The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1884-11-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.

- WAsH1xcrox, D. c., Nov. l, 1884.
Editor Of the Chronicle:
A Washington letter, just 1t this time
must seem like an anachronism, for the
fight of the great quadrennial election
RACES everywhere but here. But, though
We do not vote, we are moreexcited and
anxious than any other community on
the continent. We "throug the streets
with terror dumb" or in silent hope, a.
the case may be, and await the Waterloo
of November the fourth. The battle 10
waged everywhere except in Washing
ton, but here its results will be most
quickly and keenly felt. Deliver ils
from the brilliant demagogue, aud slip
perry SPECTATOR is the prayer Of every
Resnocrai.> But the great majority, in
this city Of Republican office holders,
praying with frantic fervor for the sue
cess of the party that has fed and cloth
ed them, and used them, not for the
good of the people and country. hut for
the Republican party.
There is ill-lisguised terror in the
ranks of the offire holders here;; they are.
take them all in all, a very ignorant, TN
patriotic set Of tools. They have no high
er conception Of politics than that It is a
contest for office. They scoff at all at
tempts to purify and elevate the public
service, and the National administration.
With this view. they, of course, look
upon the efforts "f the Democracy and
Independent Republicans rs the efforts
of robbers who vote and fight only for
the booty Of Office.
This is indeed remarkable spectacle
spectacle that we are witnessing, but we
need a .retrospcction of five hundred or
Thousand years to appreciate it. The
Macauley Of the future will refer to this
century, as the epoch in the human race,
when the question of state polityand dy-
nasty which, in former centuries were
settled only by the sword, were attempt
ed to be settled by poll of popular opin
ion Will he be ablt to say that the ex-
pertinent was successful? He will have
to record that in the Centennial anniver-
sarv of the American nation, the plebisc-
itum clearly and emphaticaliy expressed
its preference for the candidacy Of Sanu-
el j. Tilden, but the Republican party by
Fraud and conspiracy, seized the govern
ment and placed in the executive CHAIR
He will further write that ut the next
general plebisitum one Of the cOnspira-
tors who had thwarted the public will,
was by bribery, corruption, and the
shameless use OF money, furnished by
giant corporations placed at the head Of
the government. viii he be able to re-
cord that at the succeeding general cleo
tion the people prevailed. and that the
experiment of the government by the
people and for the people had = tempo
rary triumph over the forces that assail-
ed it, -.
These questions may appear to have
little pertinence to those who look neith-
er backward or forward, who know so
little of history and political institutions,
that they suppose agovernmentis found
ed on rock because it has appeared 70
live through an infancy Of a hundred
wears.
We as a nation are not Riyen to intro.
spection. Removed far from the tr1ne-
atlantic civilizations, we lackss measure
of comparison. One result is vanity and
over confidence. To critisiee. ap hing
American is looked upon as uApas'iotic
pessamistic by the average Young Amer
i.an. and many ar Young in default Of
the Judgment maturity Of years should
bring.
The campaign that has ja6t. closed has
sh wn an utter lack Of faith in the idea
! of popular sovereignty on. the part Of
Republican leaders. The idea upon
which this government is founded is that
;tx roonle ara intall;e.a.. .,-.-.s,.i ef .-ns.
son and Judgment But in contempt ol
this idea, appeals have been constantly
made to their passions and. .preiudices
their fears. The bloody shrt' has been
Haunted, and those who ought. to be-
statesmen, for they have figured in a.
fairs Of state, have not hesitated to san
ction and to use the most disracabl'
means to cloud the real issues and to per
vert the truth. :.
How much longer can We stand thu
monstrous Justification? Truth in 1T
hroadest sense, yeracity. is the essens'
of National life. A nation will die be
cause it believes lie. The faisehoOt
will get INTO it's heart and poison it's jutl
gment. The object for which the Natio'
should exist, the good Of the million
which compose it, will be thwarted, an
the government will be Overthrown b.