The New York herald., 1867-04-03
Immoralitx Of Politicians.

Immorality Of Politicians.
Connecticut has returned to her ancient rule,
which forbade the separation of politics from
morals, and from the perfection OF morals
Christianity. In rejecting as candidate for
Congress Snowman and selfproclaimed hum
bug whose perception Of right and wrong was
80 obtuse that he gloried in his shame, JUSTIFY
ing deceit and adopting the vile maxim that tue
end sanctifes the means, Connecticut has en-
phatically protested against the. prevalent I'm
morality Of politicians.
That this immortality is by no means confined
by party lines and that it has infected the
party most recently elevated to power by vir-
tue Of its special recognition Of :" the higher
law" and its avowed pretensions to superior
morality, are facts patent to all. 1t was almost
work Of supererogation for Thurlow Weed
and Horace Greeley to bear witness to these
lamentable facts. But surely they are both
competent witnesses in the case, and who shall
gainsay their evidence. The Nestor Of our
New York politicians, particularly, ought to
know what is the matter with them. In the
courts of this country witness is not compelled
to crminate himself, bat his voluntary testimony
at the bar of public opinion we are bound to
accept, Thurlow Weed admits that "legisla-
tive Generalization has reached a eliminating
point" He adds that "the tendencies have
been downward for several years." and he de-
nounces Legislative traffic" as "unlawful, pro-
hbited. corrupt and corrupting." The evil,
he says, is patent and present, and he agrees
with the HERALD that the remedy is in the
people, who should scrutinize more carefully
the character of each and every candidate for
office. The people should practically adopt
the theory of the late Dr. Wayland, one Of our
soundest writer's on moral philosophy, that po-
litical corruption is in no respect the less
wicked because tits 30 common; and dishonesty
is no better policy in the affairs of State than
in any other affairs, though men may persuade
themselves and others to the contrary.
Even the violence of party zeal could not
prevent the scandal occasioned in England by
the infamous private character of both Wilkes
and his opponent, Colonel Luttrell, who were
alike members Of the profigate society Of
Young Travellers" that used to profane
Medenham Abbey, near Marlow, by reviving,
habited like monks, the worship Of Bacchus
and Venus.
Perhaps the most formal and offensive
attempt TO justify political immortality was
made in the reports Of secret committees to
Parliament relative to the opening of private
letters, especially those Of Mazzini, by order Of
Sir James Graham. According to these re-
ports it is "the duty" Of minister, in certain
cases of emergency, "afecting important pub
lie interests" to steal to lie, to commit forgery
treachery and tyrannous injustce-in short, to
abrogate the entire decalogue. The British
conscience was shocked and alarmed, as well
| it might be, at such disclosure and such de-
fence of political immortality. One reviewer of
these remarkable documents traced this i'm
morality, which he called 80 moral canker,"
| to the state of academical and university edu-
cation in England, to the influence of the ethics
| of Archdeacon Paley and Professor Sewel, who
taught political expediency on the one hand
| and blind submission to authority on the
other, and to the influence of such pagan litera-
| ture "a the Metamorphosis Of Ovid and the
history of the Punic war. The consequence
was petty larceny, fraud. forgery, felony, reck-
lessness of assertion in party leaders, fragrant
breaches of faith and a popular notion that
with politicians truth is but plaything. Why
should not the conscience of the American peo-
| ple be shocked and alarmed when they find
| the decalogue as completely abrogated at
Washington and Albany as it was then in
l. Londonf
The character of political rulers is even more
| vitality important in q republic like our own
than in European monarchy. The very ex-
istence Of republic depends upon the virtue
and intelligence of its citizens, and their char
acter is directly affected for veal or woe by
that of their chosen leaders. II the American
people become wholly Indifferent to this, theirs
must be the epitaph which thoughtful his
torian has said is inscribed on the tomb Of
every people which has been great in his
tory" II perished because its character was
| corrupt, It was the genius of character which
rendered George Washington illustrious and
| impaired to our republic strength which. can
decay only with the gradual disregard of char
| acter in the selection OF our candidates for
public Office.
Let our orators check this growing tendency
| to corruption; for it can and must be checked.
| The wretched logic that made New York send
to Congress prize fighter, a faro dealer and
copperhead, is not more inevitable than that
which Connecticut has resisted in refusing to
send Barnum to Congress. The historian to
whom we have already alluded viii be glad to
see in this refusal . sign Of Improvement
among the children Of Barnum's ncighbors In
boyhood, as portrayed by himself After allud-
ing to De Tocqueville's account Of the rural
populations in America, where "they have no
use for the word peasant, because they have not
the idea which 1t represents" our historian
| adds in curious note:-"Those who desire 10
hear American testimony to these facts may