The Yazoo City weekly Whig. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 18??-1855, 1853-03-18
The Probity OF our National Coun-
ellis.

those which should govern the servants Of
the people have an undue power over our
legislative councils; and that the evil, al
ready great, is advancing in extent and au
dacity. 1t is impossible to hear such sug-
gestions without painful modification, for
the imputation involves the honor of our
country. The offence comprehending, as
it must, falsehood and treachery. conspiracy
and yenality-is guilty and base beyond |
parallel. The patriot is shocked at the bare
thought that republicanism, Boosting its
proud dependence on public virtue, should
share the worst vices of monarchy, and
bushes to learn that the chosen depos-
itories of popular power can be SUBJ
jected to shame which extends from the
individual offenders to the system itself.
The effects Of this humiliation, at home and
abroad, are discouraging to the cause of
self-goyernment; and its authors. in staining
The honor of republicanism, wound the
cause of mankind.
The existence of such an evil not merely
induces modification, but excites alarm Meth
er unmanly nor unwise. We are aware that
the possibility of real danger is Knocked as
a lugubrious absurdity; but no thinking man
doubts that history has ascertained some
truths, and, among them, that there are
causes of ruin which no republic can en-
counter and survive. When those causes
exist. or are likely to exist, there is no weak
ness in experimenting their consequences.
however remote. When the legislature of
republic-the depository of the popular
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES debased by its cor
ruption, it ceases to be venerable; and de-
pending on the confidence and respect of
the people, it ceases to be strong. Nothing
has so constantly and inevitable as this prov
ed fatal to free governments. The people.
having trusted their representatives with
everything, should watch them closely, de-
tect readily their lapses from probity. and
visit them with an angrier retribution from
the treachery and ingratitude of the wrong.
Confidence once forfeited, respect and .es-
TEEN are soon changed to their opposites
The Legislative body thus obnoxious may
be tolerated for time; but the evil is one
that rapidly grows worse. until the wrong
becomes rampant and shameless, and the
council becomes hated and despised. Its
fall has, in all past cases, soon followed; for
with an alienated people refusing to inter-
pose, the task of a Cromwell or Napoleon
is half done to their hands. True, the
change is ever calamitous-for the worst
popular government is better than the best
despotism; but, in the mad moment of their
disgust and resentment, the people have not
so reasoned, if they reasoned at all, and
have ever refused to arm for a government
which they despised. These are old truths.
but old truths are sometimes necessary to
avert old calamities. Of course, no one
supposes that his life can witness any such
disaster; but the dimist possibility in the re-
hottest future should be sufficient to arouse
the vigilance Of the patriot; and, after all,
when the cloud is in the sky and the bolt in
the cloud, who knows when or where it
will fall?
Good men have, for some time, regarded
with regret the obvious decline in our Ma
tionol Councils. from that holiness of de-
pertinent which inspired the veneration Of
the world and elected the eloquent eulogium
of Chatham. The Roman Senate in the
time of Camillus was not more majestic
than our early American Congress. But
gradually, and at last rapidly, relaxing its
dignity, it at length seems too often indiffer
ent as to conduct or character, or ambitious
of celebrity for Chat species of vulgar vio-
Hence which lacks even the recommendation
Of vulgar vigor. Many of our wisest citi-
zens regard tive trust. too severely-as a
council without gravity of deliberation, a
forum without the dignity Of debate; as an
arena for degraded and pointIess personal
controversies, duels with daggers of lath,
where the combatants reel into insult and
crawl back into apology make war without
courage, and peace without honor. II to
this want Of dignity be added a want of yir-
tue. who will deny that there is ample
ground for the apprehensons Of the patriot.
And those apprehensions are heightened by
the knowledge that corruption in public
bodies is vice so insidious that its pras-
ence and progress are seldom realized; that
its commission is generally easy, secret. and
safe; that the inducements to it are as null