Sifting Through the Sands of Time from the Courier Archives

140 Years Ago 2 June 12, 1869

Imperial Government

It may mot be generally known to our readers that there is published in New York city a paper called the Imperialist, which advocates the transformation of our form of government into an empire. It is not positively known to what party it belongs, but it is easy enough to ascertain who would support the treasonable proposition.—From the foundation of the Government, the Democrats have advocated a system of national rule that should be as mild and light as was consistent with public safety, and always opposed to centralizing power.

From the establishment of the government, the opponents of the Democratic party, under whatever name they have been known, have continually advocated strong central government. At the breaking out of the war, they ridiculed the idea that we had a government at all. Sumner, the emasculated leader of the Radical party, has traveled all over the country, haranguing the people from the question, "Are we a nation?" The conclusion to which he came was that we were not a nation, only as we could feel the yoke of the ruler upon our necks.—The mild form of government that had been established by the Democratic party, whereunder we hardly felt that we had a government was denounced as giving no nationality at all.

So has it always been. The Democrats have fought the idea of a strong centralized power from the days of Hamilton. The opposition since that time have been the advocates of that doctrine and even not stigmatize those who do not agree with them as disloyal.

Who, then, would be likely to inaugurate the plan of imperialism lately developed in the establishment of this New York journal? The Democrats who have always opposed the least approach to imperial rule, or the opposition who have always contended, do yet contend for a government that the "people can feel"—for a government that is strong and overrides all State rights and power?

Rascality Rampant

Absconding principals and defrauding clerks are all the rage. Every day chronicles the disappearance of some one or other of these speculating individuals, who generally manage to carry with them very handsome sums. Anything short of a twenty thousand defalcation is considered almost too small for newspaper notice. A hundred thousand dollar affair provokes a ten line paragraph, and a half a million or so is deemed worthy half a column. By the way, who ever heard of one of these scoundrels being punished? Defalcations of this character are so frequent and enormous in amount, that it would seem as though some steps would be taken to bring the perpetrators to punishment, but thus far they appear to ply their vocation with almost perfect impunity. So long as these things are winked at, so long will they continue to increase.