The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-13
OUR PEpBBETCAW WTSN.


incorporating of their opponents, the
masses of the people could well afford 10 g oss
their ears against it. Ever since politics frst
became trade, the staple wares of the pro-
fessionals have consisted mainly of unstinted
abuse of their opponents, on the ground of
dishonesty and imbecility, and as long as
politics remains trade we may not look for
change. But the people who are called
upon to support the regular tickets of both
parties, and upon whom must fall the pena'-
ties Of misgovernment and the burdens of
corruption, have at last been made to compre-
hend the fact that the professional politicians,
as a class, and without distinction of party,
are incompetent and corrupt and that, as a
general rule, it matters but little as to which
party is nominally in the ascendant, as far as
the details of governmental administration
and national, State, and municipal
legislation are concerned. The profession
of politics, never remarkable for the eompe-
tency and integrity of the men who have
crowded themselves into it as the easiest way
of earning livelihood, has been rapidly de-
generating in this country since the days of
General Jackson, and we can now cordially
and reasonably unite with Charles Dickens in
expressing an infinitesimal amount of faith
in the men who govern us, while we still re-
pose illmitable faith in the governed. 1t is
questionable, however, if even our faith in
the people governed should be without
bounds, when they so quietly and tamely
submit to Misrepresentation and misgovern-
ment, and year after year suffer the men who
have plundercd and cheated them to obtain
ostensible Endorsement and fresh lease of
power through the agency of the ballot-box.
For the lamentable and disgraceful state of
affairs at present existing, we hold that the
political press is directly and i'll the main re-
sponsible: If q ae,ospape7' permits q u,0@
Dch0 IS aotOriouslg Incompetent and corrupt
to st0nd for office ,oittoUt protest and er-
Posuj6, simply because he pyctesscs to Gdtcre
to the principles Of Hdtioa0I p0|jcy 1chich IL
supports, th0t acrsp0pe, 6ccomcs a pdrticj-
pant IN OUhis o6icjdI rdscality and especially
is this the case when it not only acquiesces in
his nomination, bW gtces hjm djTect support
By bec0mi0g az 0p0logi%t fer his TaScaljty.
On no other basis can the immeasurable in
fuence of the press be judged There are
tens of thousands of honest and good-inten-
that journal, who accept their notions of men
and things second-handed from the press,
who have unlimited confidence in its honesty
and impartiality, and who will meekly follow
in it's lead, in the firm conviction that they
are doing their full duty to themselves and to
the country by so doing. And when the jour
nails which are recognized as being, or which
claim to be, the organs of any particular party
in certain locality, unite IN ignoring or de-
,tending tie shortcomings and trGnSgreSSi0RS
Of az incompetent or corrupt politician aoho
has succeeded Sn sm@gglja9 htn1s&f hrOugb a
8Om5n0ting c0R0e0ti0n, the evil of which we
complain is augmented a hundred fold and
nothing except general revolution in the
sentiments of tho people on national issues
will ensure his defeat.
But the press is frequently impressed into
the service and made the servile tool of de-
signing and unscrupulous men, by reason of
its treatment of candidates for Office being
Judged by the false and mischievous standard
of political consistency and party devotion.
If the voice of conscientious Journal on the
eve of an election, is raised against a candi-
date for Office who stands upon the same
wrath OF the professional politicians, is de-
nounced by them as faithless to its creed, and
accused of having gone over to the enemy If
hepeople would ignore the verdict of the pro-
fessionals in this matter, and turn a deaf ear
to their assaults upon the independent press,
all would be well. But the people are not yet
emancipated from the sway of demagogues,
and a sound and Jealous Republican or
Democrat who honestly desires to see
his party set free from the indi-
vidual corruption of its self-elected
leaders, is frequently alarmed at the cry of
wolf, come from what quarter it may. His
devotion to principle is SO intensified, that he
cannot see anything in a political contest
save principle, and when principle is at stake
regards mere question of personal fitness or
individual honesty as altogether too trivial
for consideration by its side The unscrupu-
lous demagogues who live upon the public
plunder understand this sentiment full well,
and are by no means backward about taking
advantage of it. Conscious that they are un-
able to refute the charges of corruption and
imbecility which are preferred against them,
they make no attempt at denial, present no
facts in explanation or extenuation, and sim
ply give the alarm of "a wolf in sheep S
! clothing" "a piratical craft, sailing under
false colors, and other clap-trap of this sort,
making the hue and cry as loud and as long
continued as they can, and scrambling into
Office before the ears of the people are re-