The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-02-16
Disgrace and Degradation o.
GOvornmcmts.

we have Oltcu W pcdI TIC ocOu6 duQ Dlttol
co.aments, les of aristocradc governments upou
The disgrace a. radiation and populations which
Occasionally chs,,. 'terize our own democratic
form Of governments; : nd in some instances We
are compelled to admit the partial justice Of
the comments, and to deplonA the causes which
give birth to them. Such is tho case with the
recent Developments made at Washington Nth
regard to the robbery Of the. Indian Trust
bonds, and all the collateral circumstances at
tending it, which in all its features presents one
ever known under any government, certainly
under our own, involving, as it appears to do,
members of the administration high in trust
and in the confidence of the Executive. 1t is
true that no imputation rests upon tho Presi-
dent Of completely in those frauds; but that
three members of his Cabinet should have
abandoned their posts and run away, some, if
not each Of them, being probably implicated in
the disgraceful transactions either directly by
connivance, or indirectly through ignorance
and mbecility-wouid seem to indicate his un-
fitness for discriminating selection of his con-
stitutional advisers.
But it happens, unfortunately for the country,
that the official populations and other discredit-
able violations Of public morality, which from
time to time are brought to light in various
quarters, are not solely attributable to one
particular party. Certain it is that the demo
Gratis having enjoyed a long lease of power
had larger opportunities of developing their
rascality than the republicans; but we find that
wherever the republicans have attained power
they have made up by the magnitude of their
populations for the smaller area and the shorter
period of time in which they had to operate.
Take, for example, the actions of the republi-
can majority in the Albany Legislature the
combination of republicans and democrats in
our own Common Council on every question
involving the spoils the conduct of the Wis
consin Legislature some time ago in a whole
sale fraud, and the defalcations of State Trea-
surers in the godly New England States.
There is peculiar view of this question
however, and it is one which foreign writers
and foreign moralists never take, and that is
that all these degrading and disgraceful transac,
tons are the work of politicians who, with few
exceptions, are mere adventurers-men without
responsibility or position, who rise by their
wits here and there, in small communities, until
they obtain official station, which they convert
to their own ends, regardless of probity or the
trust reposed in them-men, in fact, who
take to politics as a trade, with the delibe
rate purpose Of plundering the public. Outside
of this class there is not to be found in
the civilized world community more honsra-
BILE and upright in all their commercial dealings
than the American people. The American
merchant stands second to none upon the com
mon Rialto of the Christian world in integrity,
worth and fidelity to his engagements. But
the politicians are the tainted sheep of the
flock, and it unfortunately happens that the
politicians give the stamp and color in
foreign minds to our government and our insi-
buttons, and we have to bear the responsibility
Of their acts. In old countries like England the
governing class comprises the highest and the
wealthiest class in the realm. In other Euro
pean countries the same condition of things is
true; in France perhaps less SO than in the
other continental States; but as we have said,
the governing class in this country is of an en-
tirely different character. Yet even in England
great public frauds have come to light of as
disastrous nature as any which this country
has exhibited. There was the great railroad
swindle of Hudson; the gigantic bank frauds of
Sir John Dean Paul, and more recently of the
Cashier Of the Union Bank Of London; the Sad
lier frauds, which involved thousands in utter
ruin, and numerous others. 1t may be that
here we find greater difficulty in procuring
the conviction and punishment Of delnquents;
but ii must be admitted also that a vast amount
Of public turpiiude in England is never pub
lished to the world, while in this country, owing
to the activity Of the press and its correspon-
dents, nothing Of that kind escapes the public
eye. Then, again, our people are SO immersed
in business, there are SO many opportunities for
acquiring wealth, so many temptations TO spe-
culation, there is SO vast country demanding
all their energies for its Development and
civilization, that they have not leisure to watch
or restrain unprincip!ed officials; aud hence it
occurs that while fewer frauds AMI populations
of public nature escape general attention in
the United States than perhaps in any other
country, yet the checks upon official corruption
are, from these causes, also fewer and less
stringent.
Thus, while we deplore the disgrace which
such Developments as those just made at
Washington impose upon our democratic form
of government, we cannot fairly attribute it to
the peculiar character Of self-government alone,
nor can we admit that we are, as o people,
more unrghteous, or more wanting in sense
of public morality than others who live under
aristocratic rule.
Mr.. LINCOLN ON MAJoRITrEs.-In one of his
recent remarkable speeches the President
elect has stated that majority Of the people
voted in favor Of the Chicago platform. This
is not the truth A majority of the electoral
votes endorse the Chicago resolutions, but they
are in a minority of million of voices in the