Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-06-12
d. G., SATURDAY. JUNE p, 1858.

in their notions, what can be expected Of the
classes above themp Win not political cor
ruption, acting upwards and downwards, soon
lesyen the whole masss Of what use, under
such circumstances, to talk of political integ-
lritya There can be no such thing The first
step towards its attainment is to diyest polit-
cal parties, as far as may be- Of patronage. No
dominant party should have the power to pay
a premium for wickedness. The emoluments
in the hands of Government should not be
of such magnitude as 10 admit Of our rulers
corrupting our people. The time will come
when this will be clearly seen; but then il
may be too late to remedy the difficulty.
So far from a high political position being
the certificate Of high moral character and q
lofty intellect, as was whilom the case, it is
now the mark of mean and contemtible sub
serviency. It is generally attained only by
sycophants, whose brains are in the inverse
proportion to their obsequiousness. All over
the nation frauds in regard to land and pecula-
tons in official matters abound. Those which
come to light are suppressed as far as it may
be, or concealed, il Government action can
cause such concealment. If not, circumstances
are adduced to mitigate fraud into obliquity,
and misdemeanors into indiscretions. And
whyp Because the offenders can carry a
number of votes which are essential to his
party in the locality where he resides; and be-
cause, if the public mind be directed to frauds,
the concealed frauds Of much greater offenders
will be dragged into light
The safety, therefore, of one set of pecula-
tors depend upon their concealing and sup
pressing the frauds Of their contemporary office
holders, and hence throughout the Union
every impediment is thrown in the way of an
investigation of official turpitudc. Who does
not know that cases exist where members Of
Congress entering our National Halls poor and
in debt, emerge therefrom in two, four or six
years with property which has not been earn
ed by any extraneous business, nor was deriv-
able from their salaries? Who has not ascer-
tanned among the minor dependents upon Gov
ernment patronage, that being quartered upon
the public bounty for a few years, frequently
enables the stipendiary to accumulate sum
five or ten times greater than the whole of the
salary which he meanwhile received, in addi-
ton to the expenditures for living and the
pecuniary contributions he has made to his
partyf
Of course, outsiders have no means of know
ing what there is in an alliance with Uncle
Sam, which enables the recipient of his official
bounty to show pecuniary results so clearly in
defiance of the common rules of arithmetic,
but any one can perceive that such cases as
we have alluded to bespeak anything but in
tegrity, either in the officials or in the power
which sustains them. Something must be
done to remedy this great and glaring difficult
| ty. If it be not, then are our liberties but
mockery, and our institutions but name.
If there be one measure which our Country
needs more than any other, it is a reduction Of
Government patronage. This has thus far
been the source Of more corruption in our
Country than all other causes combined. This
patronage is increasing from year to year, and
will soon make the President Of the United
States omnipotent over all those who can be
controlled by money. If we have President
now who is above the improper exertion Of
such an influence, there is no guarantee that
succeeding Executives will be so; and while
it can be done this power should be shorn to
its smallest practicable dimensions.
But we have no faith that the Democratic
party will ever do more than profess to be in
favor Of free trade. Their leading idea, en-
minated by one of their great lights-"to the
victors belong the spoils," }" forbids the expecta-
ton that they will ever consent to a reduction
of the aggregate of "spoils," the very cement
Of their existence. 1t matters not that pro-
found principles may demand this. Principles
are nothing but catch words, which form the
staples of speeches to Buncombe. Do not un-
derstand us that the great masses of the
American people are as corrupt as their rulers
On the other hand, high minded AMI honorable
men shun the arena Of politics as they would
a contagion; and consequently we are ruled
and cheated by men, in the main, devoid of
all principle, and whose only aim is the loaves
and fishes which can be dispensed from the
Government kitchen. Is there not fair pros
pect for the development Of political integrity
while such a state Of things PrevAil.-Aemp-
his Eagle and Enquirer.