American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-09-07

The opinion that a political party, once
corrupted, cannot cure itself is strongly
confirmed by the experience of the party
| now dominant in this country. Its purest
| members have Sternly denounced its cor
rupt:Ons and crimes and pleaded for a re-
formation, only to fall back at last. dis
heartened and discouraged, in the hope
| less task. Some of them, like Mr.. Dawes,
Mr.. Garfield, Mr.. HOar and Senator VIII
son, finding themselves unable to reform
| their party. and not daring to defy it, have
yielded to its authority after few feeble
| protests, and are now dOcile apologists
| for the very extravaganza and corruption
they once denounced. Others, like SchurZ,
TrumbuH. Sumner and Palmer, knowing
that the party cannot be reformed and
paciiied, have abandoned it, and are now
laboring for its destruction. Of course
they are, in party nomenclature, rebels.
insurgents, but they may be good patriots
for all that. Rebellion against corrupt
power sometimes becomes high and sol
emn duty. and events are occurring be-
fore our eyes to show that the widespread
insurrection against the Republican party
is a case of this sort. In half a dozen
states we see open and unblushing venal-
ity sheltering itself under the skirts of
the ''great Republican party" and we
see, too, that party spreading its skirts
with maternal fondness, to afford the
needed protection to its criminal children.
1t is so in Pennsylvania it is so in South
Carolina; it is so in Arkansas; it is SO in
the general government at Washington
City. If 4 faithful partisan is charged
with crime, he appeals to his party to vim
dictate him; and the party has never yet
refused to come to his succOr. Cameron
controls the machinery of the party III
Pennsylvania; Clayton controls it in Ar
kansas POmerOy controls it in Kansas
and as foul fraternity of scoundrels as
ever welded power, control it in South
Carolina. The party rule in the latter
state has become so desOlating and abom-
Unable that the regular party elsewhere,
with all its own cOrruptions, dare not de-
fend it and it is given out that the admin
istration will be forced to make war
against it. But it is only matter of de-
grees between them. Republican cor
ruptiOn in South Carolina is the same in
sind, and only worse in degree, than Re
publican corruption i'm Pennsylvania; and
Republican corruption in Pennsylvania Is
scarcely worse in degree than Republican
corruption at Washington city. Gov.
Scott, the bloated carpet-bagger of South
Carolina, would not be at a loss if trans
ferred to Pennsylvania and Simon Came
ron would be perfectly at home in South
Carolina. Both have found a friend in the
President--not, perhaps, because the
because they are ''good Republicans, y"
and he must give them his official recOg
milton and favor. But with what grace
can the administration declare war against
the corrupt power in South CaroliIia, af=
ter having assisted to build it up?
The regular Republican party in that
State, with Speaker Moses and the negro
CarlOZa at its head, is its own begOtten
child. and this child clings to it and yearns
after it with true filial affection. If the
child has fallen into evil ways, it may
plead that it only followed the example of
its parent. Moses and Cardoza. the can
dtlates for governor and treasurer. are no
worse scoundrels than Scott and Parker,
the present incumbeEts; and if the adj
found no difficulty IT. uphold
ing and favoring the latter. it might be
asked what new grounds has it for repu-
dating the former. Or, with what con-
sistency can the administration draw its
sword against the corrupt Republican
party in South Carolina, while using the
same sword in defense of scarcely less
corrupt party in Pennsylvania
If the dominant party at Washington
were pure, it might afford to wage a war
against corruption in its extremities. But
it is not pure, and it will not attempt to
purify itself. Some of its great leaders
have abandoned it because of Its crimes
and corruptiOns. 1t will not tolerate Sum-
nef ana ScnurZ, out IL HnQS no ulHculty
in making Pomeroy, Clayton and Came
ron the recipients of its confidence and
the trusted custOdians OF its authority. 1t
is encrusted with Secor claims. ChOrpen-
the Leet 81 Stocking frauds,
and with the 'straw bids" practices of the
post Office department; and if it should
begin to fight a battle of reform against its
own offspring in South Carolina, it would
lind in every blowit gave a condemnation
of itself, and rebuke of its own prac.
ticcs.
The party is sick in its whole body, and
what makes its condition hopeless is that
it affects to believe that nothing is the
matter with it. 1t avows its freedom from
all ailments. 1t declares it is pure and
free from faint. 1t replies to every accr-
sation of fraud against one of its organs,
with whitewashed report. 1t declares
that all charges against it are false it
treats all popular complaints as q sort of
semi-treason against its divine right to
rule, and assumes that the people have no
other right than to accept it as the purest
and best party that ever existed. There
is but one way to treat such disease as
this. and that is the bold method adopted
by Schurz, Trumbull and Summer. The
party cannot be cured it must therefore
be destroyed, and the disease with it.-.St.
Louis PuDey.