The Dawson journal., 1886-04-01
Midnight Reilections--No. 2.

| O-N N~y yO nuSO IeIIuuulSu II
alp" II Socrates lived among us
now he would doubtless put the
same interrogation and With
much propriety, for knowledge is
absolutely necessary for the es-
tablishment and maintenance of
good government. In the foolish
whirl of fashion and folly and
mad pursuit of the almighty dol
lar, the higher qualities and finer
senses of the people have been
blunted so that they neither COM
prehend the situation Of political
affairs nor have the sterling man
hood to redress their wrongs at
the polls and purify and elevate
their government, Legislative, ju-
dicial and executive; and lift 1t
out of the maelstrom into which
it was dragged in the period
known as reconstruction, or the
time of 40 acres and mule"
Like the time when the Lori
wlnked at the wickedness Of men,
the wisest Of our leaders recog-
nized the necessity of having
available men, whose only recon-
mendation for Office was their
availability, represent and govern
us rather than have the sons of
Ham control and direct the affairs
of State. Happily for the good
OF all concerned, but specially for
these poor Southern States, Hill,
Gordon, Lamar & Co. snapped a
sweenied horse for lame mule
and three blooded horses, and
thereby estopped the carpet-bag-
ger and always aspiring available
man who grew sleek and compar-
atively rich on his nine dollars
per day, COOLERS and jobs.
Great inertia ensued from this
state of affairs, so much so that
at last, when the long night has
passed, the fetters that bound us
have been loosed, the "nigger"
ceased to be better than the white
man, and a clear democratic ma
jority dominates almost the whole
South, the people seem not to re-
alize the situation, but still await
the announcement of these avail
able gentlemen who have saved
the State SO many times, and who
SO cheerfully and unselhshly
would continue to sacrifice their
great inte!lects and valuable time
for the poor old State. Many sci
entists believe that our world
will be destroyed by diminution
of light and heat from the great
luminary. Politically, we are in
a frozen condition now, compared
with two to three decades since.
No Websters, or Clays, or Cal
houns adorn our National Legis-
lature, nor is there Marshall, or
a prospective one, in the galanxy
of Supreme Court judges. As
for the president well, Grover
has backbone. Whittier are we
drifting? Momentous question:!
Only the other day one of the
great lights with prophetic ken
said: "if the two great political
parties Of this country do not pu-
rify themselves, the government
will be disrupted in less than fif-
ty years. Might he not have di-
viled by ten and lived to see the
fuliillment of his prophecy? 1t
IS not the name OF form OF GOV
ermnent that constitutes its excel
lence or wholesomeness, but its
administration, affording protec-
ton to life, liberty and property
the positive protection of proper
ty and the sure remuneration for
faithful labor. Any government
falling short Of this is only gov
ornment IN name e-its proper
name is Anarchy. AT the stroke
of Powderly's little hammer ten
thousand men stick their hands in
their pockets and whistle "The
girl | left behind me-" while mil,
lions of capital are suffering, and
our great complex government af-
fords no protection or relief.
But we are selfish creatures,
and this selishness directs my
mind to an old drawer near at
hand, and / tumble out its con-
tents and look what? Tax
raoair,A, I ,ot'o Con Govo,,t,- ,,;,o