The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-10-15
The Primary Elections-Their Natural


the most brilliant Of his philippines, he withdrew 10
retired spct where he was econ TO bury his face in
tho folds Of bis robe and heard to cry in an agony
Of grief my country my county, hadst thou
been content with less Freedom, thou woulds. no,
have been slave day" Though the last strng-
giles Of Athens are too far removed from US a. the
prteent time to excite any immediate interest
though our recoisctons Of the great orator de;ic.
him pouring torrents Of rcsistIess elosusnce rather
tban grievire in solitude over the downfall Of The
State, whose sole defender he was fen can contem-
plate The deep anguish with which conviction burst
on his mind, without some synpathesic pspg.
There none who cannot conjecture, If they do
not wholly realize, the awful misfortune involved il
loss of liberty; no American, at NJ events can tr-n
coldly from the defparing appeal Of an unsuccess-
ful patriot Dreamy and distant though our
mental image Of the Old Greek republics, it nesas
not an antquary or poet 20 picture their Sad do.
cline, and to mourn over the gradual absorption Of
civil freedom in the slough of despotism The least
imaginative smopg us has often wished i. had been
bis loo 10 oppose daaatiess breast TO the MICE
doran cohorts, and give to Athens the energies OF
one honest man. Many youthful student az our
schools and colleges has "theEghs himself aoourssi
be was not there," 10 set the example of inasxi.
bic integrity, while the whole multitude, from the
Acopolis to the Pnyx, bartering their freedom
Cor Philips gold. For something more than mere
sympathy for . ruined state attracts US to wards
"ths city" The fellow feeling which bids US shsro
the triumpbs and disappointmsn:s of any race that
is struggling for liberty is almcs. q selfish
sentiment when applied to Athens. In the nation
which Pericles and Cleon sacesssively ruled, we can
trace no slight similarity to our nstional CHI r-
actcrstics and inatitutions From the days Of Inc
former, Athens became apurs democracy; the aris
toeacy sffectuaily crippled and the whole power
OF the State conferred in toe popular assem- olies
Professor Heeren thus describes the result" Ia
such democratic State, the squandsring Of the
public money was In unavoidable evil This
evil was produced much less by the populations of
individual State ocers than By the dsmsnds of Sae
demagogues, who, for the most part, lived as the
expense Of the State treasury"
What more truthful picture Of our own political
condition could be drawn! Taking the State Of
New York as an instance, how lamentable mas been
the result Of the amendments which the LAST few
years have introduced in the constitution, We
doubt whether Athens herself, at the dep-aved
period Of her decline, exhibited a more gloouy
prospect. The Capitalization of patronage in the
hands Of the masses, IN this city, who ar obsi.
ously incompetent TO bestoW il juicinusly-she "a
tai influence thus conceded to dssnagogues and
ward poiti,ansthe prevalence OF 70 Sdyisn, witch
an ineffective and corrupt police organization Is IN
able to check-rhs nOckery CT the primary slec
tions, where rowdy's vote is equal TO this. OF
hundred citizens-ths venality Of the Nominating
COW entioDs, where every man has his prics--srd
finally, the cstentasiGas proGigacy Of the oandi-
dates, who utterly dead to any respect 70, them
selves or sentinen. OF pubc honoraro foata res for
o parallel TO which ve might explore the whole an
mails Of the world in vain Our elections would
have disg>aced the temple of a,chn or the Fc-ania
its days Cola and violence are tee only az all
able titles tosocoess The rsns,eadegs Of oe o-rsn-
izca rovdy clubs are bOugec By the asDis-nss 20
civic dstinctions-the rosdses ere bought hy their
ripslead-rs-the delegates TO the nominating eon-
ventons IRE bought BY tbs candidates the oazii-
dates themselves are bought OFF By one sncthsr-
snd the successful ones bought, a. last, by hose
who c0ntrac. with the State. or who VIC, ate her
isws From heginning 70 end, j; is ssries g bar
gains and sales. He who mas the longest purse is
TO win and the people suye to ply bis price
Political honors have their market rate, like stocks
They factuatc not proportion to the yiolsncs Of
party spirit, but IL harmony win the amour. Of
pecua;ion which is believed to be within the grasp
of the future incumbent. Some day We saal lave
the nominations for mayor, aldermen, aad other
municipal officers, quoted in the papers, az o legti,
mate al tiSle OF merohapdi sehke the prices of cod
6eh or salt macke-cl These things are no secret
They are necessarily familiar to every citizen
No one hiss the squeamishness to deny that hs has
bought hs office, or to affect any prudish reserve
when a reasonable bid is male 70, ais own vote.
Ward politicians arc head 70 boast shss thsy clear
enough in October and November TO keep them in
comfortable ease during tie req. Of the yen. Ths
police drive . lucrative tra by winking a. ,rins
Any villain who can w.eiG a. stick at primary
elt cion is secure oftae charitable Intervention esaa
alderman, if ne is de eoed ia sheft OF n1rdsroas
yio ence Bells and mosk auctions ara an2ag he,
most lroitsbIe establisbmsuts in the city.
Where il thisto end Z At Ataens, IL fsstsynp-
tom o. decay wss disaster in wsr. fnen fol.owoa,
in ouios succession, the revo,ctioa-ths oversdro
Of the democracy. the college of the four hund.sds
the con mi.teo Of ave- thousand, the hir,y tyrErts
aud the reign Of terror another revol1t,n sc3 the
restoration Of ssloD's system Of govsrnmer.. BIT
tbe Atlenisn spirit vas dead Dem - gasn sai
listl.ss, indifferent. and degraded, sapinsly threw
lsreslt into the arms Of Philip and was engaehed
in the Macedonian ,onquests.
Dare we carry tho parallel 50 far CO this Must
we expect toat . time will CONE ahea orr
citizens will refuss, en- m1sse, to vote, lot
only "a the primary elections, but at every
election, and the possession Of unoounded liberty
will Prove to have been the commence nent of an
era ofroTdy despotism Z Ruefilly as We co1sen.
fllte suoh prospect, it Is no ahaioEy vision. Uu-
less the authority Of the ninaing Convention, Of
both factions is repudGted by the people q. large
-unl,ss bold and decided measures are taken by he
,uostartia, citizens to put down rowdyism--s
such result is Inevitable It is not ye. too lase.
Coco ard true msn may Jet ampu.ate the deformity
IRON the body petite and cauterize the sore The
Goals WHO trade on liberties vas plunder sbe
public money, instead of earning an honss. liyeu-
hood VITO 1lcn the hard won dollars NJ IN. JrisL