New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-11-30
A Senseless CIamOr.

Abuse of "politcians'' has been a favorite
diversion of a very large class of our citizens,
and whatever influence they possess has been
exerted to bring politics into contempt.
Being unable to discriminate between "politi
clan, " in the obnoxious sense of the term-which
is, one who devotes his life to Office seeking aud
lives upon its spois-and the man who exer
ercises the duty Of all good citizens by keeping
thoroughly informed in regard to all political
questions and uniformly deposits his vote as q
sacred obligation to the country, they abstain
altogether from that duty, and leave the con-
troll of the nation to the worst class of citizens
This is painfully true of very large portion
of the business and most intelligent part of the
people of New York. For year after year the
great majority of the merchants, bankers, ar
fists, lawyers, and others of the cultivated
classes have entirely neglected this great privi-
lege and obligation of American citizenship.
They have neither taken any part in the selec-
ton of candidates nor in the election of officers
but have permitted ignorant and degraded
foreigners and others, under the direction of
their HALLS, TwEEDs, NoRToNs, SwEENEYs, and
other INSCRIPTIONS and corrupt demagogues to
take possession of the city, vote away their
property in the shape of taxes, steal their
money, and bring iniamy upon their city.
And the condition to which they were brought,
10y their neglect to interest themselves in poll.
TICS is just what every sensible man might have
foreseen, and is a proper penalty for their
criminal indifference to the good name and
welfare of their city and county. They per
mitted knaves and demagogucs to rule their
city, and they shoeld have looked for nothing
better than disgrace and ruin. But if the con
dition into which New York had been plunged
by the Ring is good illustration of the danger
of negIecting to exercise their duties as citi-
zens, the remarkable results Of their change Of
policy and their determination to assume re-
sponsibiities they had 50 long dispiscd is quite
as forcible an example of the benefit of faith.
fully performing their duties as good citizens.
By the one course they brought disgrace and
disaster upon the city-by the other they re.
deemed it from the reproach, and gave thieves
and demagogues lesson they will not soon
forget. In deciding to become politicians as
'hty uiu ny III DOuy al thtlT TcCcUt
election, they gave guarantee to the country
that the reign Of thieves, ballotbox suffers
repeaters, and vile demagogues is over in that
city We think that hereafter they will have
less abuse for politics, and more blows for
professional politicians"
In recent lecture upon the redemption oil
the ballot box HENRY WARD BEEcnER referred
to this great sin of omission, and dealt some
heavy Lows upon that class of citizens who
neglect the important and what they ought to
consider the sacred, right of suffrage. 1t is 6
shame, he declared, that men who had gathered
their whole wealth under the protection of the
laws of the State should neglect the ballot-box
The man who stays away from the polls is
bad citizen, and the higher he is the worse he
is. Speaking of the primary meetings, Mr.
BEEcHER had similar remarks for the eminently
respectable people who are afraid to mix with
the dirt of the caucus. They themselves are
responsible that there is dirt in the caucus.