The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-03-28
More Reform i'm Politics.

1t must be evident to q casual observ-
er that great struggle is impending in
this country and even in this state, be.
tween the friends of virtue and religion;
as to the possession of political power.
This question is not altogether new one,
it has had its trial, in various, forms in
the past. But then it has been upon
questions more or less indirect; and one
Of these questions was, in the Providence
of God, taken out of the domain of party
politics and submitted to and settled, so
far as it could be, by the arbitrament of
battle. We refer to slavery. But, even
this question has in its, settlement, left a
residuum Of evil to be disposed off, that
will make the question more directly one
of right and wrong than the former one.
For it is evident that the powers in the
south opposed to any just and equitable
measure Of reconstruction, stand ready at
the first opportunity to ally themselves
with any power alien to justice and saw
oring of corruption and evil.
The scorn which certain conservative
secular newspapers, here in Vermont,
show towards any morally reformatory
measures such, for example, as temper
ance, most manifestly evinces low
state of moral virtue. So low indeed,
that to secure political honors they are
ready, at the first chance, to strike hands
with any party or power, which can, or
is ready to help them. For, who must
not see that the question Of temperance
now, like that Of slavery in the past,
cannot be kept from the sphere of politi-
cal action. The very enemies Of temper
ance compel such action, as the friends
of slavery compelled and forced on anti
slavery men, political issues. The devil
won't be still if the Lord would be.
Evil is ever aggressive-a positive pow
er. 1t enters at once the political field,
seeks to monopolizc it, and complains Bit
terly if any moral force, any virtuous
or religious movement dares so. So the
pro slavery forces did. They wero first
to seize and WELD its potential force for
their base ends, and did SO for decades.
And when the anti slavery power design
ed to use the ballot, or the right Of Pc
tition, with what a malicious opposition
they encountered.
Similar are the demonstrations to day,
from dominant parties, and dominant or
would be dominant partymen TO any de-
cisive or controlling action on the part of
temperance men. If such will but take
the back ranks, be overridden, and over
ruled, and ruled out again and again by
them, and for less vital questions-ques-
tons perhaps ofmere party ascendancy,
or the ascendency Of some leader to office,
all right. But when they-the friends
Of temperance-demand a position,-
leading and controlling, for the grand vir-
tue they espouse, these old political hacks
take the alarm. They either know that
there is not virtue enough in the parties
now in the field to carry so much reli-
gious principle as temperance involves, or,
if there is, that there is not enough of it
in them, as men, to stand any chance of
success amid such issues. But it will not
do for the friends of political and social
rectitude to be negative at such time
aud amid such issues as the present.
They must rush to the front of the present
party organizations, and seize the stand
ards, and carry them for the right; or, il
they find too much corruption in such or
CARNATIONS, they must step one side, or
move on in advance, as the matter may
be viewed and erectan Independent stand
ard.
There is no alternative. They must
do this or behold the political organiza-
tions of the day wholly and basely secu-
larized, and exercised and welded by un-
scrupulous men for purposes wholly mer-
cenary, selfish and evil. There is nc
time to lose. Let the opposition we en-
counter pass us by as idle clamor. Our
duty is to be right. Let us dare to be
so.