The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1869-03-13
Spas1nodic Virtue.


Weighs against intemperance, or
the devil begins to rebuke sin, the
majority of honest people are apt
to suspect a trifling inconsistency
between the preachers and their
practice. When Kit Burns and
John Allen have prayer meetings
on Tuesdays and Fridays, and
rat worries and whisky dances all
the rest of the week, even the
most charitable persons are forced
to believe that the grace of SINGER
ity does not belong to the extern
sive catalogue of Christian virtues
which Kit and John SO happily
and brilliantly illustrate. Com
mon politeness requires that those
individuals who profess to hate
liars should themselves stick to
the truth; that they who de-
nounce thieves should not them
selves pick pockets, and that the
enemies of rascality should at
least outscoundrelize all the rest
Of mankind.
Yet the Radical party, in and
out of Congress, are just now ex-
employing their confidence in "the
higher law" by ignoring these or
binary principles Of morality, and
attacking with the heaviest artill-
cry of voice and pen the twin
vices of corruption and extrava-
gance. The nursing father of the
President, Mr.. Washburne, of Hi
nois, rises in his place in the
House of Representatives and
fires a ponderous columbiad, load
ed with shot, shell and pig iron,
straight into the ranks of that
party OF which Mr.. Washburne is
an honored and an honorable mem
Der. This modern combination OF
Cato and Aristides tells his gap
ing colleagues and constituents,
that vast empires of the national
domain and untold millions OF
national bonds have been given
away as subsidies to certain Pa
c1fic railways; that the whole
thing is little less than gigantic
! fraud, a mOnstrous swindle, which
is draining the country of its sub
stance, contrary to law, justice and
common sense. Other communi
cants in the same immaculate pc
litical church follow the same
track. Frauds in the Revenue
Department, frauds in the IndiaI
Bureau, frauds in the army, frauds
in the navy, frauds in the frank
ing privilege, frauds in senatorial
elections, frauds at home anC
frauds abroad, frauds anywhere
and everywhere, are revealed b!
the calcium light of these latter
: day reformerS, and the concentra
ted rottenness of American poll
tics as at present administered
, is shown up for the admiration 0
present and future generations
,, Leading Radical organs, such al
the New York Tribune and Times
, the Boston Advertiser and Spring
) field (Mass.) Republican, pat thei
suddenly virtuous representative
) on the back and bid them cleal
, out the augean stables as speed
t ~ and thoroughly as possible. /
! foreigner would imagine that thes
f Congressmenand editors were
regiment of spotless saints, VIII
had scaled the shining battlement
Of heaven and emigrated into til
territory of hell on a missionar
L tour. This innocent foreigne
: would surely never suppose tina
n these spouters and scribblers weI
4 simply repudiating their own act!
p and endeavoring to atone for
8 long life of political inquiry by
very questionable death-bed r.
. pentance. When Washbnrn & O.
u beat their breasts, rend their ga
q melt and mourn and howl owe
IS the desolations of our Zion; whe
e the Tribune and it's contempor;
# ries, clad in sackcloth and ashe
, chant the same nliserere, let it b
4 clearly understood who thes
= prophets are, and what they rel
- resent. They are the chose
- champions of the Radical party
= a party which for eight long yeal
+ has had the reins of governmeI
l. completely in its grasp, and wiel'
ed with absolute power both purs
and sword. That party, has mao
- war and concluded peace, levle
q, taxes and collected revenue, abe
g. ished gold and silver and give
ID US paper instead, made citizens
J " oil n nd s,Iaxr1r, ~ arYa