Year: 1874

NUMBER SEVEN.


ALBANY, Linn County, Or, I


April 18th, 1874.
Editor Democrat:


1 closed my last letter with the
promise that in this I would consider
the full consumation and effects of
the tendency of the people of por-
ton of the States to invoke the aid of
the federal government to control
the institutions of other States.


1t is not easy at this time to deter
mine to what extent the people would
have permitted federal interference
with State politics, or how far Con
gress and the executive would have
ventured in that direction, had there
been no civil war to afford q pretext
for the exercise of the extraordinary
powers claimed for the federal gov
ernment for the last thirteen years.
That unhappy state OF our coun-
try emboldened the administration,
backed by Congress and supported by
the military arm, to assume the ex-
ercise Of powers little dreamed of by
the fathers of the republic and un-
known to any except despotic govern
ments; but it was said to be un-
der that ever ready and specious
plea of necessity" Necessity
seemed to require that the policy
of the administration should not
be questioned by the press, hence
such as dared to do so were denied
the mails, OF the military authorities
were hired to demolish press and
type. If the citizen dared to exer-
else his accustomed freedom in criti-
cising the public acts of public men
he must needs feel the strong arm of
government by lingering in military
prison, and denied the right to meet
his accusers face to face in the tenn
pies of justice; or, if a trial was
vouchsafed at all it was by tribunal
unknown to the law, and therefore
certain to convict. That such pow
ers were exercised in our country in
view of our theory Of government is
truly remarkable, but not so remark
able as the fact that men were found
ready to defend the usurpation, and
claim that it was no usurpation, but
the exercise of a government right,
and that many were educated to be-
lieve in there seems no doubt, from
the fact that after the war closed the
usurpation did not cease. Our con-
stitution declares that no State shall
be deprived, without its consent, of
its voice in the Senate, but it was
nevertheless done, Congress, the
creature of the States, assumes to
Judge the States its creator, and to
prescribe certain amendments that
certain States must make to their
constitutions, as a condition prece-
dent to representation in Congress;
and to enfranchise the ignorant and
illiterate and to disfranchise the ed
ucated and enlightened portion of
the population, completely reversing
the theory with which our fore fathers
set out after achieving our indepen-
dence. This complete reversal of
our system is manifest in the policy
of the federal government toward the
South, from the close of the war to
the present time. Governors of SOW
ereign States have been displaced by
federal power and others seatedNIn
their stead. Judges of State courts
have been required to yield up their
judicial authority to favorites Of The
President, and in neither case were
the people of the State or district al
lowed o voice in choosing their Off
GERS, and generally the appointees
were not only strangers to the peo-
pie, but actually non-residents of the
States whose people they were 10
serve. Having no sympathy with the
people over whom they ruled, and no
interest to subserve but that Of per-
sonal aggrandizement, the effects of
this departure from the true theory
of government as established by the
fathers has been disastrous to all the
substantial interests Of the people OF
the States toward whom this policy
has been pursued.


To fully apprehend the wisdom
that guided the trainers of our sys-
TEN of government in providing for
the maintainence of State sovereignty
we need only look TO the seventy
three years Of our history while State
sovereignty was regarded by the fed
eral government as well as the ma
jority Of the people, and then turn
to the picture presented by the last
thirteen years Of our history. In
this comparison the contrast is 80
great that it would seem every patri-
otto heart in the land would earnestly
desire a speedy return to that sys-
TEN and line Of policy that brought
to our country pence, happiness and
prosperity without any Of the griev-
GUS burdens that weigh us down to-
day. Then government was felt
only in its blessings; now we feel its
heavy hand in all that we do.


Mr.. Editor: This closes the series
of letters / set out TO write. To me
the subject is one Of grave impor-
tance. l have aimed to discuss it
fairly and candidly, and only wish /
could have brought TO its inyestiga-
ton more ability,


Yours,


WILLAMETTE.
------------@er--=--=


A reporter on an Iowa paper
wrote; Yesterday morning, Win
ter and Spring kissed each other in
Il