Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-04-16

insiduously, meanly, but notices. assuredly.
Certainly our national de,ravity is wide
spread. The standard of American charac-
ter sunken, or the free people of this confed-
eracy would have never sat listlessly so long
while such calamities accumulate and threaten
to overwhelm them. They have seen the
aged and experienced; men of honorable and
spotless lives, driven into obscurity, and pub
lie honors and respect paid to folly and crime
alone. Allegiance; blind, infatuated allegi-
ance to party is the only required test of merit,
and such unlimited fsalty, attones for the
worst Of crimes or the darkest ignorance.
No wonder then that the spirit of cupidity
is universal, and ambition aspires no higher
than the rank Of poacher upon the public ex.
chequer. .-... boz.
The great cause of all this mischief lies
with the people, and with them also lies the
the remedy. The high Offices Of trust and
responsibility are nearly all crowded with
third-rate pettifogging lawyers, who, unable
to secure footing in a profession marked
by genius and learning, have found in the
slough of politics field for action better
adapted to their principles and capacity
Here by duplicity, syoophancy, and such
venal agencies as those creatures are, they
have been enabled to usurp places, which
they enter with the same spirit and character
that Milton ascribes to the devil, when he as
PRED to seat in Heaven. f. =.
So called "lawyers," who, for want of pub
lie confidence could not find business in a
Police Court, and are never seen at the Bar
of Justice, except in selfdefence; trained
to the lowest pursuits, and not unfrequently
infamous in conduct, with no settled pursuit
in life, are found by the people "lying about
loose" begging for place, when to our dis
grace they too often succeed in procuring.
Hence the deplorable depravity of the Con-
gress of the United States For honest we
have substituted dishonesty; for Earning,
ignorance; for virtue, immortality; for patrl-
otism, demagogueism; for order, confusion.
In thus speaking of Congress, and of the
elements Of which it is composed, and the in
different scrutiny by the people of the qualifi-
cations of candidates, desire no more than
to call attention to the facts. The people can.
and l am confident will remedy the evil. The
calls of party, which in times past have been
so potent in binding each Democrat to the
caucus nominee, however repulsive and hu-
initiating the service, have now caused The
fatal charm is at last broken. The party has
fallen asunder and with its downfall light
CLEANS through the apertures of the ruin, that
disclose its deformities, and opens to the pre-
JUDGED eyes of multitudes, the dangerous
abyss upon which they have been reposing.
| cannot but mention with some feelings of
personal qualification, that have seen my ar
ticle to the Minnesotian of January 18th, on
this same subject, published entire, in an
Ohio monthly journal, with leaded-type to Sc
cure attention. thus discover that the views
to which give utterance finds hearty re-
sponse; and are admitted by journalists to-
be necessary in correcting the evils of the.
times.
1t is now sacred duty eneumbent upon
each of US to endeavor to render our country
a service, to the extent of our capacity. At
such time we are forced to lay aside the pru-
dence Of timidity, the modesty of retirement,
and assume the obligations which self-preser-
walton impose upon us; and to do everything
in our power to rescue and redeem our gov
eminent, ere it is too late. MINNEsorUs.
P.S. Vim. H. Seward took out passport
yesterday for Europe, which he is about to
visit