Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-08-13

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Presidential term 70 one term You make
President ineligible for q second term
and the market where consciences are
bought and sold will at least be limited to
that extert. Washington recognized the
high responsibility of his duty and gaze
to his subordinates that measure OF his
own notions of honor by his own exam
pie, However much he deserved re-
ward for that which he had done for the
country, and nobody ever did or deserved
before him or after him, he showed that
he looked upon his Office as an obliging
opportunity to render still greater services
and not as mere
Which Cow 10 Feed Him and HIS
kin, -
and he could ask of every government
officer under him the same notionof honor
and duty. -,-.r.r q
am for the elevation of the moral tone
in our political life from my whole soul,
and he who is earnest must not recsnt
from pursuing evil in all its rarnifca-
tons, whatever it may be. 81
1t is my conviction that the American
people, if they desire to restore purity to
our public life, must direct their attention
to the head as well as the members of the
body polite.
. Parttxanship
Blind party spirit demands that we
should go with and for the win of the ma
jOrity, regularly expressed, through thick
and thin, and he who refuses to do this,
is branded by blind party spirit simply as
a traitor. The thieves of Tsmmany in
New York, are the very ideal of well
disciplined party organization in its high
est state of perfection, and its fruits are
just those which partisan discipline, so
selfish, 80 perfect and SO reliable. must
in long run necessarily produce.
But it is not corruption in the gross
form of eleeting alone that is cultivated
by blind party spirit. Strict party dis
cipline undermines moral feeling and
consciousness in much more subtle way.
1t commences to disguise or to conceal
the truth and to deal in fiction according
to party interest, and it requires not only
q love of truth, but it requires courage,
it requires positive boldness to Withstand
that command, for those who resist are
in danger of being burnt alive as Aeretics
on the party altar.
will say here, for the encouragement
of more timid heretics, of whom there
are many, that l have been already burnt
so frequently on that altar to know that
it does not hurt 80 soon as one gets &C.
customed to it. Cast look at this mo-
ment at the political world. How many
Democratic papers are there bold enough
to denounce the daring robberies of Tam
many Hall as openly and emphatically as
they ought 10 be denouncedi To their
honor be it said there are some, but their
number is not large, and how many are
there who cover these enormities with
stubborn silence, or even defend them.
How many Democratic newspapers which
admit that there is such thing as Ku-
Klux outrage in the South, and how
many Republican papers are there which
denounce csrpet-bsg corruption as it &C.
ours in the South?
Colossal Monopolies.
l have already indicated that the in
creased power of the government renders
necessary the more careful and concien-
tious maintenance of the constitutional
limitations of its power, and still greater
must be our caution in view of the colos-
sal accumulation of capital in the hands
of the great corporations and railroad,
companies, ETC., which consolidate them
selves as monopolies, continually growing
stronger, and which already exercise q
formidable and almost incalculable power
over our local, as well as national inter-
ests.
Already we are accustomed to the
phrase that this or that railroad company
own this or that State, Executive, Legis-
lature, courts and all. Unfortunately it
appears but too true in many cases. How
great the moneyed power of these corpo-
rations will be in ten years, how extern
siVe its ownership in Governors, Legis-
lstures and Courts of law, whether they
will then with absolute power, give Us
laws or impose taxes upon US according
to their pleasure, who can tell2 But
this, every thinking man feels, that in
the tremendous growth of the financial
power of these corporations there lies 8
threatening, danger for the American
people.
As curefor party spirit and its conse-
quences when allowed 10 rule regardless
of consequences, the speaker said that
we should deny to party that blind ODE
dience which it demands, that our indi-
vidual notions of right and consciousness
for duty to act according to independ-
emily and conscientously formed convic-
tons should be strictly and vigorously
preserved.
When there is in party strong force
of men who are determined to know the
truth and to speak and to follow the
party only when it does right and to
keep its candidates only when they are
good and to support its measures only
when they are pure and under no other
circumstances, then that party will more
easily escape the danger of becoming
corrupt.
Owing to the late hour at which the
speaker finished his remarks, we cannot
follow him further tonight. He spoke
from o'clock until II o'clock, and du-
ring this long time but very few persons
left the hall, and the speakers remarks
we're listened to with great attention, and
the loud applause frequently expressed,
showed the intense approval and sympa-
thy of the audience with the SD eaker.