The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-12
EVENING TEIEGRAPH-PIA ADEhPHA THURSDAY JULY H. 1866

an honest man. As he has never been denounced
but as politician, we trust enough has been
suggested to the thoughtful reader to have
brought him 10 tolerate the opinion that the
most innocent partisan gambler Is he who is
most consistently and most disinteredlya partisan
gambler. A public character-in this country, at
lesst-is NOT man, but sort OF otiicer--an agent
for operating an artificial enginery. IL may be a
bad business, and II so, the machine Is bad, and
ought to be abolished. But all the agents who
work it might abandon it, and that would not
abolish 1t. 1t ls the peoples own darling hum
bug and they will as long as they continue to
keep II, evolve from their own number from
time to time, men to run il. But these agents
are also, with an inevitable personality, men.
IL is in their natural and not in their Official
character, so to designate it, that judgment
should be most stern, because of the greater
sanctity and the immensely greater variety of
personal obligation Evil, be thou nay good"
said the arChangel fallen. more comprehen-
sive embodiment could not be effected In words
of the principle Of the political world"
politician who pretends. in the atmosphere of
his trade, to exercise the principles of moral
honesty, is corrupted. He may do less dis
honest things in politics than Thaddeus Stevens.
But as he does not recognize the essentially false
character OF the political machine he Is incapa-
BILE of discrimination which would make il
shocking 10 carry into general life the vile du.
plcIty OF partisan gaming. The conscience,
therefore, is disobeyed in the one, for certain
purposes, but is tainted, deteriorated pol
luted in the other, for all purposes. II is not
he, therefore, who, consenting to mingle with
political intrigue, pretends to no purer practices
in common lite, that will cast the first stone at
Thaddeus Stevens. He differs captally from
other partisan managers, in that he acts from no
selfish motive, taking this in its ordinary sense.
Contemning all applause, defying all censure,
incapable OF meekness, or of the sense of being
belittled which comes of being stripped of eX-
ternal adjuncts this man has no ambition. On
the other hand, his love of power is the master
passion OF his SOUL But no position in the gift
OF bis State or OF the United States could give
him the power which he now holds in the House
of Representatives. In the Senate he would be
hampered by the paucity of numbers and
by the absence of the stern laws of
the previous question. In the Execu-
tive Office he would be chained hand and foot
by constitutional obligation and moral respon-
sibillty. But on the floor of the popular branch
is the post for this grim, consistent, imperious
leader-or rather driver. His success is start
ling proof OF the stuff that politics is made Of
and if Thaddeus Stevens would go one tep
further and destroy the machine altogether. by
publicly contessing its utter destitulon of truth
he would but act out fully the natural quality
of his spirit, and he would entltle himself to
the gratitude of a people whose most baleful
delusion is a belief in politics. We hope, ere
Mr. Stevens reaches the age for retiring finally
from the national playhouse, that he will adopt
this humble suggestion, VITO come before the
audience and make clean breast of it. If he
should do so, he would be not only what he is
the greatest, but also the last, of the poiiti-
clans.-Ne'o York GALAXY .-...