Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1866-12-10

MONDAY MORNING. DECEMBER

: aud against Congress, but as against the la
I passed last winter at Albany, restricting th
use Of intoxicating liquors. Many other sim
. lar facts might be adduced, but neither time q
space will permit. These show, however, tha
there 10 great danger to our country in 1t
mongrel population. That there are element
! in that population supplying nasricious so
10 which vice may propagate itself, where
hourishes with unwon ed luxuriAnce, an
showing US that there is danger IL may towe
! so high, aud Its branches spread out 80 far OF
! every sids as to overshadow all that Is virtu
GUS and good. Aud inssmuch as our popula
tion is rapidly increasing, sach fesrs sre not
the offering OF nervous brain, but rather the
calm approximations of q cool and deliberate
judgment. In the increase Of our population
we are marvel among the nations. 1t is per
fectly astonishing to look at the facts and hg-
ures. We cannot give them here, but they
show that we are increasing three times as fas
as Prussia, four times as fast as Russia, sil
times as fast as Great Britain, and ten times a
fast as France; and IT, as we have NO reason t
doubt, our increase is as great for the mex
thirty-four years, that Is, until 1900, Ia period
many OF US may hope to sse,) our popala tion
will be about one hundred millions. Now, sup.
pose vice to increase correspondingly, crimes
to multiply, passion to grow In power In the
I
ness to ceueregate in our centers Of trade and
| influence, have we not reason to fear that vir
| tue must succumb TO vice, that public opinion
| the great power in our country-being under
the control Of all that is aboninable, vicious
and wicked, we shall become one OF the mos
corrupt nations on the faco OF the earth. THAI
not only In New York, but in all our centers oi
political and commercial power, the roughs
will nominate and triu,uphantly elect such
characters as John Morrissey, and send them ia
Washington to legislate for US, That in all
things vice will have the ascsndsncy, aud
| though virtue may protest against the out
rage, yet she will be powerless, until our Ma.
tiou, like Sod0m, not having righteous men
sufficient to intercede for il, shall perish under
| the just Judgments of the God of Nations who
has said "the Nation and Kingdom that will
not serve me shall perish yea, that Nation
shall be utterly wasted. 1t is not therefore
without reason patriotic Poet has raised the
question,
country, marvel of the earth;
. realm, to sudden greatness grown;
The age that gloried in thy birth,
Shall It behold thy overthrow
There is danger IN our enterprise. As stated
we are an enterprising people. Our enterprise
| is not that of the government, but springs spon
| taneously from the m masses. 1t knows no limits
except those universally conceded to belong te
impossibilities. To attempt and to achieve
something is our national ambition.
Hers the free spirit of man at length
Throws Its last letters off; and who shsl
place
! A limit to the giants unclaimed strength,
Or, curb his swiftness in the forward race.
| But this spirit OF enterprise has its attend.
ant evils; it lie a whirlwind that leaves many
a wreck in its passing; il transforms the beg
Il na intn chan nj hut haa al
made of many a merchant prince beggar.-
| IL has brought many out OF ooscurity and rails
| ed them to em inenee, and 1t has also pulled
many from their high places, and buried them
in the shades of oblivion. II has its pernicious
| influence on morals, for 1t soon ceases to be
fair and legitimate enterprise and is transform
ed into speculation. Take eur mining interests
| rs an illustration. As already remarked oar
/ mining resources beyond computation.
| Their development is not however as 10 some
other countries in the hands of the government
| but it is done by individual and corporate en-.
| terprise; aud what field for the investment
of capital, and for remunerativs enterprise 1t is
| But 1t is controlled by Spectators, who have
become 80 hardened iu their crimes, that they
regard no fraud too daring to perpetrate, and
| by their frauds they have almost paralyzed this
source of natioral industry and wealth. Again
we have all noticed the large namber Of frauds
committed during the last two years. Frauds
and forgeries involving millions, committed
or Banks, on leading business houses, and
upon our National Treasury. We presume no
other nation furnishes parallel for the same
time, and the number OF such crimes seems to
be increasing among US. But this is only the
natural consequence of our enterprise; we are
impatient of results, we cannot wait for our
enterprises to work oat their results by these
laws that should regulate them; we cannot
wait until we acquire competency BY con-
ducting trade on q sound aud Just basis; we
must amass a fortune suddenly. Ayouug man
begins business and grows impatient because
his profits are not larger. He Is not satisfied
to grow wealthy as his father did by small pro-
fits and savings amounting in the end to an
honestly acquired competency. He must make
his pile in day. Perhaps he is extravagant
in his ideas of life. He must live in fine style
far beyond his income, or if not beyond his in
come, yet he lives 'up to it, and hence leaves
no margin for accumulation. Speculation is re-
sorted to. IL requires capital. This he has
not got. He forges 10 order to raise It, His
speculations fail, and he is guilty ofa two-fold
sin, forgery and practical robbery, while SO
far as his influence is felt he has poisoned pub
lie morals. rhis suppositious case is represen.
tative of thousands OF actual ones, and they
are all traceable to that passion for speoalat
growing so naturally out of our snterprisi1g
character. That In this way our enterprise be-
Games the occsson of increasing public cor
ruption, and that owing to this cause, the ten
dency to make the American people nation
OF spectators, gamblers and unprincipled ex-
tortioners, not only exists, but 10 strong, does
not require proof. Yet ifproofbe required we
think the history Of the last six years will sup
ply il.
When VIC were In the midst of civil war, aud
our nation was struggling for life, men were
gambling with cur national SORROWS, and grow
ing rich by practically robbiug of the National
Treasury. Gold gamblers put up, and despite
all that ever government could do, kept the
precious metals at such premium as not only
oppressed and distressed the poor but by en-
hancing the price of those articles irdispensa-
BILE to this government in prosecuting 9 war
of such magnitu ie, made our national debt not
less than one Thousand millioas more than il
need 10 have been. The extent TO which spec
ulation was carried during the war is sufi-
cient to show that If good men are not on the
| alert, aided by wise and needed legislation, to
keep enterprise ia Its proper channels, and
| regulate it by its own laws, 1t must universal
| ly degenerate into speculation with all its at
| tendant evils, aud thus become reservoir
| from which vice, and crime, shall overflow our
| country, not only retarding its vigorous, and
| speedy development but endangering its per-
| petuity.
There Is a source Of danger IN our third na-
tonal characteristic, the iope Of gam. This 10 the
object OF all. No American thinks of remain-
| ing poor. de is determined to accumulate
Nor as people are we unsuccessful In our
pursuit, either of wealth or any other thing the
possession OF which we covet. No country
furnishes 80 many examples of poor boys, who
have become wealthy merchants, or of those In
the lowest ranks OF society who have risen to
emipence in politics, in literature, or In COM
merce. Our merchant princes, our greatest
statesmen, and our proioundest scholars, are