Kenosha tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1855, 1855-06-14
FACTS AND THE MORAL.


There happens in the life of nearl; every man
who assumes to he public man leader, emer-
gencies when he is iai,iy tested and his true char
acter distinctly revealed 10 the nub.ic. Many
man who has conn, creed 81 full tide of popular.
lily which BID fair 10 bear him smoothly 10 the high
est honors, suddenly encounters an occasion which
tests him, and he is found lacking in courage o.
honesty, ana lhcncefos,b s1i.ks and is lost sight o.
forever.
The People may be uneniig tened aai gno. ant
bat they are nevertheless honest, aud they feel We
~ qu;ck want Of honesty or detection frum
Fsincple on the part Of those they have trusled :;
aud whilst probably they can Tolerate stupidity in
"a p,ible man who shows disposition to do as'we
as tie Knows how aud who has convictions and hc's
.nplo them, they do not tolerate premeditated dis
'bpnssty and manifest want Of principle. o.
Che potical history Of great many men, du>
ring the past few years, furnishes a very marked
illustration Of our idea. Where are the men once
prominent IN the political affairs of the nation who
embarked in the anli.sldyery movement Of 1913,
and subsequently betrayed or sought 10 betray the
movement into the han DIS Of such men Fierce
We have in cur memory scores Of men ia this
once somewhat prominent politicians and pppa-
Ientiy on the highway to prelermen, who have
sunk entirely hey ond the recognition Of any party.
Whatever sopllisMv they NAV have employed TO
satisfy themselves tie public have alwaysie felt tllp
they were men without stamina, without honesty,
and as such they have been treated. And in New
Yolk State there many still more marked ex
amp'es, What has become Of John Van Bnrer,
of james W. Nye, Of Henry d Stanton, aud even
of Preston King and q f. Bcterl The time was
when all these men were locked up to and respcc
ted, no less by foes than friends and for John Van
Barren il confidently pred cited that no less an
honor than achieved by his father awaited him
But where are they 00v? aud what party
thinks Of coupling their fortunes with John Van
Buren, and with What shout Of deIison would
his name for any prominent place be met There
is an instructive Fepugnance the part of the PEG
pie to all such men, and party leaders know enough
noi to brave the public Indignation by making can
didates of them And the fate Of these men TO
whom We have partcu ariv alluded, is that Of the
class they represent, very generally. There is
casonaIiy oue arrested un his way 10 ob ivion and
sustained in visitation of the popular sentiment in
public life by Pierce, bat with that exception the
waters have rolled over. them.
And there is another idea in connection with
this This class OF politicians, so loud and valor>
Gus in their anti,slavery labors of .l84S, are
the most serviie aud hject supporters of that nsti
tuton Thus illustrating the fact that wien men
consent to depart even ore step from the path OF
princp!e-lke woman departing from tie path
of virtue. they become thereafter he tool OF the |
sedGcer-lher deg adaon to he measured only BY /
the baseness of those who wish to use them. The |
amen WHOM 1913 supported Cas- honestly and con
scientonsy believed in the doctrines of his Nichol.
son letter, H. tie present emergency which has All
sen in the application OF their own doctrine to the
now territories, are generally willing and anxious
that all the powers OF the government shall be-
brought to bear 10 compel mn honest and legitimate
application Of that doctrine. Such. however, is |
not the character Of these anti slavery men, rar
excellence, Of ISIS. Having bent themselves to
the demands & s!;lery, tEey very naturally think
their salvation is to be found entirely in the devo
lion and yea obey exhibit IN that cause aud nov
in de vhe'e north they about the only men
who stand up in ,ae defence 0: ,he Neb raska out
rags 4ad Is results.
We have been led 10 these r,A:c'ioas by mott
eng some -rer. ,1,n..si atoms on the pa,t of Van
Bu-eo. w. AL. hers OF that class OF politicians,
o. a devotion 90 st- c.ase O. slavery, considerably
more de.-aaa- .hau The Ca<S men of '4s could be
coax,d iuto expressing ! nd we make thispredc
ton. ;h,t in Inc na.to,ol Struggle approaching on
this qu,s..oa, ra,sc men VIII be about the only men
of the uanh who viii be found standing shoulder
to shoulder with Aichjson, Douglass, Fierce, Sc.
10 carry out the purposes for which the. Missouri
compromise repealed.
We trust those who ueed ii, will draw the prop
or moral from these facts: taal any hope OF decei
wing tae poar'sr instincts by p'rtences Of an Ion
esiy which caudne: G,rs not warrant, viii pruve
vain. TIE moleut man makes M his m,nd
a VOCATION Of i principe, Which he has already
given abundant evidence rha, he understands, he
can also make up his mind h4 he is lost in lie po-
rular favor forever And further. hat when he
once consents to step Dc trcm the path Of con
scious 1uty there wiH be no end to the sacrifices he
will be competed to make. nor bo,'osn 10 the pit
of degradation into whrh he failing.
THE PORTLAND RIor-A paragraph in