The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-11-21

Of our country at the present time, and par
ticularly upon the condition of this great
city, which in country in itself, almost as
large in population as Massachusetts, and
larger in population than many Of the States,
containing within it all the elements of life,
of activity, and of influence greater than are
to be found any where else upon this con-
tinent-l say whoever will mediate upon
the condition of things here must be struck
with the grave and alarming fact that the
government was ceasing to answer its
ends. And when we think of what the
causes of that condition of things are,
we find that they are to be found in
the gradual decay of public spirit and
in the growing inattention of the people to
the concerns of their government. In the
early days of the Republic, when the pa
triotism of the country was stimulated by
a sense of danger, when there were free IN
situations to be founded and established on
this continent, the whole mind of the peo-
pie was devoted to political duty. For
twenty-five years the people labored to lay
the foundations of our freedom in the Con-
stitption of the Union but when the dan
ger disappeared they paid less attention to
the consideration of the public interest !;
and at last in this great metropolis there
grew up condition of things in which
society was chiefly made up, on the one
hand, of men who were too rich to perform
the duty Of citizens, and of men, on the
other hand, too poor to perform their duties
fearlessly. Everybody was in such haste
to compete for the good things of life that
the duties connected with the administra-
ton of civil government ceased to occupy
the public attention, and at length the con-
Germs of civil government were turned over
to professional class who made politics
business for their own personal advantage
and profit. Now, gentlemen, in Gov
eminent like ours no man has any right
to claim that he discharges the duties of
citizens unless he gives attention to the con-
Germs of civil government /; [cheersl unless
he is in practice that human being that it
has latterly become fashionable to look
down upon in your saloons and in what is
called polished society," politician. Now
had occasion to say recently, and | now
repeat, that the man who in our country is
no politician, is unfit to be a citizen.
[Cheers.l What do | mccarthy politician?
Not man who pursues office, not man
who seeks personal profit, but a man who
fulfills that obligation which is incumbent
upon all of us in a republic, namely, to give
an earnest, careful, and habitual attention
to the conduct of Government. The Gov
eminent of the people of England has been
called a Parliamentary Government. 1t
was by the competition of rival parties in
Parliament that whatever there is of liber-
ty in the land of our ancestors has been
preserved. 1t is by the competition of par
ties in a popular Government like ours that
the affairs Of society are to be carried on.
Therefore honest men should be politicians.
otherwise the affairs Of Government would
be left in the hands of bad men of all
parties aud that is precisely the evil
that has existed in this city for the last six
teen years. 1t made no difference what
bucket went down, because fuller bucket
came up. In every change and in every
vcissitude of party, the same class of men
remained in power and divided the spells.
The Republicans at Albany were just as
dishonest as the Democrats in the city of
New York. Under such condition of
things as has existed here, no government
can get on and no community can long re-
main prosperous. New York must have
better government. The expression to
which gave utterance on former occasion,
which amounted to pledge not to stop the
wor', which begun, do not recoil from.
stand ready to redeem that pledge, and
trust shall redeem it fully. [Cheers.l
The resolutions were passed and the
meeting adjourned.