The sun., 1872-11-09

| at the cost of the lndu 'ry and interest Oi ali
classes VI our either =. MOnDed cons 'ira'eS
| are formed snl carrie 4 on with"u, rriuke or
ccnaurc waicn IN the beticr day ~ the republic
would have consigned the operators tn th"
| prison cells. whore they should be.
| " Thu prevailing evils ~ the times have reached
| onlcIal circles. when we hear Of the crimes
| committed by the members Of our state Legls-
Isturc. or by municipal authorities, or by
Judges upon the bench, we must bea- In mind
that these outrages could not have been COM
mittcd In q community alive to due sense
of ofricial duty and purity. The base frauds
which have beon laid bare In Democratic city
| governments and In Republican state Legsla-
turea, would never have been committed "
our people were animated by the honorable
and patriotic sentiments which prevailed
twenty years ago. Men cone very far short of
scnse Of their duty who think that II is enough
to dencunce the guilty officials who have fallen
before tho temptations OF the times, and
who have not been kept in the pathways Of
| rectltudc by n healthy, hleh-toned public SEN
timent. Ten millions could not have been
stolen IN the work Of putting up building up
on broadway. In the city Of New York, one OF
the great thorou ghfsres Of the world but for the
| Indifference of all classes Of the community.
| Nay, more and worse than this. as those wrong
| docrs grew rich from fraud and tlunder they
Nere recelNeu In nnhuCial cirClss thcy were en-
| brsced by the leading capitalists Of New York;
made their co-partners in public enterprises By
those who had looked upon them with contempt
before they had become rich by foul means. IL
| has not been the felOn who has done most TO
corrupt public morals II has been the greed for
| gold, the love of wealth, On the part OF leading
citizens, which has led them to neglect all public
| duty, which has nlled the minds Of the young
and active with the idea that wealth, however
gained, brought honor and influence.
| III such have been the influences upon the
| public morals. upon the councils of citios and
the Legislatures of Sta.es. how has IL been with
our national capital, where temptations have
been tenfold ct 'ater, and where opportunities
have been hundred times multipiiedf II we
foot the national income from all sources at
s4oc.0c0,O0 a year, AMI that Is less than tho
average during the rast ten YEAR,, and throwing
ont Sundays and holidays, give 100 days for the
, year, and ten hour each day for tho traNs-
action Of business, we nnd its daily receipts arc
about s1.ac0,ooO. more than $4,000 each hour,
about 1850 a minute, or t30a second. I reduce
those sums TO these minute periods Of TINA, be-
| cause the mind cannot get a clear idea Of the
vast amount OF tioO0OO,oCo. These sums with
each record going into the national treasury
are strained through tho millions Of fingers Of
the OlOg0 officials and Of at least coon assist
ants who were employed by the Govern
| ment in all parts ~ our country. A.
this money passes from Official TO official,
| rolling up into vast sums, when II reaches the
national capital 1t PLACES the whole money
power OF your country In few hands. These
can make or unm ike the fortunes Of individuals.
They can be laid heavily upon the Industry OF
the country. They can recch out into the work
:aaops and tho aslds OF our land lifting up or
bearing down the prizes OF products or Of labor.
Every thoughtful man must see that our officials
have for ten years past been exposed to tempta-
tions unparalleled In the history Of govern
ments. Now do not say that these tempta-
tions have led them astrav because they were
Republicans, but because they were men liable
to err. The power the wealth thus placed
within their grasp, has shaucd their policy, has
en:endered a love Of power, has made greed
| for gold, has made them blind to the principles
Of our Government. II may be asked " other
men would be better under Ike circums stances
I answer No, but We seek TO change the men and
tho circumstances alike.
1.-THE nrst necessity OF our Government s tC
get back to economy, TO simplicity, and to a fu
sense OF the value ~ these words proclaimed In
most OF the old constitutions OF those States
that power. military or civil, should always be
held In subOrdination 10 laws and to the !udici
ary, and 10 the sacred rights Of mems home'
and persons But IL may he asked. We ar,
battling with prevailing demorallation, whGi
is your remedy 1t Ia this; When we lay bar.
fraud, corruption, and violence. We do moi
merely stay special OWLS or punish guilt!
men; wo do much more than this-we arous,
the public mind to sense of such evils. W.
warn the young and active that disgrace eve
ovcrtakes those who leave tho paths of recti
tude and honor. IL is by such exposures tina
we lift up tho public morals-that W,
save the public welfare. when coTup
, Judges were driven from the bench WI
= did not merely get I'd of bad onicials
but the whole legal pr fe sslon, the whole Judi
ciary OF our land was made more pure and hon
orsLle. IL was not the mere fear Of punishment
that wrought This change but because tbe
minds were aroused to a sense Of the foulness q
corruption, that they were awakened to the in
sidlous temptations which draw men astray, and
they set up for themselves In their own mind
. higher and nobler standards 20 regulate thei
conduct In lie. So, too, has II been with the
exposure ~ municipal and legislative frauds
q Tho greatest good gained not tho pun
ishment to the guilty, but the training OF thu
whole public Ia better and nobler ideas of wba
men owe to themselves aud to their country
=, W. have made great progress In reform Ia OF
cities and Ia our State, and now we come To ou
- national affairs, where, as said before, danger
j nus and evil in1uences have been ten times 4,
strong az they have been elsewhere.
1--WE seek then To make such pollt
ical changes Ia tho nat onal Governmcn
. that there shall he thorough ecrutln
OF is transactions. We want 20 see tn
books and the records, not for any purposes o
political revenge or 90 crafty partisan pride
but that the exposures Of wr ng-dolng may @
. out 10 work the same reforms which have fol
., lowed elsewhere In the track of such inyes,ga
= tlons. We want To have these boOks loOke'
= : over by men who are Interested In finding on
= all the wrongs that have been done, and not b
packed and partisan committees who hav
every mouy. to conceal them. An attempt ha
= been made by some leading business men 4
= alarm the public with the idea that poitica
y, chunPcs would disturb the financial cnAdito
- OF the country. what Ia there hid away whlc
= thcso men fear To have brought to light
or is It their cowardico7 Some ono ba
wittily fald that no man II so tm
:, az he who has million OF dollars uu
lesA It is a man who had two. Now thes
=, men may nnd something to their adVantag
= In the frighCful usury which money command
l..V Al. .I.t.. I.t.NY