The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-03
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POLITICS AND POLITICIANS.

POLITICS AND POLITICIANS.
From the ~ y Tribune
The tendency Of the feminine mind to loose
and hasty generalization was well Illustrated ny
the smart remark of the young woman VINO lec-
turcd Iast Friday evening at the Cooper lnsti-
tute. "Politics," she said, to-day means an
indecent scramble for Office where every Inan
is for himself and the Devil takes the hlnunOSt'
AS for the foremost, they are already safe In his
hands Before going one line further we beg
leave TO call the attention OF this lady to com
mnndmcnt reputed to have been specially de-
livercd from on high'-"Ihou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbor'
In order to fully appreciate the breadth of this
lady's accusation, it must be remembered that
a large majority of all the men in the United
States are living, earnest, active politicians.
Whether they call themselves Democrats or
Republicans, they maintain an untagging in
terest in public affairs read and listen that they
may understand them, vote, each according to
his conviction, and, to speak briefly, make poll
tics part of the business OF their lives. Ihis,
we beg leave to say makes them politicians. 1t
is gross injustice to use the word in a bad sense
and without qualification. If women should
be admitted to the suffrage, they would be poll
tCians. If Miss a. ID. should be elected to
Congress Gas she tells us she expects to be) she,
too, would be a politician, unless she should
refuse to have anything to do with politics as
COngresswoman in which case her Congress
sional career would be short one.
There is one point upon which we must set
this young lady right She fances that she has
sounded the depths of our political depravity,
and that she knows all the sins and iniquities of
our political operations. Bless her innocent soul.
she knows nothing about it. We are u hundred
fold worse than she thinks us. Having been all
our lives engaged in politics, trying nevertheless
to keep good conscience, we are free to own
that from one point of view, they are rather
nasty. We wish it were otherwise. We have
done what we could towards general purfca-
ton, with no great result, as in modification of
spirit, we confess for human nature is both
vigorous and vital; the rogues will join us, will
sell their votes, and will help to hoist fellow
rogues to office. In short, if we may be per-
mtted to express an opinion, the millennium
has not yet arrived. Whether it will be here day
after tomorrow is more than we know but
we fear that a coming so speedy is hardly to be
expected.
Now, if from the Republican party Divine
grace having given us the power and sagacity
to do iD we proceed to eliminate all the rogues
and rascals-all persons who according to Miss
A. DIS charitable Judgment are safe in the pos
session of the Devil-to make the lady's remark
of much value, the spared remnant should be
small indeed-hardly enough to save Washing
ton, to say nothing of New York, Philadelphia,
and Chicago, and putting Albany altogether out
of the question as not to be saved even by n re
gment of the righteous Now, does any homes
man, however active he may be as politician
believe this to be a probable result? His own
sincerity and single-mindedness, he knows He
has faith in the truth and conscientiousness of
his neighbors. He trusts them in trade; he takes
their word, whenever there is occasion to do so
and why should he refuse his faith in affairs of
public relation!
If we consider the matter from still another
point of view, we shall find that If ever the
political devil was unclaimed, it was during
the half-dubious days of the Rebellion. The
merely self-seeking politician did his worst to
ruin us, with what success all the world knows.
The momentum of public virtue carried us safely
through, and nothing else could have saved US.
There was very considerable opposition to the
reelection of Mr.. Lincoln-how happened il
that he pure, noble, single-mnded, thoroughly
honest, was reelected? The mere traders for
Office could hope for nothing from him; the ad-
vacates of dishOnorable and cowardy peace
knew that his face was set like flint against
them; every wretched dOughface was scowling
at him. but he was carried again to the place of
enormous and unspeakable responsibility upon
the shoulders of the grandest constituency which
the world ever saw! Was this a victory of politi-
cal vice or of political virtue?
Again. men in Office are human beings; some
of them are honest, some of them otherwise;
but a wholesale accusation of them disproyes
itself, for if all of them albeit they call them
selves politicians, were absolutely selfish and
iTrevOcably sold to the Devil, it is evident that
his Majesty would take that opportunity of
tumbng all our institutions into his very deepest
and hottest pit In other words, an absolutely
corrupt government void altogether of virtue,
could not go on for day. There must be a
little leaven left in the lump. There must be
something to save us from undistinguished ruin.
We put forward these suggestions with due
mOdesty. We are answering the accusation OF
a lady. We are guilty of being one of Miss A.
DIS politicians, and all our lives we have been
SO. But we say nothing for ourselves. We
would only utter one humble word in behalf Of
thousands of honest and honorable politicians
whom il has been our good fortune TO know.