Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1855-03-30
ma proZres, Of pOlitical v!rtae,

Putnam monthly Tor feuEshTl Contaln'
a lengthy aud piquan, article under thu
above heading. A few extracts may both
amuse and enligh,cn our readers. Tho hst
paragraph we fear contains a particle Of
irony The writer says
VERY few men, we venture to say, have
carefully noticed the steep and steady climax
Of the long succession Of public men In the
United States, from 1855 TO 1854 how,
although we may have begun at the former
date with fair s-lcrtions, we have continued
TO make lcttcN until for the last twenty
wears our leaders and representatives at home
and abroad-our whole force Of officials, cy.
ccutiye Ond legislative, national, state and
municipal, has mustered as host Of high
soulcl. uoblc-mindel. unspo,tci men, dis
tiuguishcd by every private aud public eH-
collencc by surprising talents, suspicion
lcs. lisintcrcs,cln.~-, translucent purity OF
motive. inyinciblc molc,ty and patience
crowned, in short, with starry coronal' OF
virtues who's purc lustrc might benefit a
white-roled choir of angels.'
We omit ono account Of the manner in
which Synator,hir. are procured AMI give
the last one described a. follows
In other sections Of the country A. we
remarked, the approved mode Of operation
differs slightly. Instead u covering their
aspirations With the decent veil ofrcluctancc
or inliircrcnce some eaniidat,- not only want
to bo elected but to often lombard the car'
ofthp individual AMI collective public with
endless and impdrtGuatc rcitrration' Of the
announcement. Over their personal sigma
turys they do often advertise thcmsolvr, in
the papers, o. On hirc Tor the public good,
as c,arsoly O, Il they were donkcys to let ;
warantinr. ~ one would warrant his dom
kcy sound in wind and limb, that their best
effort. shall D. devoted TO the pcrf1rmanr"
u their dutios. They stump" their dis
trict. cry themselves up, aud their ad,er-
.arir- down drink, swear, and tell dirty
stories AL about the country, aud IL they
succeed, do it by being (only coar'' phrase
will serve a. the exponent Of the precise
id,a) jus, the d---dcs, bcst fellows in the
State"
The degradation of candidates, ccn'e-
1ucnc, Of laiius.s and lust of office has, very
reacted upon voter. The con'ti-
turut body in this country, vho;cycr IT, Ia
tent excellence may H., docs NO now poS.rs-
decided and ACTIVE intelligence enough n
select good men % rule H. Voters expect
candidates Ia come hcgring TO them. They
ask-it has often hrn aid in ~ many words
liza man vnni an Office why dnn't b"
ask Tor it, lfhc iDr, not want IL enough
10 ask fir IL. De- shall no, have it What
d di.sracyful irsorri,5 siHrh' 4, ifhman
ought q d. grateful frr being put into oscc,
1orrt ~ the elevation i, a spontaneous
testimony 20 h.. private worth and ability A;
and as Il oacial station gained by bold beg
-ins could b, othcr than demonstration II
vorthlc,,ucr- and disability And asiftho
favor v,r, not reciprocal, Il an hottest aud
noble mon viii consent ~ burden himself
with ID, yr1ius iniTicacirs and thauklcss la
.pr, Of Official life What such man will
AL ahJui and ask, either Of individual. or
II crowds. their '.mo.t swrt yoicc- 80 IL
would L. uncomfortable Curiolanus wa
right Aud bit,a nccr- like thu-' Of hi
asking, would pgrfon'e poison the h-scoch-
ing, of the men most worthy ~ rule thcss
United State, even If they could bow them
selves a. siialy ~ b, did
'Nour voices; Sr ,our voice, | have foughl;
Watched iof ,uUr 'eic', lur lour voice.. bar
pfsornd, is' i1fep odd 'utiles thrice -
have sctn sri heath ai; ipr lorf voices have
Du0s marl lhing', some Ices, some more: Nour
yHirrs.
lois,d. I ~ould b r. n.ol 80
IT. then proceeds to define IN, cause. and
discus. the moral. II political action
Having thu. discussed the moral " our
present political action, it is appropriate 20
investigate the causes ofthcir decline. These
"a, laas, the immediate causr--wc ndrr
not diGcult to discover They arr all in
,luded in one. and that i. fls degradation Of
rr,rarr iui,ihr,ro, N IA, Voting b5iy. This
degradation. again. We trace to thre" sources
Is follows
-. Tb,Shgr-- Of ignorant foreigners. ~
-. m nercasins proportion ofirnornt
native voter which two influences add in.
votsr- to.thc lists"
-. The neglect, by the more capable por-
ton Of the voting population, Of their pre-.
.iminary dutir. a. mediate, though actu.
Il governors. which paralytc. the proper
strength or our intelligent voters
"Orthesc three sources the first two are
inye'tigable the last capable
lnly Of estimation"
Ia-r," ofignordni foreigner. "
"Thus.'to many Europeans feel in Europe
and thu, they feel hers. Without clear
perceptions Of Of the proper extent Of the
province Of law-or the right relation be-
tween the mental and moral progress Of the
human race and the s,ringrncy or scope Of
legislative enactmeats-indeed, very often
with an idea that no law. other than that
Of individual supremacy, !. Z. ofbrute might
and right, /. either right or exPcdicp1, they
rebound from the tlose d,spoti'm at home
into almost a dvlifium Of unrstraincd ir"e-
.lom here. In the wide liberty Of thi- Re
public, they do not impinsc every moment
4 nf ftuNXeT