Daily national Democrat., 1858-11-28
A Glance nj Corrupt Times.

England were, perhaps tnOse embraced IN
the period between the accession of Charlie:
Second to the throne and the close of til,
reign of William and Mary. Those dayt
were at any rate exceedingly corrupt Th,
times of Lord Bacon, it is true, had beer
marked by high degree of judicial corrup
tion, but certain great landmarks of the law
were still adhered to in the decision of i'm
portant causes, and the evil effects of officin
dereliction did not penetrate so deeply into
the body polite as at the subsequent period
alluded to, when the legislation of the coun
try was affected by it, and votes in Parlia
ment were put up to the highest bidder
Previous to the beginning of that Revolution
which overthrow, for the tiue being. the
House of Stuart, the English Parliament had
been greatly under the control Of the Crown
and the people complained of many arbitrary
enactments dictated by the caprice or cupid
ity of the King. 1t was thought necessary
at last to curb the will of the Sovereign
and to put into narrower limits the royal
prerogatives and, in doing this rivers of
blood were shed. But, when this work had
been done, and the Parliament had become
quite independent of the Crown, it was found
that an equally monstrous evil had been en-
gendered, in the existence of the fact that the
Crown, no longer finding itself able to die
tate to the Legislature, resorted to bribery
and corruption in order to carry out its pur
poses. And this condition of things was
scarcely improved by the circumstance that
parties, whose interests happened to be OPP
pc sed to those of the Crown, could resort to
the same mode of proceeding for carrying
out their purposes also. Had the Parliament,
at the same time, been sufficiently under the
control of the people, through the medium
of elections to have acted with a wholesome
fear of public sentiment, there would have
been remedy for the evil, but the Parlia
ment was very nearly as Independent of the
people as it was Of the Sovereign James
the Second undertook to carry out his arbi
trary and unprincipled purposes by setting
the wel.defned powers of the Legislative
Department at defiance, and inaugurated,
through his Internal tool Lord Jeffries, sys
tenn of high-handed judicial legislation which
finally lost him his crown, and should have cost
him his head. After his deposition from the
throne, the power of the Parliament was
rather increased than diminished, and its in
dependence both of the people and the
Crown more firmly established than ever
Even wise and just measures had frequently
to be carried by plain and direct bribery
The majority of the Parliament was not to
be corrupted but there was always body
of men holding the balance of power, who
were ready to sell their votes at any time to
whichever side would pay the BEST and the
buying of votes was almost invariably coun
ted on as part of the programme in effect
ing the passage of any given measure, either
for the Crown or against it. This state of
things continued until the barriers between
the masses of the people and those who leg !
isloted for them were broken down, and |
wholesome fear Of public opinion, and an
after responsibility at the bar of the people,
began to prevail. Then this fragrant system
of bribery and corruption began to give way,
and the fountains of legislation were purified
At the present time, the English Parliament
labors under no fear of the Crown, but it
does fear pubic opinion, and dares not out
rage the moral sense of the people. AS far
a. 6 h. =
concerned, and its influence upon legislation, |
it is less to be feared, at this period, we are
inclined to believe, in England than in the
United States; for, we have very recently
witnessed to what a fearful extent the Ma
tional Legislature may be dictated t. by the
Chief Magistrate of this Union but the
power of public opinion in these United
States, we are proud to know, is thousand
times greater than it ever was in England, and
herein the lies safety of the country against
the Infamous system of corruption which,
there are good reasons to believe, has lately
began in an alarming degree to prevail in
the national councils 1t has been charged
upon the President of the United States that
he has offered to Senators and Members of
Congress offices, fat contracts fruitful of vast |
speculations, and benefits of a like
nature, for their votes upon certain measures,
and that they have accepted the bonus and
reward. We do not pretend to say whether
these charges are true or false but this we
are prepared to say, that, whether it was
owing to any act of the President or not, |
certain members of the National Legislature
suddenly changed their views on certain i'm
portant questions and afterwards enjoyed
immense pecuniary advantages either from
Government appointments or Government
contracts. This is the evidence which has
been extensively published in the leading
papers of the Atlantic States, and the people
are to Judge for themselves what it amounts
to- One thing, however, is well known, and
cannot be denied, and that is, that Members
of Congress have sold their services to out
side parties interested in scehmes of legisla
tion, and have enjoyed the profits arising
from contracts and speeulations put through
Congress by the usual methods of log rolling
and legislative brokerage. The evil undoubt
edly exists, and deplorable indeed it is, that
such monstrosities should be developed at so
early period of our national history. But,
the remedy, as we have said is in the hands
of the people, and it is their own fault if they
do not apply it. Every man who is suspec-
ted, even, of a taint of corruption in office
shnrld Lu rnnrl..d hu the nnnrlnr eve and