The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-07-04
NO.. 81.

L nave been told by gentlemen who
were Candidates for county Offices that
they we're astonished to End men of re.
spectacle standing boldly demanding
money as condition of support.
Here in this city, l am Informed, men
have openly electioneered at the polls
with roll OF greenbasks in one hand
and roll Of tickets in the other. A
friend of mine overheard the following
dialogue at about three o'clock on elec-
tion day in this city:
"Well. John, have you voted ?"
"No, what are votes worth now 2"
"Four dollars"
swell, I think I'll hold on while
till I can get fve."
Even your fraternity, gentlemen of
the p:ess, far removed as you are
above the ordinary frailties of hu-
man nature, have not escaped the darts
OF suspicion. It may be that Sian.
der, like death, ,"loyes shining
mark" Or it may be that you afford
a splendid illustration of that profound
axiom of Artemus Ward, "that there
is considerable human nature in a
man arter ALL" The story goes Il
vouca not for its truth-that some
years ago when great measure was
submitted to the people of our State,
involving several millions of dollars,
an agent was sent out by the par.
ties in interest, with bis pocket we'll
lined with thousands of greenbacks,
to see the editors of different news
papers. He approached one gentle.
man, aud presented the surface -argu.
ments for tie measure. The editor re-
piled very frankly that that vas all we'll
enough, but he thought if he sup.
ported the bill he should be paid; that
his paper had considerable influence
and controlled hundreds OF voters
and that the wear and tear of his brain,
to say nothing of his conscience, was
worth considerable.
"Now," said the delighted agent,
''you talk like man OF sense. Out
with it! How much wiz satisfy
yon ?"
"Well," said the editor, II think
ought to have a! least TEN DOLLARS"
This state Of things is sad enough,
but every Intelligent man must ask
himself, whittier does it lead ? Whith-
er are we drifting?
The evil will necessarily grow and
increase, unless arrested by some great
popular revolution and if it grows
and increases for ten years to come as
it has during the pest ten years
this nation cannot endure as
republic. It must fall in conyulsions
such as the world has never before
witnessed, only to end in military
despotism.
Government is. instituted among
men to protect life, liberty, property
and personal happiness, and no govern
ment can long endure which fails to
attain these ends and what security
can there be for life, liberty, property
or happiness where the whole commuu-
ity is houey.ccmbed with corruption
and reekipg with neral rottenress?
The ballot.box is the corner stone Of
our political edifce but what must the
government and laws be if the ballot
box itself, instead of representing
tho honest manhood ard virtue and
deliberate judgment Of the peo-
pie, represents bribery, fraud, dishon-
esty and absolute generalization of
all kinds?
Liberty is precious thing dear to
all our hearts but even dearer than
liberty are virtue,prosperity, honor and
honesty. food, shelter, home and hap
piness. We love liberty, because
liberty we think, protects these
things. But when the sad day
comes that an universal convic-
ton forces itself on the minds Of men
that popular government is a farce, the
ballot box fraud, and the property of
the people the prey of organized bands
Of knaves corrupting society to destroy
it, the people through wilderness of
disorder will fly for shelter to the
strong arm Of some military Caesar,
who, if he does not afford them liber-
ty, will at leas: give them security.
Where is the remedy? Where the
means to arrest the dangers which
threaten ua? l answer, in an aroused
public sentiment; in a clear exhibit
of the terrors Of the path upon which
We are advancing and the awful gulf
which awaits us or our children. We
who have read the lessons of history ;;
we whose immediate ancestors fed
from the cruel despotisms of tho old
world, know what such future would
be. It would be better that our con-
tinent should sink beneath the sea
than that posterity should be given
over to such anarchy, chaos, and final
absolutism as will inevitably await
them if the present state Of affairs con-
tinues.
From the Senate chamber and the
halls Of legislation the spirit of cor.
ruption has descended to the ranks of
the people ; it is invading the sacred
precincts of justice; it is controlling
the action Of grand juries, as We saw