The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-02-16
THF DAILY DISPATCH.



PUBLIC MEN or THE U. STATES
There Il very little Of elevation ,er .disin-
tersstedness to be found in the aspirations
81 most Of the public men Of this country
4 noble ambition, which aims Il the good Of
the country. and seeks TO deserve success -
well i 70 obtain Il, Is . thing Of which they
know but little. That which they chiefly
atudy and which they most anxiously desire,
/. their own official promotion, to secure
which they are by no means nice n the ase Of
means. This Is plain language but i Il also.
plain truth. The great business Of Congress
l. not the transaction Of public business. but
the business Of President making. To tins
al other subjects are made subservient. At.
the shrine Of this Moloch. every great ma.
tional interest Is relentlessly sacrificed The
vital question of slavery is converted into q
hobby for politicians TO ride. and the people
Of : large section are kept in a continual fer
ment BY assaults upon their property and
rights, that scheming demagogues may have
= chance Of advancing their selfish and sec
tional ends. ss.a
The Union Of these States was only effect
I'd by 8 large hearted and self sacrificing pat
riotisnl and only by that can it be preserved.
But the men who are capable of sucha viz
tue. on grand scale, are mot to be found in
great numbers on the theatre of public at.
fairs. The statesman who would sacrifice
his prospects Of personal advancement to
conscience and principle, is now regarded
either as . weak or impracticable person.
whose proper position would be in private
life The faithful party ass, who knoweth
and oheyeth his rider, and whe, though he
see the Angel of Truth, with drawn sword
standing in his way. never budges to the
right or left, is preferred in honor to a hui
man being who has mind and soul, and who
acknowledges allegiance only to justice and
reason. f1 = 't' elf
In this state of things, rather than in the
vexed subject Of slavery, lies the chief peril
to our Union and its Republican institutions.
The compromises of the Constitution could
be easily preserved if the spirit which framed
those compromises continued to exist. 1t is
by the spirit, rather than the letter Of the
Consultation, that our Union is held together.
But we fear that the spirit is fast departing
and that the ghastly semblance of life will
alcns remain. How many public men of the
North dare take their stand upon the Constitu-
tion and bid defiance to the ''higher law? Not
an omnibus load. And why? Not because
they doubt for q moment that the Constitu-
tion, which they have sworn to support, is
binding upon their consciences to the exclu-
sion of all such fanatical decisions as a
higher law,'-not that they believe the
law of God is in conflict with the Constitu
ton, or that, if they did, they would pay any
peculiar reverence to it on account of its be-
ing the law of God, -but simply and alone
because they are afraid of the :. higher law
of public opinion in their Congressional
districts, and the consequent loss Of their
eight dollars per diem and their hopes of DO
litical advancement. How long Union can
be preserved, whose destinies are committed
to the keeping Of men governed by such mo-
-tives. is problem which we do not profess
to be able to solve.
This narrow and contracted craving for
mere political preferment, is unworthy the
name Of pbition. In its nature, and in it's
results, it is alike little and contemplate.
Grovelling like the worm, it becomes at last
converted into butterfly of Office, only to
hutter for brief hour in summers day
and then return to it's original nothingness.
No human honor is more precarious and
ephemeral than that of official distinction. Ii
is bubble which glitters for an instant in
the sunshine, but floats at the mercy of the
popular breath, and perishes almost as soon
~ it is born. Who remembers now, who
reverences the Office holders of ancient Re
publics, and who enquiries or cares whether
their great and immortal spirits ever con-
scented to hold an office? Who burthens his
recollection with the name of more than one
5 in tan thousand of the men who have held
efice in the United States? Webster, Clav
and Calhoun will live till the end of time, not
because of their official station, but for their
intrinsic merit and exalted aims. Year after
year and age after age, there will be political
meteors, who will fash for moment athwart
the armament and then disappear forever, but
the fixed stars of true greatness win shine
on, the wonder and delight of future genera
tions. fs
The TRIPLETs.-Our local column yester-
day announced the interesting event of the
giving birth to three children by the wife of
worthy and poor workman of the Rich
mond Foundry. An estimabIe gentleman
who knows the parties writes us the follow.
Ing. We trust his example may be followed
By others, and that the family which has had
such sudden and unusual addition to ;ts
number, may be the object of such Al
amount Of generous sympathy and material
assistance aswill excite both its gratitude and
Joy: t
Nh. EprroI.--I observed in sour n.r.r hi.
n0rning notice OF rather rare event ,bs h;s.s
q the three children Of Mrs R, Arrnstro,a $3.50
lneband II said 70 be worthy gentlemsp .,d III
uirable mechanic employed a The Riehmn,Ss ~ T az
dEy Mr. Armstrong Is very worthy ma ha uun
naD md being only laborer. his means are s,'sss