The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-04-18

making this land OF ours one great
wealth factoryp Is that the be al
and end alll Are we to travel over
the same low lands Of luxury.
eneminacy, consumption, and decay as
nations and GOVernments that have IL
sen and fallen before rs on the plains Of
history
On what do we build. and for what
do we build9 What greatness do we
seek to achieVep To what do our insti-
tutiOns tendp Isit the creation Of mere
wealth. Or Is IL the advancement and
elevation Of the human racer Shall we
not light up our pathway Of progress as
a people with more Of Justice, more Of
benevOlenee, more OF the higher attri-
butes that stir within our hearts and
dignity our MANHOOD The Greeks call
turned upward" and what shall be the
use Of all our wealth creating inVen-
tiOns II they do not turn mans face up
ward and create q higher range OF per-
sOnal feeling, ,SambitiOn and action for
our peOplep
Strong fortressess, chains Of noun
tains, rugged frontiers and deep seas, do
not Of themselves protect the country.
1t is the living wall OF brave hearts and
willing hands that make its sure and
cheap defense. The strongest fortress
III INC kuOWn NOEAu 10 bAo AOCA VI UAO-
raltar, and for nesrlyltwo centuries 1t
has been held by the mailed hand Of an
alien and stranger, q menace and q
living repr0ach to the kingdom and peO-
pie who surround 1t, because 3 brRVer
and nObleH hand than tts natural own
ers has taken and withheld it from them.
The essential inteRer Of our country,
the seminal principle Of the American
Government, the germ OF our greatness
as a people, is independent, fearless, In
dtViduaI man, founder and head OF the
family, whose social and political tnflu
ence enlarges itself from the family 70
the state; for the family Is the birth
place and nursery Of the fireslde virtues,
home bred and bred at home, truthful
ness, honor, and courage, self denial and
m0desty, charity and honesty; these are
the qualities that enlarge their influence
from home to the neighbOrhood, until
they permeate the community and per-
wade the state, and public sentiment at
last becomes imbued with the spirit Of
personal integrity. In the ultimate
settlement OF the gravest affairs Of ma
ti0ns, then, are qualities upon which
men must rely for safety and good or
der, and under the form OF government
tiVation and ascendency seems greater
even than elsewhere. They must be re-
presented somewhere In our government
Therefore, whether you call 1t local self
government or home rule, am deeply
Impressed with the necessity for It's
restoration in full force In the broad
Union, equally for the strength and the
safety Of the Union, as well as OF those
pillars Of the state Of which the Union
Is composed, and upon whose integrity
1t depends; and this Is one of the most
Hnkfoa ~ thu Uh0lAkfaal rku
to which we are attached.
A proper regulation OF the two oppos-
ing forces, centrifugal and eentripetal,
maintains true equilibrium, and for
the last twenty years the latter force
has been over exercised, and the former
weakened by disuse.
The Capitalization Of power and ac-
tion Is the obvious result of the iDven-
ton OF steam and telegraphy, and the
safety of our popular institutions de-
mands decentralization, distribution Of
power, and its exercise for local self gov
ernment by those whose daily lives and
interests are to be affected by II. Home
rule, or local self government Is right
and necessary for the American citizen,
and IL Is the Intent and meaning Of our
written constitution OF the Union.
The strength Of state rests upon the
number of upright, independent, self
reliant, self respecting individuals II
contains, and under our democratic the
Ories Of government, all invasions Of
individual freedom OF conscience and
action, not essential for the preserVs-
tion Of social order and protection Of
individual and public rights, are unwise
and unWarTanted.
All tendencies Of legislation which,
ignoring individual responsibility, sub
stitute governmental control In matters
social and personal, tends TO weaken
the powers OF the individual and enfeeb-
ling them by disuse, TO lessen their
agency In good government. In this
mlschieVous substitution Of government
In matters social and personal, lies the
objection to sumptuary laws, interfer-
ence with the conscience In social and
religious affairs, invasion Of the do
main Of private opinion and personal
liberty, which seeks to impose penalties
for anticipated acts and offenses yet un-
committed. This spirit OF unwise and
unjust interference by government Is
the objection to laws which, under the
name Of taxation, favor certain classes
Of occupation at the cost Of others, and
abridge that freedom OF contact and
commercial intercourse which an en-
Hghtened and enlarged sense Of self In
terest should control
ibis, IN Ihcb, ID Lno principle OF social
ism, Of communism, OF paternal over
sight by the Government substituted for
individual EFFORT, guided by Intelligent
self interest, and restrained by indiVid-
ual conscience.
It is TO promote healthy sentiment
and habits Of self reliant manhood that
the Democratic party throughout the
United States insist upon the fullest de-
gree Of individual liberty consistent
with public safety and the rights Of 9TH
ers, and for that reason we deprecate all
unnecessary ipterference with the
rights OF local self government, and all
class legislation BY the General Govern
ment, which assumes guardianship and
protection over the business Of the prt-
vate citizen and functions Of control
over matters Of domestic and local In
terest.
we must carefully and Eealously in
sist that the true germ and real basis Of
the country should not be obscured and
overlooked and public control allowed
over matters properly belonging to pri-
Vate jurisdiction. We need this check
upon centralizing influence, e0nsolida-
tion Of wealth and power, and tyranny
OF party Organization, all Of which tend
to Wither individual manhood and con-
science, and absolVe men from . sense
OF personal duty and obligation.
HuRI.Hryr ON FHH "woRLD' ON sDKMoc-