Che Conservative.
GOVKKNMKXTS.
[ The views of : i Pennsylvania republican. For
TIIK CONSKIIVATIVK ] ,
Mit. EDITOU My Denr Sir :
* # * *
Allow mo to state Ivn.s in the con
vention hold in our city that organized
the republican party and was familiar
with the acts and feelings which domin
ated the men that , gave birth to that
party. As also an eye-witness and in
terested spectator of the thrilling events
which followed. I have arrived at this
V conclusion ( reluctantly I must confess )
that the American experiment of man
? ! hood suffrage , or Abe Lincoln's govern
ment of the people by the people and for
the people is a most dismal failure and
< . * is not possible of u successful issue.
This will no doubt , startle you com
ing from a native-born American citi-
/en and yet the truth of our American
history verifies the statement to the
letter. No one will pretend it is the
function of a good government to de
stroy its own people ; and yet that is all
we have to show for our first century's
experiment at self-government. You
will possibly point to the great achieve
ments of the American people as an evi
dence of the success of our nationality.
I answer these great achievements were
in no measure attributable to our politi
cal sj'stem of government , but in spite
of its great drawbacks , and are proofs of
the great natural advantages of our
agricultural and mineral resources and
the genius of our people in all lines but
that of common-sense political economj' .
If the destruction of a million of lives of
the flower of the land , the sacrifice of
six billions of treasure , the devastation
of the homes of one-third of the people
of our nation along with the destruction
of [ untold millions of property is the
function of a good government , then our
American much-vaunted popular sov
ereignty is a howling success ; otherwise
it is a dismal failure.
Spoil * .
I hold no other result was possible and
as sure as cause and effect continue to
succeed each other the second century
will prove even a greater failure than
the fii-st. How is it possible to bo other
wise with a people who regard their
city , state and national government
franchises as "legitimate spoils belonging
to the victors ? " When 75 million people
ple are all united , or 95 per cent of
them , upon the one great purpose of
plundering their own government no
other result than failure is possible.
Then again , even if the integrity was
not lacking , the intelligence essential to
good government is clearly wanting.
There is not one man in ten of the
voters knows , much less cares , what are
the issues involved in an election held
by the state or nation. Hence this
;
affords unscrupulous demagogues the
opportunity to promote their own selfish
ambitious by the facility our American
manhood-suffrage affords them. If you
tossed a copper in the air , "heads you
win and tails I lose , " you have as
intelligent n decision as a popular vote
of the American people affords. The
natural consequence is that the indus
trial classes of the people are made
serfs to support a corrupt official aris
tocracy colonized at. the capitals of state
and nation and fastened upon our mu
nicipal governments , prostituting all our
public offices from the public school
teacher to the president of the United
States to pot-house politicians , avarice
and greed.
IJankriipts.
Hence wo have as a natural result , all
our city , state and national governments
in a bankrupt condition only awaiting
; he hands of a receiver and the univer
sal repudiation that awaits the proud
American people long ere their second
century of manhood suffrage has
rounded up.
Sonu * Citiibvs.
Allow mo to call your attention to
some of the causes that as inevit
ably lead to this result as day and
night succeed each other. The first
: , wo great factors which are work
ing to this end are our American educators
caters the public schools and public
press. ( I am aware I am touching upon
two boasted idols of the American ppo-
plo and will not find many who will
agree with me. ) But a state or nation
no more than an individual "can do
nothing against the truth but for the
truth" saith the inspired Word ; and all
human experience fully verifies the fact.
"What a people sow that they also
reap. " This is also an inspired truth
which the experience of the Amer
ican people during their first century's
attempt at self-government most clearly
established.
Debts and Tnxcu.
The bankrupt condition of the Key
stone state treasury in the face of the
fact that her ten million tax-payers are
so burdened with taxes that their farms
will no longer yield crops that will meet
the necessities of the farmer and pay
the taxes , along with the additional
fact that all her industries and business
enterprises are under such tribute to
meet the burdens that the unscrupulous
political adventurers impose upon them
clearly demonstrates the fallacy of our
state and national government pater
nalism ; or of fastening upon the indus
trial clnsses the hordes of political
drones that are using our public school
system to escape the necessity of earn
ing their own livelihood. I will men
tion one of the many ways our public
schools ore used as plausible excuses for
fastening these drones on the hive. We
mve among the innumerable leeches
; hat have imposed the vast sum of 5
millions of dollars on our citizens to bo
sweated out of the industrial classes
what is styled county superintendent
of public schools. The most important
requirements of this state official is that
10 shall bo an expert word heeler , cap
able of rendering the political boss
: hrough whoso grace he secures the
office the most efficient service. The
office is of no more real benefit to the
public school children "than a fifth wheel
is to a wagon , " and if public schools
were conducted as private schools or in
dividual business enterprises the fraud
would not be tolerated a single day ; and
yet this political henchman and deadbeat -
beat through collusion with school-di
rectors whoso daughters depend upon
tiis certificates to teach ( on the principle
of jou tickle me and I will tickle you )
: ias in the past ten years worked the
salaiy-grab racket up from § 3,000 a year
: o $5,000 a year. He is adding house
: o house while scores of poor men for
whose benefit the schools are intended
or pretended have seen their own little
nomes pass out of their hands as a re-
s\ilt of a decreased wage and increased
cost of living , arising from the burdens
fastened upon them under our sham
public school S3Tstem of education.
Tlie I'ross.
Again , take our public press ; it sets up
the claim only second to that of the pub
lic schools ( which have contribTited the
most to the present deplorable corrupt
state and condition of the American people
ple as evidenced by such scandalous crim
inations and recriminations as those of
Major-General Miles versus President
McKinley and his cabinet. ) lam not prepared -
pared to say , but these facts along with
the no less disgraceful acts attending
the attempt of the majority of our Key
stone state legislators to re-elect that
prince of political knaves to the United
States senate ; and wo have as clearly
demonstrated as experience can demon
strate a truth , the character , not only of
the educators who are fitting up our
citizens for the duties of citizenship but
the results from which there is no pos
sible escape that is , that of our Ameri
can republican system of government
being built upon a foundation of sand.
Permit mo now in conclusion to call
your attention to some of the natural
results flowing out from our political
economy and system of education. And
I challenge the history of the world to
show in the same length of time like
results.
Coht of Government.
The expense of our general govern
ment in I860 when we were 80,000,000
of people was $60,000,000. In 1899 with
all the advantages of cheaper transpor
tation , etc. , the cost to govern 70,000,000
American people has increased to over
seven hundred and fifty millions ; our