Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-06-02
CORRUPTION IN POLITICS

CORRUPTION IN POLITICS
The Newburyport Herald says ''there is a
class of people to whom the past looks so
glorious that they cannot see the present
as is. that shut their eyes and only see
through the medium of imagination. 10
them men are smaller in stature, weaker
! in muscular strength and more feeble III
intellect than they were formerly And
as this class has always existed from the
earliest time when there are any records
of mankind, if we were to believe every
successive generation in their praise OF the
preceding. we should have the prospect,
in few years of dwindling in size and in
tellioence, till we become the prey of
small birds and mice, and of becoming so
contemplate in morals that the universe
will be well rid Of such worthless pigmies.
The charge hatpublfc men are corrupt.
may be true of many of them, but that
they are more corrupt than formerly,
needs something more than mere assertion
for proof. There were other leaders of
the patriots in the Revolution, besides
Benedict Arnold, who were strongly sus-
pected of treachcry, and the characters of
some of them are not clear even now and
as long ago as the beginning of the Chris
tan era, there was one of the apostles
whose corruption was 50 poorly concealed
that he was detected as thief. There
have always been bad and corrupt men in
every government, every organization,
every class of men, and the newspapers
opposed to the government sixty years
ago were great deal more bitter against
the public men of that day, whom all
parties now honor as patriots and states
men, than the opposition papers now are
against the party in power of to-day.
The fact is that men are pretty much
the same now that they were a hundred
years ago, and our children will very
probably point to the great statesmen of
to-day as models, and mourn the degen-
elacy of their own times, when small and
dishonest men hold offices in integrity as
much beneath the patriots of the days. i'm
mcdiately succeeding the great rebellion as
they are in ability. There are different
standards of political morality at different
times, but it is not SO much from the fact
that men differ as it is that their circum-
stances and the temptations to dishonesty
are not the same. hundred years ago
in England there was a barter and sale of
public offices and of votes in Parliament,
that would not be tolerated for moment
at the present time. Not that men were
worse then in that country than now, but
the laws were such as to offer premium
to corruption and every encouragement
to integrity.
This is the real danger-n the laws reg
ulating appointments to civil offices. If
these are such as to offer continual temp
tation to make the appointments for per-
sonal and temporary reasons; if the prin-
cple is to continue, that will appoint
you if you will support me, or will give
my influence for your friend if you will adj
vocate my measure, than we shall have
ever increasing temptations to corruption,
continual changes in the civil service to
the detriment of the public, and a continu
al increase of the difficulty in returning to
an honest and pure administration of af-
fairs Mr. Jenckcs' Civil Service bill is
aimed at just this danger; and everywhere
out of Congress is hailed as promising a
reformation in politics that win purify it
very greatly Nor in Congress is there
any very active opposition. The bill is
too much in accordance with the wishes
of the people of all parties Cor that but it
meets with an exceedingly cool and
Laodicean reception. 1t SCENE to have
few enemies and still fewer friends, and
to save it from very quiet and obscure
death Mr.. Jenckes has it recommitted, to
await happy resurrection at some more
suspicious time, when the will of the peo-
pie in the matter shall be so clearly an
nounced that it cannot safely be disobeyed
With such a law there would be no dan
ger of corruption in politics, unless the
entire people should become corrupted,
which does not seem probable. The
average American is better man to-day
than he was fifty years ago; and there is
no reason TO expect that this progress shall
be reversed in the future"
A y &, 7