Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-25
A CONTEMPLATED OUTRAGE.

The Republican party has never been
noted for moderation in the exercise of
power. While pretending to great re-
gard for liberty and for popular rights,
it has in reality never hesitated to sacri-
flee both to its lust of power. Just now
the leaders of that party are engaged in
incubating bill which will hand the
election machinery Of the states over to
federal officials. In this measure the
American people are brought face to
face with a great peril, and the only
thing that will save them is detection
from the party ranks that can scarcely
be hoped for. The Republican house eau
Gus has decided to report measure Civ
ing the control of the elections for presi-
dent, vice-president and members of the
house of representatives to federal
officials. The president recommended
such bill in his message to congress.
Such recognized leaders as Reed and
Mckinley are determined that il shall
become law. That the senate will put
a bit into the mouth of its more i'm
petuous associate is scarcely to be be-
lieved. Are we warranted, then, in as
suming that the people are hopelessly
without redress?
By no means. All who have read
American political history are familiar
with the high-handed acts of old John
Adams and his brother Federalists.
Their alien and sedition laws and their
monarchical mummery and tiummery
were even more offensive than the
tampering with the rights of the people
which is now being attempted by John
Cabot Lodge and his fellow conspiratofs.
For time the people were subjected to
intolerable annoyance, menace and es-
pionage in consequence OF the laws en-
acted and the policy pursued by the
Adams administration. There was ap-
parently no redress. Every department
of the national government was in Fed
eralist hands. Congress was over
whelmingly Federalist. The supreme
court was unanimously so. Even Wash
ington had seemed to give his
august countenance to the Fed
eralist junta. In the person OF
the president of the United States
the enemies of the liberties of the peo-
pie had an indomitable and blooded
leader to whom strife and the high
handed role were second nature. Every
thing seemed to point to an era of auto
cratic government, popular in form in
some respects, which was apparently to
last for generations.
But all this was surface glamour.
Across the Potomac river, in the shades
of Monticello, dwelt a genuine lover of
liberty in the person of the man who
had penned the immortal Declaration OF
Independence. He opposed to the I'M
republican brutality of the Federalists
nothing but the calm wisdom of a
statesman and philosopher, but
before his wise and equable ar
raignment of Federalist insolence and
usurpation the fabric of despotism
melted away as does snow bank under
fervid April sun. The people rose in
their might and overturned the Federal
party, and so great was the popular dis
gust inspired amongst the masses by
| these Federalist antics that Democratic
ascendancy which lasted quite forty
years was insured, the contrivance by
which John Quincy Adams was made
president by the house OF representa-
! tives not being a real interruption OF
that ascendancy, as Clay, Crawford and
Adams all proclaimed as belonging to
the party Of Jefferson, and the FEEDER
alist organization had. really disappeared
at the second election of Monroe.
Strong as the Republican party seems
just now, it is not any stronger than
were the Federalists under old John
Adams. When Mr.. Springer, an able
and intrepid Democrat from Illinois,
addressing Speaker Reed, said, "You
can ride over the representatives of the
people, sir, but the people can pull you
and your party down." he spoke, al
though he mayinot have known it at the
time, in the genuine spirit of prophecy
Perhaps the most offensive of all the
measures proposed by the Republican
leaders is this federal election bill, which
takes the elections out of the hands o1
the people and puts them into those OF
federal myrmidons.
| LAST Spntem her the HERAID cave the