The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-14
THE SOCIALIST CULLOM.

20 repeal the federal election laws present
ed all the way through with great
distinctness the line Of demarcation
between those who advocate the princi-
pies OF government advanced by the Re
publican party and those on which the
| Democratic party Is founded. From the
beginning TO the end Of his speech the doc
trlne was preached that the government
is everything, the individual citizen moth
| ing. II was idle. he said for Congress
/ TO sit stupidity down contented with the
| false theory that the States have full con-
| troll Of the elections. a proposition which
was the same in effect as that Of the men
who in 1861 sought to break up the union.
A government, he said, which has not the
power 10 protect its own membership and
TO have some control in it's own elections
was as weak as water. He added that
the Democratic party sought in addition
10 destroy the protective tariff policy and
TO substitute a state for national cur
rency.
II Mr.. Cullom Is talking for the unthink-
ing mob and is content with the endorse
ment that comes from hand clapping and
shouts II is OF course waste OF time to
discuss his propositions with him: but
II he really wants to argue questions with
a view to aiming at sound and just con
illusions there is food for much thought
in what he says.
In the first place there IS no sort Of JUS
tice or propriety in connecting together as
correlated movements the efforts Of the
southern States TO secede and the present
effort to repeal the federal election laws.
One was movement TO withdraw from
the Union and set up and establish new
nation upon this continent. There is no
scheme or purpose of that sort in the
movement for the repeal Of these laws.
Many men who were secessionists favor
their repeal but it would be totally illogi-
cal to say they favor the repeal because
they were secessionists in 1861, and it
would be most unjust to them also, since,
even If they were secessionists in 1861
they are not secessionists now. There Is
not in our opinion a single secessionist
now living in the South. We are all for
the Union, now and forever. most sincere
~, and not under compulsion, but because
we want to be a part of the Union. There
is, therefore. neither sense nor propriety In
connecting these two ideas as one.
But secessionists Of 1861 who are now as
thorough Union men as Mr.. Cullom
say that elections are proceedings in the
daily life of citizens that it does not per-
tain to the Congress 10 control. They
say that the essential idea of representa-
tive bodies is that the representative shall
thoroughly represent that which is the
controlling element of the locality whence
he comes. If the cut-throats and election
thieves are in the ascendancy in that To-
cality the true theory Of government is to
leave the moral elements of that COM
munity TO deal with the situation. If left
alone they will be certain 10 assert them
selves in time and wrest from the vicious
that control which properly belongs 10
themselves. BY pursuing this course we
secure representatives who truly repre-
sent the best element Of the locality, and
the representative body becomes live and
virile one in which all the various and
conteLding interests of a country have an
equal and a fun show as nearly as such a
thing is possible But If Mr.. Cullom's
policy is pursued Of having the local cleo
ton controlled by the agencies Of a cen
trail government. the representatives chos-
en- represent the thoughts and oolorings Of
the central authority and not those OF
the neighborhood. The distinction be-
tween the Republican and Democratic
theory of government could not be brought
out more clearly than 1t is right at this
point.
The one is the centralizing, socialistic
idea of having all men TO depend on
government which, as il has no native
substance and existence. soon becomes a
huge pile Of rotten fabrics extorted in
one way and another from the people;
the other is an expression of the idea
that the individual and his own untram-
meled efforts directed according to his
NNh 0Noiit CO anu NitWS VI illS DtSl inter
est is everything. and that the sole
province of government in domestic
affairs is to keep the peace between
citizens and prevent one from trespass-
ing upon another.
II needs little penetration and power
OF reasoning to see that the first idea
naturally rushes to a protective tariff
and national paper currency. Consid-
ering it the governments duty to coddle
the citizen, IT would protect him from a
competition which he earnestly seeks and
would dictate TO him what negotiable
paper ne should take in his business
transactions. All these ideas belong TO
the same class. They are the Socialists
doctrine that the government Is TO
nurse and protect its children. while the
Democratic idea denies any existence 10
government save as the citizens grant
its functions. and IT demands that the
government shall lean on the citizens
instead Of the citizens hanging on to the
government.