The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-21

of the Tribune, say, or of a Republican ora
tor ct o ratification meeting. they may save
themselves all further trouble. They will
find nobody 60 disagree with them, and
might thrash the empty air in this way for
twenty years and find things at the end no
better. We may say the same thing of all
general exhortations to individuals, from the
President down, ito appoint none but good
men to Office" Some Presidents will appoint
good men; others will not; and some will try
to appoint them, aud give it up as too trou-
blesome. 1t is the system which is rotten,
and 1T is the system which must be reformed.
Dependence on individual men cho-
sen by nominating conventions is sim
ply vanity and vexation of spirit. The
desire of the nation for honest servants must
be expressed in laws, and not in resolutions
only. There Is at this moment a convention
sitting il Cincinnati for the discussion of
questions OF prison reform. Some of the
ablest and most experienced philauthropists
and reformers III this country are attending
it; some OF the ablest in Europe have sent
pepers to it. Every day of its sittings vast
amount of valuable information and wise
suggestion as to the treatment of criminals
is laid before the world. Now, does anybody
suppose that its deliberations are likely to
have the smallest effect on the prison disci-
pline or the police system of the United
States? Nobody, certainly, who is competent
lb.
Sin ply because the administration of the
prisons of the country, like every other
branch OF the administration, has been
gradually but surely taken possession of by
distinct class, composed of ignorant and often
unprlncipled men, who regard the manage
ment of prisons part of the 'party spoils, )"
and treat all interference with them on the
| part Cf reformers as the meddling of visionary
| busybodie There has been hard-working
dition cf the prisons in this State in existence
| for twenty-five years, and containing some of
! the ablest jurists and philauthrophists we
| have. Il has inspected, reported, and
| preached year by year with unsurpassed in
telhgence and fidelity; and yet the state of
! the prisons is now far worse than when they
! began. We might multiply these illustra-
tions indefinitely. They present themselves
| IL every department of the Government.
The American people is full of generous
and noble ideas. 1t is ami nimated by the most
| ardent desire TO make real and valuable con-
| tributions to the work of human progress.
| 1t would tan do Justice, and dearly loves
| mercy. 1t seeks above all things to make
its institutions models for all nations. But
all this passionate love of improvement,
which, rightly directed, and with proper
machinery at lts command, might move noun
tains, is absolutely arrested at the door of
every public Office. Inside, it finds neither
service nor expression. If we wish ever to
see the greater features of the national char
actor, its faith, its hope, its charity, its open
ness TO new ideas, its vigor and ingenuity
in controlling circumstances, and its singu-
lar, may say unparalleled, capacity for
dealing with social and political problems,
fairly embodied, as they ought to be, in the
Government, we must, before all things, i'm.
prove the system through which the ma.
chinery of government is kept going Mr..
CoX's retirement is certainly, as far as this is
concerned, not a hopeful sign, but we must
trust that either he or the President will yet
find a way to retain his services for the
| nation.