The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-18

chained to Caesars chariot wheels-behold
the church of God, the once falr orloe OF
Christ
The Encouragement of Public Business.
The effect of the tendency of great ques-
tom of public policy is to withdraw public at
tention from secondary and subordinate ques-
tions, and to allow evils OF great magnitude |
to mass unnoticed. The idea was very forci- |
.bly expressed by a member OF congress- some
wears ago. When he was demonstrated with
and cautioned against voting for every COR
rupt measure that was proposed, lest he
might be called to an account tor 1t by his
constituents, he replied: "lf vote right on
the negro question my constituents don't care
a d-n how l vote on any thing else"
That a vast amount of corruption has crept
into the administration of public affairs, since
the commencement of the war, and the conse
ouent increase of public expenditures, Is so
notorious, that no man pretends to deny 1t
That q large amount OF this will cease at the
end of the war, when the armies are disband-
ed, we have every reason to expect. Com
misssaries and quartermasters will no longer
have the disbursement of fabulous amounts
of public money! and this source of corruption
will be dried up to a very considerable ex
tent. But the war will leave upon our hands
an immense pension roll, host OF claims tor
damages. for injury to private property, an
| immense public dett, the interest and princi-
pal of which must be provided for, and conse-
| auently a horde of Office holders in the va
rious departments of the public service
Clerks and employees in the departments at
| Washington, in the custom houses on the
coast, assessors and collectors of the internal
| revenue, must be continued in numbers here
| tofore unknown in time of peace.
| The industrial interests of the country must
| be subjected to heavy taxation, the distribu-
| ton of which will be a constant source of die
cord, controversy and corruption. Corrup-
ton in the administration of government is
necessarily increased by the increase OF its
expenditures. The prospect before US there
fore, is, that unless the people take hold Of
this subject with fixed and settled determ-
ination to tolerate no dishonesty in public of
fcers, we are to be overwhelmed, and the
government destroyed, by the most hopeless,
| gigantic and lncurable corruption. The hab
| 1t which we have fallen into of governing the
| country through the agency of party conven
tions vastly increases the difficulty. Under
this system, In this time of peril and calami-
| ty congress has 90 far degenerated that it no
longer commands the confidence or respect of
the nation. Political adventures have
usurped the places from which the patriots
and the statesmen of the country are exclud-
ed
That time we hope will soon be past
King Caucus must be taught that his nomin
atoms are mere recommendations and that.
if he does not put in nomination men whose
integrity is beyond reproach and above suspi-
cion, honest men will not support his nomin
atoms.
As a general rule there is no difficulty in
determining the character of public man.
Many men who have been in Office for few
years at moderate salaries have msde I'M
mense fortunes.
A member of congress gets 50 900 dollars
a year. With all the economy he can prac.
tice he cannot possibly save 81 900 a year !;
and vet many of them who went there poor,
five or six years ago, are now worth hundreds
of thousands. Where do they get the money!
Measures of legislation are pending before
them which vitality Affect many of the leading
| industrial interests of the country. For in
stance, it is proposed to make greenbacks a
legal tender. A member of congress knows
better than any body else whether it will pass
or not. He buys gold on time, and when the
bill has passed sells it at an advance of TWEEN
ty five or fifty percent. A Wall street bro
ker will be very glad to have a congressional
partner, who will keep him posted as to con-
templated legislation that may affect the price
of stocks, and will give him half the profits
without any advance of capital. So it is pro-
|
or one dollar a gallon. A member buys one
thousand barrels, to be delivered and paid
| for at future day. Before the day of deliv
| cry and payment comes the bill passes; his
| whisky petroleum has gone up fifty cents
to one dollar per gallon, and he pockets the
profits, amounting to $50, 600 or $40. 600 -
These Members thus acquire private per-
sonai interest, in a measure, of legislation,
which is sure to control their votes, whether
the public interest would be promoted by it
| or not.
This is not the most obi ectionoble mode of
doing these things. In many instances, no
doubt, the holder manufacturer of par
ticular article will give q member bride of
81 900 or S., 900 dollars, to vote for against
a tax upon 1t.
Again. Members of congress, who are
supporters of the administration, consider
themselves entitled to dispose of the federal
patronage for their districts. They will,
therefore, levy percentage upon the salary
of every postmaster, collector, or assessor of
internal revenue, every provost marshal, &C.,
who is appointed upon their recommendation.
So of other ofacers-postmasters, when the
receipts of the Office are large, asse ssors and
collectors of internal revenue, district attor-
neys, marshals, &c. If they are unscrupu
lous, there are steaiings in the shape of Office
rents. fuel, stationary, clerk hire and
thousand things, thBt will enable such a man
to get rich in a few years off an annual saia
nv of two or three thousand dollars.
All of this comes out of the pocket of the |
people, and if they won't attend to their oxn |
business, and put honest men in Office, they |
deserve TO payit.
But the present cost OF corruption is not |
the only. or, by any means the greatest evil |