Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1871-11-16
Responsibility in Politics.

Rrspc. table men are commonly
considered 10 be tha, large body ot
people, belonging more or less to the
propertied classes, who have a grea,
interes. in political integrity. but no
interest in political eruption; who
are shr.wd enough To know that ev-
cry dollar stolen by oflice-iolders, is
pald by them--or by tn. poor peo
pie on whom they may contrive To
SHIFT the burden-in the shape oil
taxes.
Respectable men are therefore gen
eraty united in their detestation OF
any corruption which may obtain in
our National. our State, our Civic. or
our Town governments. Death to
all thieves THIS is their cry as
they set down to dinner, and prepare
To enjoy the gifts the gods provided
them. Occasionally one of their own
class finds that he can make vastly
more money by con>piring with the
official thieves, than he can lose by
the increased d taxation on his proper
~. Th. respectable men mourn
over his fall from business grace, but
eat their dinners none the less con,-
p!aceniiy. II unfortunately happens
that their dinner hour, or rather
th.i ir dinner hours, occur at the time
when the caucus assemblies. They
cannot consent, after the hard and
honest w.rk OF the day, to rush to
dirty wardrooms, and fight rasoaI>
aud rowdies, who are fresh for the
infamous work of the evening ard
the night. Their protest against of.
fetal miquity. therefore, commonly
explodcs III words, and not in deeds.
But meanwhile the political rogues
"organize" their warfare on civilized
society. They reduce robbery 20 a
system. property is theft said the
most reckless OF French agrarlans
"Theit rs property answer the Sac
red Four OF the New York Municipal
Ring. Drscartes, the greatest OF
modern me,aphysicians, was content
TO say, Il thlnk, therefore l exist. y
Tweed, more piactlcal Dcscartes,
declares, IL steal, therefore | exis, III
the utmost luxury"
II is, ,ndeeS, the reduction o! ras-
calily to a system, which Is tie most
dangerous feature OF the democi attic
politics ot New York City. Rascal
" could never have been re.luced u
4 system If the respectable people OF
hat great metropolis had one their
plain duty.
10 prove this, we have only TO ap-
pea; to the facts oi their daliy ousi
ness. There is not respectable
man in New York who does no,
know tha, hls fortune depends on the
honesty OF persons VINO receive from
one hundred to thirty five hundtesl
dollars year. He conducts his bus
mess in an implicit reliance on the in
teilgence aud honesty OF his subordi'
mates, who deposit his money IN
banks, and draw checks on them i,
his name. Millions and billions d
dollars OF busili,ss are no,oriousiy
transacted every year on the princl
pie that clerks on small salaries are
honest. Many men OF fortune really
know little about their property, tx-
cept as 1t is exhibited to them by
their book keepers.
Why should no. this same conf
dence be telt in political clerks
Simply because, in their private bust
ness, the respectable men oversee
and overlook their employers, In
short. the respectable men allow the
clerks OF the community" TO cheat,
because they do not condescend TO
" aste' time in opposing the siniste,
Influences which control the prIinar,
meetings; in their own counting
houses they are keen, watchtuli, Wy.
llent and exactlng.
Indeed, il the respectable men a,
tended to pubic affairs as tney at
tend TO their own, such scandals a>
those recently developed in New
York would be impossible. All
business is conducted on the princl-
pal tina. men generaily are honest,
provided they are watched. Occa
sionally detalcatlons occur in banks,
tut it is rare that rcgniar bank d.vi
d.nds are stopped bv diviatiolis
itom honesty III their teilers and
cashiers. Occasionally the confden-
tial clerk betrays hls trust; bu, how
few OF the thousand bankruptcies OF
business men are to be referred to
the knaverv OF their clerks! The
fact is, that in business honesty is con
sid.red the rule, and dishonesty the
exception. Uuder the law o. proha
ba.lti,s, possible rascalily is rated rs
an exceptional element in CONNER
csa! affairs. 1t is taken into consid
Grafton, bn, it does not prevent such
y man rs Jay Cooke from nndcrtak
ing Il loan Of two OF five hundred
millions alta quarter per cent. conn
mission, 'hougn he knows that his
clerks can, ii they please, Utterly
ruin him III the progress Of the neyo.
llation.
Why cannot the respectable n.c,,
OF the community prove themselves
really respectable, by energetical!y J
carrying into public affairs the same
sagaci.y, insight and oversight, t~-
same resolution and intrepid,ly they
ahundan,ly show in the conduct ol
their private business II ,s ridicn-
ous 10 say that they are obstrurtcl
by univc. sal suffrage. A very small
part OF the will and intelligence cx.
ercised daily in their business would,
il directed TO the task OF influencing
"lhe people, be a!l-powertnl in con.
trolling votes. But, alas they are
too often Indifferent or selfish rs re-
CARDS the public veal, and leave to
such men as Tweed ani Swecny the
business OF politics, whilst proudly
boasting they attend to their own.
vHh., l,la ,,N.,n ..nllAA 40