Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-14

the country The language Is daily becoming more co
mon TO every lip, and the feeling familiar evor
bre.s. The wide dissemination Of such opinions a.,
feelings be owing no trivial cause Has it not be
come high tme for sioguished statesmen IL
about searching for and applying radical remedy
70 endtayor at least TO remove the great smulanis
oil these frauds.
Mr.. Butler is too wall informed no. to know that f
tory Affords no warrant for believing that the march
popular corruption ever subsidies recedes ofself that
frauds In elections are a diminishing but alWayi
at Increasing evil in republics. He Il too much Of
practical lawyer aud man of the world no. to know
that frauds on elections, during high party tines are O.
that class Of offences which are not under the correc
tion, but above the control of the law. They have
proved themselves to be fo the last century aRd
hal in England as they have thus far uniformly done
in our own couatry. So long tie criminal law ad
minstered through tho Intervention Of grand and petit
jurors this must forever continue to be the case Th
are Ike other men, and fully mbued with the passion
and party prJudicss of all their neighbors Tae pas.
sions and prudces that make them uphold aud coun-
tenance election frauds citizens will make them wink
at or refuse to punish them as jurors They have be-
sides, reason Of plausible justice for refusing
| punish such ofInces. The number of offenders are
known to be so great tia. Il rIrely happen that
those prosecuted not few, in comparison to the
whole, that their punishment will not the aspec. OF
persecution and Partially. Besides the Jurors OF the
political party Of the accused know that other
jurors will be impartial and enforce the Law against de-
nquents OF the opposite party Experience has already
proved here did long ago in Engand thai Il il III
vain to pile statute upon statute penalty upon penal
ty, for the punishment Of election frauds. Light penal
ties are scofed at, aud heavier be CO.
forced The heavier they the ess chance there Is o.
enforcing them The attempts to do so serve but TO de-
grade the Law, by exposing its imp,tenoy As long
public sentiment remsns yitiated deadened the
subject the crime must remain unwbipped Of jssicP.
The contest for seat in State Legislature has
been known The candidates and their friends seven
eight thousand dollars In many parts Of the Union
thai would be moderate outlay upon warmly cOa
tested seat 10 Congress An election for seat ia Par
lament for the city of Liverpool is known have
the enormous sum OF eighty thousand pounds sterling
The recent election 10 the CITY Of New York has proba
bly, cost little ess The late Presidential el clion il e.,
tmaled to have cost the two parties in money, loss OF
time and otherwise, many millions Of dollars. TIE
great convention at Baltimore, alone, il computed TO
have cost a million.
How to escape tha' heavy calamity, which,
in Mr. Buffers opinion threatens to ovsrtake US so Ger
tainy and so speedily How ia it to be done, but bs
removing the great leading Of the dsbasement OF
public morals? How can public sentiment be purified
and resored to prop'r tone, but by taking away the
great cause Of all these popular excitem enis aud
moving the great smuant to these overcoming and
corrupng party contestsS If the corruption amopg
the people and among the officers Who conduc. aud de-
eide upon elections be such as see each
ample furnishing precedent for q ne9 excess, wha.
must il all come to before the recurrence Of many
for the Presidency With the everincre,sng
simulants increased excements and excess whea we
shall have doubled present population, it will be i'm
possible for frame Of government to Withstand the
Tremendous conclusions that will bs produced by the
death.stru gges bstween the Gus and the ini. frsu
prachc,d Presidential eec ion like that of the New
Jersey that Of Psnusyiv ina giving the cha to
candidate by the formI of ,x, whilst the other hld
received majority Of the votes, would If happening
even in our own tne at once drive the nation to dis
union CT civil war.
Whenever such crisis arrives, whenever suci q ca
lsmty shall impend the nation little calculation be
made, little hope based generally difused love OF
country These party slrites have already gone far
debass our patriotism from what Il once was-a pure
feeling of the heart TO what It is now or b fast becom
ing principle OF calculated seinteres The iuey-
table tendency OF all party administration being to or.
rup and thai Of all party sles to degrade the govern
ment they mus. deprive it Of that and
esteem which Indispensable to a psrf.ct affection.
The beau ideal which every young American orm', be-
fore entering upon life, OF the government OF his country
is, that dsregardug birth fortune, 1t holds its
Cces and ts honors the brilliant incentives TO noble
emulation in her sons. and as mpartaly distributed
rewards Of virtue and Of talent Tnis idea he forms from
studying is theory in the Constitution 1t Is for this he
We nd adores his country the exempsr Of the world.
e considers 1t worthy Of his utmost DEVOTION AMI p,ys
it with all the enthusiasm Of young heart. As he I'D
in life, hs come5 to know who they that
have obtained thosa Offices and honors but above all
when he learns the by which they have been
talneQ-tnlt no longer rewards OF virtue,
talent and eminent public service, distributed by i'm
partial country to her deserving that they have
the property Of political factions and deilC
forth as the rewards Of party zeal and fidelity his feel
ngs rcoil upon him. with lolthing ard disgust, pro
portoned to the extent of his deusion aud disapp5n
men Now that he things they are, that he be-
holds them in their nakedness by what incenv, does
his country urge him to 6t himself for her service She
bids him hustle in the ranks Of acon to learn those
Of low intrigue and electioneerng by which alone he
oh laA1 IN naFtE ala Onn
assist in degrading and deling her institutions that he
may participate In her most elevated empoymen. The
youth of uapr1ciced heart of noble impulses and g
feeling, recols from the proposition as he would
from contact with pollution. Yet such a. he are her
only hope her only trust n that hour OF her need when
self mus! be nothing and country everything. We
TO deplore, but let wonder at the
decay Of true feeling for country among Let also
to wonder how and why is that certain descrp
tons OF obtain the highest and most important
poyments under government /! is such they who
ever in the van Of party. Il is they of the pack who
ever in at the death, and bowling for their pay.
O1e no. among the least of the evils resulting as a
natural consequence from the perpetual Of
the eKcitatons Of these presidential contests is the
moral debasement Of that great lever OF ou' liberties,
the public press. Every Is sufficiently aware
Of the mighty inalence which the press has upon
the action, the opinions, aud the morals OF the
people The editorial corps of free State iss po
,cal sentinels. Reporting truly the watches OF the
night they should never give false alarms Supervising
for the people the OF public servants, they should
never accuse falsely nor commend unworthy; faithful in
the detection of ali abuses Of power they should never
cloak them from public view screen them from popu
lar ceusure the advocates Of principles and not the ad
herens of men, standing in the attitude OF public cen
scrs they should IL practicable, maintain an attitude Of
srict mpartaty and strict neutrality between great pc.
cal rivals and great political parties In power. None but
such as these they TO had would be truly de-
serving the support Of free people Yet OF the thousands
now published In III, United States, there probably
no, one paper for which its editor would claim
that Il Is strictly impartial political subjects Nor Is
this the fault OF the editors. They, like most of US
this country have to live by their calling No press s
now sustained for its impartiay aud ability The pr.ss
depends upou its patrons Tne present vaed state OF
the public tast, admits Of neutrality, no apparent
lukewMmness The food that is dishsa for /. must b.
highly seasoned, deeply avored. The editor must ad.
minister to the public appetite as he ads it. Tae malg
ling OF the public and private character of political men.
the dsbang Of the motives Of action Of the ofest and
purest to level With the meanes the fomenting OF
party rage and party hate these the dishes that
devoured with most avdity Al this day politician
land all politeians) for the boldaess,
irankness, or integrity of individual editor. he