The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-03-23
Tussd.y RTspipa, March %. 1889.
A SENATOR oONFEssEs HIS P3RFIDY,

Tenure .ocONce Act on Tuesday, Of last
week senator Fessenden, Of Maine, is re
Dorted By the National Mtelligencer to have
said: che had forseen and foretod it woulC
result in evil. but he wittheld his Uots be
rIuse he did not toish 70 differ toih hi
party associates Had this language beef
attributed to some Of the very many nobod
les in character and ability who have latcl
crept into the Senate chamber, it would no
SO much excite surprise, or give rise to sucI
serious forebodngs as to the public welfare
Tor these people are in nearly oil cases tn,
representatives Of fraud and outrage, benl
conceived politically in 'iu and brouHh'
forth into public station by the vIIest iD''
guilty. But when a Senator Of the "',''H
and previous character Of Mr. fe'scNu'"'
rises in his place in the >. ''NA'.' ""0,
witboo, shame or apparent computations OF
conscience, confesses hAh WINE HcHnB uu'
dor - solenp OATH to faithfully perform his
dptv as one Of the Senators from the en-
l,,b,e,sd state of Maine, he ignored the
claims Of his country and stiAed the noni
tons Of his conscience, and consented that
law should be enacted which he foresaw
would result in evil, without raising his voice
and recording his vote against i lest he
should offend his party, then It IS time the
people whose servants such men are, should
be alarmed for the future OF their country.
Is it true that the most reputable men OF the
dominant party Of the land regard alegi.
ance to their party paramount to their obi.
cations to their oaths of office, and to their
country? And if men who are expected to
be leaders in their party, and to whom their
party associates would ordinarily look for
counsel and direction in matters Of politics,
thus confess their serviity to party, what
shall we expect Of the miserable herd Of
mere politicians who cling TO parties and
execute party behests for the rewards which
are paid to party fealty? Let Mr.. Fessen
den pirate no more Of the crime Of rebel
lion, or of perjury, or Of the barbarism Of
slavery, after publicly acknowledging that
be yields his conscience a seryile slave to a
political party while acting under oath in a
public station, second only in dignity and
Importance 20 that of the Presidency itself
No seru'ude Of the body was ever so de.
hasuc a. this Of the conscience. If this
confession had been made in the purer days
Of the Republic instead Of in its iegencracy,
the athor Of it would have been scorned
.D! hanued as u creature too vile to asso-
c,s:c with respectable people, and ha own
colleague in the Senate would have felt
npeled to move his expulsion from that
booy. But in this case there was no re
proof from any source, no blush Of shame
nv the offender or for his otteuse.
II this revolving debauchery Of the con
science Of Senator in Congress, aud hi
unblushiug confession Of it in the prcsenC
Of ms brother Senators and the country,
given its full import, 1t fixes a degree
d,gencracy in public virtue which should
once alarm and arouse every good citi2'
too determined effort to 'roo h,v,oaF &c..
unpenmng ruin. The past eight years ha
witnessed % series Of inroads upon {,
rights Of the people by the dominant part
under the plea Of "a great and improvid
for eXigency. But we are already realizir
that powers once assumed or usurped y
not willingly restored. 80 man, we ca
not what may be his party affiliations, W
will calmly consider our situation as pD
pie in comparison with what it was in ~
can say that we are living under the sal
form Of government now rs then. o
change has succeeded another till we In
merely a mockery of what we once enoye
Congress has broken over nearly all II
barriers placed around it by the trainers
the government, by the passage Of unco
stiIutloual laws and appointing their o,
servie agencies for executing them, a
abolishing the power of the Supreme Coz
TO prevent their validity from beirg teste
they have destroyed States aud denied N
lions Of our people the right Of represent
courts for redress Of their wrongs; tn
have forced upon the people revolutions
changes in our fundamental law, all by
party vote and for party purposes, At
other period IN our history could an amer
ment to the constitution been prepared il
party caucus and adopted by strictly par
vote in Congress and by legislatures. The ia
that one or the other Of the political part
Of the country opposed it, would have prove
to the better men Of the party proposir
such fundamental change, that it was
partisan measure and fraught with DANCE
and its adoption would have become impC
sibIe. But we are now, as people, Lyll
under the DEGREES Of party caucus, wit
out power TO free ourselves from its chain
These evils may all be traced to I
slavery which one half the people yield
their party in violation Of their allegiar
to their country and its laws. The rene
is with the people, who have no other int
est in the government than that it should p
tee. them III the enjoyment Of their natur
rights, with a. lttl- restraint as il compa
Die with the general good, and at as h;t
COS, as possible. There IS no hope in pc
ticlans, a shown by Mr.. Fpssenden's oy
confession. Let the weN.meauiug people
both parties emancipatg themselves Frn.
party serviity, and take the goyernmr,
from corrupt, perlured schemers, and all W
be well otherwise We NAV lose our iuhe
lance while we talk Of its blessings.
Concerning Counting
Inste is wiumiu who qrp ~ eo,r