New-York tribune., 1884-10-04

Behind the question of tariff there lies
greater. Behind questions OF finance OF
foreign policy, or the character OF candidates
there lies greater Can the people OF this
country govern themselves ? Have they lost
the power beyond recall to express freely their
wishes at the ballot-box That this Is a
greater question than any other all must Sec
when il is considered that it involves all other
questions Ii the voters have no power To
make their will effective, it matters but lIttlc
what they will. as to the tariff, as t. the
finances as to the character Of their candidates,
as to the conduct OF parties. Argument on any
of these questions would be folly if it were once
determined that the people had lost the power
10 make their will elective.
What is the fact The will of the people Is
cxpIcsscd through the election OF members OF
CnngicsS ana Presidential Electors. In the
choice of Electors the people vote by states; III
the choice of Senators. by state Legislatures !;
il, the choice of Representatives, by districts
In States which elect j3 Presidential Electors,
- Senators. ani 12l Representatives. II is u
matter of great Ioubt whether the people have
lost altogether the power to make their VIII
effective IN some districts IN these states thai
power may be apparently retained, though the
latent force exists ~ wrcst II from the people
at any time when u little clique may choose.
IN other States il is the notorious train tlh
the people have not for years, AMI cannot, eject
auybody by their free choice. A large proper
ton of them are not permitted to vote ltcch.
10 hold public meetings IN peace. to listen 10
such discussion as is customary ~ states where
free speech exists. Nor if they east their votes
have thcy any assurance that those votes will be
honestly counted or correctly returned
The history Of the usnrpatiOn nt the South.
by which tia Democratic party. c0nlcssodly u
minority IN certain States. seized The COY
oinmcni Of those states by aimed force, nnd has
controlled II ever since. ought to br familiar
and nnfortoltoD. Set II would s"cm that thofo
~, intelligent mcn. men indeed @hp dnim l1r
mpto ilun the otdinlty intelligence. btl mrb "l
topuinblo character Who cl1nl. indeed, inf
mpte ihn the ordinary purity nnd pnliioilFni'
vino nro to-day engaged Ia frNndng tins
gigantic crime against self government Ihrt
present effort II 80 make lhat crime succeed
In tlIcc successive Presidential elections II has
been defeated Again and again, by these
same men, il has been denounced as the most
infamous crime of the century and now all
their efforts are put forth TO reward that crime
by political success. The men who have per-
pctratcd it, hungry Democratic managers, and
ravcnou, Democratic office seekers, do not care
the thousandth part of a pinch OF snuli whether
respectable gentlemen at the North think well
or i'll of them. They care Tor nothing bht the
spoie and those they hope nOw to secure by the
aid of the men who have called them sc0un-
drcls and assasslns.
In any other land, at any other time in the
history of this country, it would be deemed
incredible that a majority of the people could
forgive or tolerate such crime against their
rights When New-York casts 1,lOO,OOO
votes, or MORE thereby showing what policy
the majority of the people in this State prefer.
they are liable to be overruled and defeated
by set of unscrupulous scoundrels in other
States. a minority there, armed, not with JUS
ticc. but with weapons of murder. Unless the
Northern States are more nearly united in
opinion than they have been in some former
elections, that "voten at the South, which is
not free nor honest may turn the scale. In
effect then. we shall have the country ruled,
and its policy shaped. perhaps for many years,
not by the will of the people, but by the will
of the shotgun. If that is not the sort OF gov
ernmeut the Northern people want, they have
but few weeks in which to mature and cx-
press their will so decisively that il shall not be
overcome