The Tiffin tribune. [volume] (Tiffin, Ohio) 1848-1859, 1858-05-21
The Disease Of American Politics.
It's Cause and IT'S Cure.

ITS Cause and its Cure.
An opinion seems 10 be prevalent
,mong certain classes, that politicians have
, license to cheat. lie and be dishonest |
generally in political matters, which is
not granted to men in other chaacters.
Private theft and hnavery brand the per-
petrator With disgnoo and he is not un
frequently over.aken by severe yet we'll
canned punishment for his crimes; but po-
litical lying, perjury and wickednoss, ap-
pear to be taken as matters Of course. a
man may from the stump, or through
newspaper columns, pour forth upon the
people ialsehood after falsehood for the
purpose, directly Of docoiving them into
he sanction Of some great though con-
cealed public crime-indirectly, for bis
own private gain, being well paid for his
labor Another man may on the witness
stand, or in the jury box, in Court OF
Justice, for bribo, porjuro himself. II
is hard to sec wherein lies the difference
in guilt between these two men. Both
bear false witness for similar ends. Yet
few think Of attaching even moral turpi-
4 tude 10 tho former, while the latter Is ar
raigned, prosecuted aud sent to the Peni-
tonliary for a heiuous olfen,e This
wrong public iment u tualy places a
premium upon political rasoality; and he
who is most adroit in swindling the peo.
pie, makes so much clear profit. He in
trenches himself behind tins false idea,
and, while he is deferred in his daily
walk with his fellows, as a citizen, from
being caught in the preparation Of any
0agrant crime, by dread Of the opprobri-
lun and punishment which must follow,
there is no corresponding restraint thrown
around him IN his dealings as a politician
with the public.
Now this is certainly all wrong. IL
should not bo TO deceive the people as
q body, is surely no less wicked than to
deceive ono Of them as an Individual
TO lie about politics is as bad as to lie
concerning the quality Of property for
sale Whenever, wherever, or however,
Il maniiests itsolf, dishonesty is dishones
ty nevertheless Whatever il be told Of,
lie Is still a lie. All are branches nour-
ished from the same common root, and
the existence Of tho fruit proves the eKis-
tencs Of the generating principle. The
man who would forge q circular 10 diddle
people out of their votes, would--all 9TH
or things being the same--forge a note,
and attach to i a forged signature. lie
who would intellg1nty promulgate false
hoods respecting ptblic men and meas
uros, for mercenary purposes, would for
tho samo reasons, could he do II with the
samo impuuity, swear TO n lie before a ju-
". or steal his neighbours sheep.
Corruption among politicians is the
great and Crying sin Of this day and land
Yet the evil has its source among the
people. and with them is It's remedy As
long MS they suffer themselves to be led
about by the rant aud sophislry Of every
cunnlng man who sspiros to place aud
power among them, 80 long win there be
demagoguos skilled in all the arts Of de.
ception, The hope Of obtaining what
Others have got thus, will stimulate them;
the people are the school in which they
will be trained, and the subjects upon
which they will practice and become pro-
lioiont. And 50 long also will there be
swarms Of pretty office hunters. following
in the wake Of the larger ones, to Go their
dirtiest work, and receive as their pay
post.ofices, and other crumbs which may
be dropped for them.
A necessary consequence Of all this is
a bad administration Of public affairs.
Those who seek office merely out of greed
inoss will not fail to crafty their oupidi-
" therelrom, when j; is obtained. Pub
lic moneys will be squandored and public
rights encroachod upon. Their own pock-
cts must be fllod, and those whom they
have suborned must be paid out Of the
peoples funds. And this describes ex.
aetly our present national administration
aud those Of years pact Nor is the
prospect Of better things in this respect
very flattoring. Men see themselves
cheated by those they have supported,
discover that game of falsehood has been
played upon them by their leaders, and
they settle down upon the conviction that
dishonesty is a necessity Of politics.
Such a conclusion precludes tho possibil-
ity Of Reform, Let the Sovereigns Of the
land kHot0 what they want done; let them
select their servants who shall do il, from
men whc possess capacity and integrity
instead Of noisy rantors, let them watch
their doiugs aud hold them strictly ac.
oountable at the great bar Of public opin.
ion,-- sentence from which, few do moi
fear-snd when gully Of public crime let
merlIed luNmy await them, and the peo-
PIE will dud the evil eradicated, and their
servants upright and faithful.
GIT.
From Forney's Philadelphia Press.
The Roll Of Honor,
&