Year: 1868

that long maintained It's existence.


Every student of ancient history is


familiar with the rise and progress


the decline and fall, of the Roman


and Grecian republics; nor do the


records of Venice or of the French


republics, in more modern times, sup


ply better argument to the advocate


of republican freedom than the an


mails of antiquity. However fair we


are to believe in the capacity of man


and especially of educated and en-


lightened man, for selfgovernment,


yet are we constrained to acknowl-


edge that the experiments which have


been tried strongly initiate against


the fiattering theory. Brief episodes


there have been indeed, when peoples


have so nobly asserted their capacity


for self rule that it were sin to call


that capacity into question; but in


variably those brief episodes have


been succeeded by the inevitable trans


fer of power from the many to the few.


The transition from the stern virtues


of Aristides and the glowing republi-


canism Of Demostbenes to the brilliant


Macedonian empire, and from the no.


BILE Brutus TO the imperial Caesar, has


been all too sudden for history to in


spire mankind with any oyerweening
confidence in the theory of popular


selfgovcrnment


To all this our forefathers were
keenly alive. In the experiment in
stituted by them they protited by the
failures OF other repulics, and endeav-
ored 70 place the American system


upon a more solid and enduring basis


Avoiding the crude and unwieldy De
mocracy of the one nation, the aristo-
cratic tendencies of another, the cen
tralizing features Of third, and the
anarchical elements of fourth, they


took counsel of experience and wis
dom and perfected the most complete
system ofrepublican government with
which man was ever blessed. A rep
resentative Democracy, in complex
system of general and State govern
ments, seemed to give assurance that
the republican alembic had at last
produced the long sought philosophers
stone. With their handiwork finished
before them the founders of the Amer.
lean republic might well exclaim in
equal pride and confidence OF spirit,
EStO perpet,ta And for more than
three-quarters Of a century the issue
seemed fully to justify the anticipa-
ton, for never before did a country
prosper as ours has done until within
the last few years. With perfect lib
erty for the people, the nation waxed
and powerful, our commerce
whitcned every sea, and our flag was
in every port. Prosperity
and freedom prevailed at home, and
honor as one among the greatest ma
tions of the earth conceded TO us
abroad. Happy would it have been
for us, for liberty, for civilization, if
all our own people bad been content
that things should remain thus. But
as time went on party sprang up in
the land having for its principles ten
cts antagonistic TO the theories Of the
and fatal TO republican
institutions. AT first weak Us the
stream from some icy glacier of the
Rocky Mountains, it grew in power
and volume as il went on until in the
end it becomes mighty us the Missis-
sipp's flood, and destroying as the
molten lava that flows from the vol
cano's side. From this, formerly the
Abolition, now the Radical party,
the noble work devised by the fathers
is in present danger of destruction,
the great experiment instituted BY
them in imminent peril of at last re-
sulting in disastrous failure. If the
people be not now true to themselves
and to republicanism the time must
soon come when the American republic
will take its place in history with the
other abortive experiments in self-gov-
ernment


We cannot believe the citizens of
the United States any more ignorant
of the crisis in their national affairs
than were the men of the Eternal
City when they saw the chief officers
Of the Republic put up for sale to the
highest bidder, or than were the
when the fierce Phillipics
of their great orator rang in their
ears but, alas that we should have
cause TO say it, there are signs among
our people of the existence of like |
fatal apathy. If having the power
to save themselves and republiranism
from the fate with which Radicalism
mneaces them they tamelysubmit, the r
case is no better, and is even less hon.
orable, than if they yielded TO some
resistless conqueror No right-think-
ing man but would infinitely prefer,
if our republican institutions are TO
be overturned, and despotism is to .
take the place Of freedom, that il
should be the work of too powerful
foreign copqueror than of an ambi.
tious and unprincipled home faction
for as in the one case we should feel |
after futile resistance, that We bat |
yielded to an inevitable decree offate,
so in the other we should have the
humiliation of knowing our misfor.
tune to be our own fault. And yet
We do not despair of the republic
We trust that the fires of liberty still
shoulder in the breasts of the people,
and we are not without hope that
those fires may yet leap forth into
conAagratiou that will consume alike
the treason and the traitors. Perhaps |
after all, the apparent indifference of
the people TO the monstrous usurpa-
tions of the Radical conspirators is
rather apparent than real, rather due