The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-06-20
DISHONESTY.

DIof1o4N i
In the early part of the present session,
certain member of Congress, by the precipitate
zeal OF advocating a favorite political dogma,
was betrayed in the employment of an argu-
mentto show that purity of administration, in
republican government, is utterly impossible.
Though ms reasoning was sufficiently compre
.hensive in its application, it did not reach the
integrity of the Representatives of the People.
Whether that gentleman, however, has not at
times ventured 10 impeach those at least who
were politically opposed to him, of direliction
of duty, if not Of unworthlness OF motive, we
will not at present venture to assert. whether
he did or did not, is circumstance OF no
great Importance. The imputation of corrupt
motive has been made by others-by one far
greater than he is, and one who has found, and
no doubt will find, numerous ilnitaors in the
easy task Of the ascription Of motives.
To say, in general terms, that much of the
hardness in the transaction Of the public bust
ness visible in Congress, is owing TO the clrcum-l
stance of the attention of SO many being di-'
vered from their appropriate duties to the inn
L
crime which cannot be forgiven, and brings
down the bitterest denunciations from the
mouth pieces Of certain partisan leaders. In
stating this cause of well known fact, no new
charge was made-no charge impeaching the
purityof all the members of Congress, or of
any one Of them. Whether il be the true cause
or not, i, is at all events more respectful to-.
wards the House than the contemptuous insin-
uation concerning the business habits Of the d.
rect Representatives of the People, made by
great orator not many years since.
That the public business has been greatly ne
elected at the present session, cannot be denied.
The effect must have cause. We were will
ing TO accept the one assigned by Mr.. Morris
Others are not so easily satisfied. They are
more shrewd than we are in .tecting the Sc
cret springs WHICH direct the acts Of public men,
and more reckless in publishing their conjec-
lures. When member Of Congress, elected
by the People to represent their interests and
wishes, dares to utter sentiment which can
be tortured into declaration even Of partial
independence OF party tyranny, he is lmmedL
ately charged with bribery. We have heard
that certain great man in the National coun-
ellis once asserted that an important bill passed
at an early period Of our Government was the
offspring of bribery. From an opponent of the
provisions of that bill, he has become the warm
est of its advocates. Was his conversion pro-
duced by bribery? We have never thought so.
But his virtue was not, we presume, more I'M
pregnable than that Of the great men of the pre-
ceding generation-nor is he TO be thought
purer and holier than many Of those around
him His example, however, can be quoted As
justification Of the course and Language Of his
parasites But what must the People begin to
think of their own Representatives, when the
charge of direct bribery can be so readily made
against them-or what, on the o her hand must
they think of the glib accusers-il they are
deemed worthy ola thought at all.
cit is impossible that the administration Of a
Republican Government can be pure and honest"
is the assumption of an oracular eXpounder Of
the Constitution and the laws, sand members Of
Congress are bribed by a small quid pro quo
into deserton Of their principles" II these pro
positions be correct prognostlcs,we are approach
ing rapidly an unfavorabe issue of the Repub'
lcan experiment Does Mr.. Davis believe this
In conclusion we may say for ourselves, that
though we have frequently called the attention
of the people to the fact, that the public busl-
ness proceeded at slow rate in Congress, the
cause we did not pretend to assign-motves we
did not pretend to impugn. Al all events we
feel no inclination to attribute or suspect dis
honesty.