Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-06-09
The Political Campaign.

ouPPoSc VIII De IN the held IN all the COun- Is
ues' and the annual hurly-burly, attendant m
upon the canvass, will soon be in full blast til
Speeches, great and little, full of sense and III
nonsense, will be made, large displays Of pa eli
trlotism and love for the dear people will be L
exhibited,-much ado will be made about the G
contest for principle and the true interests of Sc
our country, and all that sort of stuff, to the c:
detrlment of the social and moral feelings f.
OF community, and the pecuniary interests N
of all concerned. u
Politics should be studied and understood, Y
but not made a trade of. The apprenticeship
IS 100 long and too injurious and too costly 81
out strange to say no vocation is so much s.
sought after and none so little understood, C
as the tradeo of politics. With many it is but a
another name for d~emagogueism, deception e
ana fraud-a cute system binding and t
badgering the people-s~s.u 6, for the hon a
est and the good-an2. srre ro.d fSS4fnger- 0
ing the cash of the sure ROAD lot :
po+r;osn = 'us Public, without work. :
ra'ilO'Sm' ne fwatchword of our fathers, {
s1cb ga kged from the vocabulary of
masses of the people who
have bsen lovers of country in the land,
- wheedled into the belief, that it is
6hSy anStFArnaee FIR a love ofpartNab blind
devotion to party interests right or wrong
hence nine-tenths of our people may be said
to go it blind.
This view of the picture is bad enough in
all conscience, but when we consider the ut
ter wreck of character, of high souled honor,
Of stern principle and of sound morals, almost
universally consequent upon the surrender of
one to the trade of politics, we may well con-
clude that of all agencies and influences now
at work to bring early ruin upon the Repub-
lie, none are so potent and certain as this.
In the purer days of our history, the ca
pacity and integrity of candidates for Office,
were the first and chiefest matters of interest
to the people, as well as those entrusted with
the power of appointment. No man ther
need ask for office, who was known ever t.
have been guilty of a dishonorablc or dishon
est act. How stands the case now2 If tn
statements of the political and secular pres
be half true, one would think high integrit,
the chief obstacle ofsuccess. Offices of prof
seem to be kept for the special benefit of tn
most noisy, INSCRIPTIONS men, who are cut
wire-workers and tacticians, even if they ar
l the worst rascals who ever went unhurg.-
: Nor is this state of things confided to tn
D party or that. Public opinion in this respe
. has become corrupted. Each politician ar
L each party, is loud-mouthed in its charg
upon the other, of the existence of this sta
/ of things. Each denounces the other f
e winking at and abetting such things, b
} each in its turn, as it gets uppermost, travt
: in the footsteps of its predecessor.
~ Bad as this state of things is, there is
: remedy for it in the hands of the sober, he
est, good mep of the land. We rejoice to
lana tlAat th4~oAeaA.@hLc-:@aN--ad-
tegrlty in the country yet, to save the Rep1
h. lie from overthrow and utter ruin. But Il
high time that the honest men were I'M q
doing. Should this generation sleep at tn,
lie posts ruin is lnevitable. o. that they wor
lie 8 lay it to heart, and rise in their might to +
n rescue.
lg Every patriotic, honest-hearted man shor
s. oppose out and out all h esecret, undergrour
10 Wlre-worklng movements of the party wi
which he acts. Packed committees, pack
n c%aucuses, are the bane of patriotism in a
party. Meetings and caucuses for the sol,
"a ton OF candidates, as well as any other par
e. movement, should be accessible, at least.
every man who acts with that party, and
tie Is the imperious duty of every honest, pat
r. otto man to attend those meetings and pi
ID his voice for or against every movement
l. the party. Politicians should be made
l. understand that honest men of any part
n must not and canno be made to vote for h
men or bad measures. The sentiment &c ;
. hdel and ruinous, principles not men,
o Sound principles and sound men must 90 f
J. gether. They are ~inseparable, if good is
d come.
!" How else can the good of the nation
maintained? How else can the goyernme
= beautifully and constitutionally administe
II ed ?-how its honor maintained Ahaw
. duties wisely and economically carried OH
u how the ends ofjustice secured, and how Il
> political, p%ecuniary, social and moral ipteres
$ OF the people promoted? Impossible.
! How can an honost, sober, patriotic ma
vote for a dishonest, immoral man or maa
:, ure-how, for a disorganizing, demaeopic
: ofice-seekeg-how for one, who reckless
! the morals and interests of community W
degrade and debase his constituency nv off
!, ing brides to their integrity or their sobri
ty? If a man be honest-if he be a femme
ance man, ii he be a lover of his countr,
!. how can ne maintain his consistency or h
!, virtue, if ne put his little finger towards DR.
noting the ends of any man or party VIII
Will secure success at any cost and at an
sacrifice to his fellow men.
Let then the friends of temperance. of h,
mainly, ofthe country, see to this in the AZ
!, preaching campaign. To US, it is a matter
small Importance, what man or what mart,