed the
Constitution to keep political affairs under
the guidance of those who have the
deepest interest in their successful conduct
The Constitution, in all its provisions,
sought to keep political power from concen-
trating at one point, and an honest con-
struction of its language and spirit would
correct the abuses which have grown to such
threatening proportions in the last twenty
years. If ever speak in public again
but I do not suppose I ever shall be able
to do sol would take up this subject and
show our periis and their remedy. The
republican party is welded to this uncon-
stitutional system of Capitalization and
cannot disentangle itself from the cor
rupt and confusing practices it draws in
its train
The influence of these centralizing
methods comes right home to us in this |
State. They work disastrous results to 1
the commerce of the country to its farm
ers and to business prosperity. Cheap
sells our farm products in
Europe, and has lifted all kinds of business
from the depression which existed some
years ago. 1t is one of the greatest conse-
quences to us to send what we raise and
make to foreign markets at a cheap rate
rying will prevent our grains and provis-
ions from going abroad. If the charges
for transportation go back to where they
were eight or ten years ago they viii cut
off all sales in large way to European
countries. In the course of the growth of
,entralizing ideas the project has been
preached more than once to allow Con
gress to take the great water highways of
.he land under its protection, and thus ex
pose our commercial advantages to rival
'outes and rival interests This would de-
'troy free competition in transportation
ind form a.grand coordination by which
legislation In reference to the carrying
rade of the canals, lakes and rivers would
'egulate all charges of freights; and this
would place the extended and complicated
pursuits of industry and commerce at the
mercy of a self-perpetuating lobby.
Under these circumstances the demo
;ratic party has the opportunity to win a
sreat victory by standing up for eonstituv
ional methods of government. BY its
last traditions and history it is committed ,
o this popular line of policy, which the
epublicanss cannot adopt if they would.
t is ours simply to be guided by the mar
1ellous wisdom which originally distributed i
between different local depart
aents. and which had been lost sight of in !
he tumults of war and in the extraordinary !,
measures arising therefrom. The demo !
ratio party is in the position to make this i
ssue. The disposition of the people,
Il