The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-05-16
POLITICAL HONESTY.


It used to be recognized fact, in this coun-
try, that politics was bad pay that men, WIN
out independent fortunes, who devoted their
lives to the public must be content with re-
snectable poverty, and find their compensation
in the respect and esteem Of their fellow cltl-
zens. Among the great statesmen Of past gen.
erations few can be named whose means were
not limited, and the accumulation Of fortune
by the use of political influence has hitherto
been always rare and always discreditable.
Even in the South where, as o general rule,
our politicians have been selected from that
class in which hereditary wealth most abound
ed, the combination of fortune and large pub
lie influence was not common. Our statesmen,
while they represented fortunes very seldom
possessed them.
But the progress of opinion-certainly the
current of practice-seems to be changing II
we are to trust the continued and uncontradict-
ed assertions of the Northern press, men now
go into politics as they 60 into trade, with their
political position rs recognized capital; and,
in time we suppose we will hear Of members
of the Legislature, and even members of Con-
gress, selling the "good will +" Of their seats
in these new-fashioned Exchange Boards.
One of the leading New York Journals e1-
pressed the opinion the other day, that there
were not ten men in the New York Senate, and
not thirty in the lower house who voted for
any measure without retainer.
Other papers in other States tell the same
story, and we see that the London papers re-
produce these accusations, and very naturally
refer to them as warnings which ought not be
unheeded by the advocates Of electoral re-
form in England.
! OF course there must be some e1aggeration
in all such representations, for whenever pub
lie virtue becomes indignant, it becomes eI-
travagant But there is no doubt of the gene
raj truth of the charge.
Great interests, involving large investments
of capital and promising enormous profits, new
er have been and never will be scrupulous
what influences they use to control or secure
necessary legislation, and as almost all the
Industrial enterprises of the country are con-
Quoted by associations, there. is not only the
means, but the organization necessary for cor
ruption on large scale.
| While the temptation to corrupt thus IN
creases with our advancing wealth and enter
prise, the temptation to be corrupted is equally
increased by the steady deterioration of the
politicians who are generated by universal
suffrage. The tendency of our population at
the North to congregate in cities, and the
wants Of qualification in the voters, renders it
impossible for candidates to trust to individual
character and reputation for success. The bet
ter class of men withdraw with disgust from
dirty conflict, and the worse class Of men are
willing to use any means to secure victory.
The truth is, it appears to be very fast be-
coming fact, and very serious one, that the
| capital Of the country finds it easier and more
certain to control the legislation of the country
by outside influence than by contesting seats
for the legislature before the people.
The condition of the country now, affords
peculiar facility to this sort Of corruption.
The men who have earnest convictions are
such strong partizans that they. would pas
sionately refuse to scrutinize the motive of .
vote which served the party, while the great
bulk of the people are either 'apathetic or
sceptical, take no interest in politics. orbelieve
that all opinions are so unsettled that q man
has no moral responsibility as to which opin-
ion he serves.
1t remains to be seen whether we of the
South are doomed to walk in the same down.
ward path. 1t is very certain that with us
universal suffrage has created class of voters
who are peculiarly liable to such corrupting
influences, and if education does correct such
tendency, it will be very long before it is
general enough to be felt
With many faults, our public men hitherto have
not been corrupt, and even our worse enemies
admitted that we could hold up clean hands in
rebuke of political corruption. Whether we can
touch pitch without being defled, is one Of the
problems which we have to solve.