Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-08-22
JUDGE BLACKS ADVICE.
View. oE an Eminent Democratic
Statesman On the Duty of DcEmO-
crats in the Present Crisis.


!. more G0zctte, on the duty of Demo
+ Gratis in the present crisis, will be reac
/, with interest by everybody, excep
Il the ''brass collar" chaps
- Ny DEAR SR:-I promised tn,
. gentleman who delivered your lette
that would answer it fully and a.
soon as could consistently with
other engagements. | am fultillm.
that promise, If | take more time
and space than might be expected you
will please remember that | and ;
great many other Democrats are in {
position which requires something
more than a mere definition. We can
not avoid misconstWction without
furnishing q rather full explanation
! admit that the next President must
be Grant or Greeley, The circum-
stances Of the political situation limit
our choice to these two men as strictly
as if ifnobody else were legally eligible
We must weigh them against one
another, and like practical men decide
the case before us in favor Of the best
Even if we find no good in either OF
them we must take that one who shall
appear to be least bad.
1t is undcniable that the leading
measures of this Administration are
not only unconstitutional, but anti
constitutional, showing not merely
contemptuous Indifference to consttu-
tional obligations, but II settled hos
tility to those rights Of the States and
those liberties Of the people which the
orginic law was made to secure The
Presidents Appointment Of officers and
his general exercise of public author
ity, under the influence of men who
paid him large sums Of money, are
scandalouS outrageS, and the effort
to defend them has combined with
other like causes to eXtinguish among
his subordinates all respect for those
rules of morality which used to be
held sacred. When we consider what
these men have done in the North,
and addto it the large-handed robberies
perpetrated in the South by the re-
tainers of the President, with his di-
rect aid and assistance. we are com
PEELED to acknowledge that no other
government now in the world is ad-
ministered so entirely for personal and
partisan purposes, or i'll such complete
disregard for the rights and interests
of the general public This demoral-
ization is not confined to the EXecu-
tive branch, the tide Of corruption
rolls in upon the Legislature, and in
some places it has risen high enough
to touch the feet of the judiciary.
Even the rank and file of the Presi-
dents party have become debauched
let us hope not altogether, but cer-
tainly in fearful degree. Acts which
in former times a hardened criminal
would hesitate to whisper in the ear
OF his accomplice can now be openly
advocated by a political leader, not
only with safety, but with Il tolerable
chance Of being sustained by a sort Of
public opinion. That love of liberty
and justice which used to pervade the
the whole community now "reneges
all temper" and yields without resis-
tance to the unprincipled dema-
gogues who would enthrone fraud.
Make the hoar leprosy adored place thieves,
And give them title, knee and appreciation
With Senators on the bench
If General Grant had been equal in
mind and heart to the exigencies Of
the times he could esily have made
himself a great public benefactor. He
might have purified official and politi-
cal morals by simply setting the ex-
ample in his own person of clean
handed devotion to duty. His own
obedience to the laws would have res
tored them to universal supremacy.
All the objects Of the Constitution as
recited in the preamble would have
been accomplished but for the obs
tIuctions with which he himself i'm
peded them. Unfortunately the in
terests Of certain rings were in conflict
with the interests of the country, and
they by large presents seduced him
into their service. The public con-
tracted to give him the salary which
his predecessors had been content
with the rings offered him more; he
accepted their bounty, fell over to
them, and took the Government into
his hands as ga Black Republican
job"
Now, as to Greeley 1t cannot be
pretended that his political life is very
symmetrical He was in the ranks of {
the radical abolitionists for a good
many years. That is bad; for such {
associations would have natural t
tendency to debase him. But we ,
must not forget that, though he was 8
with them, he was not always of them. {
He refused to be partaker in their {
worst iniquities; he had none of their {
hatred for the Constitution |
he did not lend his lips to their ribald {
blasphemies, and his feet were never f
swift in running to shed innocent |
blood Before the great conflict be- t
gan his opposition to the designs of L
the aboiltionists against the Federal L
and State governments, impelled him a
to the opposite heresy of the seces- a
,ionists, Like the Roman father, who t
killed his daughter to save her from t
worse fate, he chose to destroy the d
Government rather than see it dis e
aonored and violated by lawless force. n