Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1871-10-26
Corruption the Destroyer of Re-
pHblicS.

History shows that all the repub-
lies that have perished, fell through
the corruption of their citizens; and
it establishes another fact; this cor
ruption was the result of prosperity
As long as the republic was poor the
people were free and honest. So
soon as wealth poured in by conquest
or by trade, greed, avarice and pecu-
lation became the ruling passion.
There is, it seems to us, a striking
similitude between our day and the
last period of the Roman republic, In
Rome. as in our country, in the early
times when the State was poor, men
were willing to serve their country
from patriotism or for the honor Of
Office. But when the conquest OF
Asia, Africa and Gaul had made the
State rich, public Office became SO
valuable prize that those who once
held it were willing to plunge the
republic into civil war rather than
to give it up. Marius, Scylla, Caesar,
Ociavius, Crassus and Anthony did
this rather than yield up their com
lnand or their pro-consnlship, which
were worth millions to each of them.
Now consider the parallel in our
own history, remembering that
while Rome took FIVE hundred wears
to reach the perio(l Of corruption, we
have taken less than fifty. 1t may
be SAID that until the time Of the
Mexican war, and the accessions of
territory which followed it, the pri-
zes of Office, though honorable, were
not very glittering. Public officers
lived generally upon their salaries,
which were scant enough. Bnt since
that time what change has taken
place. The country has eytended'its
urea in every direclion, It's wealiA
has Increased at IroJigious raie.
and nuilltldes OF public Offices, 10
which are at ached contingent per
4uisltcs. have become exceedingly Ia
crative, even where the incambents
are honest. For exaiaple, collector
Slips, Indian agencies and the like
In addition to this came the late war
with lis int contracts, and We know
t VII tremendous frauds it gave
..lsa Tins WAS awakened the " ll,t,7
src7u tunes. the cursed hungering
after gold, which has produced all
these rings, jobs, fraudulent claims.
swin.l!ing contracts, briberies, Lobby
Tags ;nd all that variety Of frauds for
which the English language conld
!.nrni>i. 10 naiaes, an,l new words hal
% Le invented to design te them
The same consequence follows with
:l> iha; did in R,mc. To the victors
belong the spols-anl these spoils
h,ve becomc so immensely valuable
that Hose who hoI'i them will, il
they can, plunge TIE country intc
anarchy. rum and civil War rather
ihaa yield them up
We had occasion some days ago 10
;sIlude 10 the enormous and unlver-
sal defalcations that disgrace the
Government in all its branches. But
although these frauds are every day
assuming more and more gigantic
proportions, they are in fact but the
smallest part of the evil inflicted
upon the whole nation. The country
is rich and can bear the loss of hun
dreds of millions; but what it can
not bear is the loss of public virtue,
honesty and honor, followed as it
must be by the loosening of all NOR
al obligations in private life. Can
the spectacle of political profigacy
and of rapid and scandalous for
tunes, realized with impunity by
peculation in Office, be without a
deleterious effect upon the young men
of the land? But the evil does not
stop there 1t is surely and not
slowly destroying all the foundations
Of republican government. 1t is max
ing universal suffrage a mockery-
expressing the sense Of the people
less faithfully than French plc6ls-
cite. If Convention is called it is
managed by a ring which employs
every corrupt means to carry their
point. At the polls bribery, patron
age and the party lash at one point ;
bayonets at another; the terror pro-
duced by an iniquitous perversion of
the forms of justice at third; dis
gust the honest, frighten off the tim
id, silence all opposition and the
trick is done. The intrigue of a
ring is foisted upon the country as
the will of the people.
This suggests another. thought.
When generalization and corruption
II