Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-05
non MTCH P0LITICs

The New York EpeniRg Post Of the
18th ult, in leading editorial, has the
following just and sensible reflections on
the state Of things But where, we would
ask, is the remedy The evil is appa-
rent and brazen. There is too much poll
tics, and in its train, corruption and self
seeking among public men Dat Of this
grows every species of public and private
vice. 1t is the giant iniquity Of the times.
But again the question recurs, how is it
TO be remedied ? ItcannOt be done in
twinkling. The decay of public virtue
has been gradual 1t has reached the
deplorable condition depicted by the
Post, under the so-ealled Republican
party. The first healthy step backwards
will be the defeat of that party; and We
are glad to note that so able paper as
the Erening Post is cutting itself loose
from all sympathy and connection with
that faction. 1t says on the general
subject of political decentralization
1t has been the tendency of government
not only in this country, but in others, to
make itself strong where il should be weak.
| and weak where it should be strong. Ac-
coraing TO the sonndest principles of DO
litical science, the fundamental objects OF
all government should be, first, TO protect
the rights of every citizen and second
| to promote the interests common 10 every
citizen. In other words, Justice and the
| universal public veal are the ends for
| which governments exist, for which they
are tolerated, for which We bear the enor.
| nous burdens of taxation and service thai
they impose upon Us. Bot for these, every
| government wonId be an unmixed nuisance
an agent of wrong, a machine of exac
| ton and plumber the weapon of tyranny
| whereas, confined TO these ends, il become,
an unmixed blessing, diffusiug peace, pros
| perity and happiness among men, and re
presenting on earth an august yet benifi
cent justice which is property of the Di
vine Being.
But everywhere we see men engaged il
Wrestling governments from their true func
tions, and turning them into agencies fo
all sorts of corrupt schemes and partial in
terests. Though they are in their owl
nature the instruments of the whole society
they are yet distorted and prostituted int
the instruments Of the few, for the further
ance Of the interests of the few. Two
thirds at least of our legislation, boil
Federal and State, is either needless or in
furious 1t is not unusual for single Legis
lsture in the course of single session {,
add some eighteen hundred or more new
laws to the already swollen volumes of tn
statute books. Not fftieth part of thes
relate to general objects, or to the perfec
ton of the means by which our rights ar
secured. They are personal, local, cor
porate--in a word, special acts, intende,
to benefit some individual or class or local
| ity, and not regarding at all the universe
public good. The expenses we are put t
for this incessant and multitudinous legis
lation it is almost. impossible to calcu
late but the expense is the least part c
the evil.
| The whole business of society is KEEP
either in perpetual whirl and agitation 0
in PROSTATE dependency by these en-
croachments of government. Having as
sumed to themselves a right to regulat
everything, their interferences have be
come almost as menacing to trade an,
tranquility as rdzzid of the Bedouins O
the descents that the old feudal baron
used TO make from their strongholds dow
upon the commerce of the plains and vii
lsges. Nobody knows what a day is {
bring forth; enterprise is kept in stat
of feverish suspense; and the movement
Of capital, the exchanges of products, ar
subject to so many hazards that they com
TO partake more or less of the nature {
gambling transactions. OF the effect {
this uncertainty on the moral character 0
both public and private affairs, we nee
not speak; for, in all the nations, men ar
putting forth the plaintive cry, Is honest
to be found on the earth Rulers an
ruled alike seem to be abandoned to tn
same fatal recklessness of obligation, or t
the same desperate and unprincipled sell
| appEinu