Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1872-11-27
Party ~leaGersh;p.

One of the ~fallacics exploded b,
the recent Presidential election i IN,
supposed 0i4nipotcnce of party lea
:. ders. There is an extravaganza i,
)" Tile pariia!ity which the Americans
e a a people manifest toward the ne,
1t whom they choose to invest Will
temporary popularity and power
/ That very naturally tends 10 f.ttrI
the vanity OF the re ip;cnts of it.and
o in plain English. induces them ..tc
think more highly ofthcmsclvrs than
+ ihty ought a Inar acquires some
r reputation $ q public speaker and
: forthwith his admirers proclaim
/. loudly that he is the finest ora,sr
ihe country has ever produccd:'' OF
/ lie .JtImhi"S together a lot uf facts and
H@ir"S i'll II way that n~citi!c. he nor
'hF one else understands. and sud-
denly finds himself the best stati.ti-
'laii or ihiancicr in the land" Gna
WHO ta> tried to make !tinsc,fa st all
. ii'i:hii"r with the hiat"rv OF American
p"iiiics, cannot fail 10 have been
:tritrN with the exceedingly great
Number of shallow characters vino.
III their Gay and generation. paSsed
!"r "di>tin9uishcti.' and were follow
ca rE the HiaS-cs with IL reverence
al most a:aoa.iting TO idola:ry. For
len Years past the complaint has been
l 'i!!i.ar that the race Of our great
men Was becoming extinct, that I'll.
golden age of american statesman
SNIP had passed away, and that the
public men Of to-day were but
pi@mies by the side OF the giau,s of
lie times oiJacksUn, Clay. Calhoun
ana Webster. Oar own opinion.
however. irre"crcnt is it may seem.
IS that the statesmen of the present
are moi behind any that have flourish
cu since the foundation ofthc Ecpuh-
lie, i'll natural or acq,iircd ability.
1'-e difference rather seems to us to
oe that tie people by means of the
wonderful diffusion of kuowIedur
characteristic of the last quarter OF q
century, have become better able to
@"agc the caiibre of their rcprcscn-
'atlves, and are nc longer disposed
lo accord I'll knowledge and wisdom
I" ANY. The events of The last clec-
l'on demonstrate this very clearly.
" hen the liberal movement wos
coiisumiiatca at Cincinnati by the
nomination of Greeley, MANY of the
most influential leaders in The Dem
ocratic party sirove Il block i, b. |,
'heir personal opposition, thinking
the masses of the party would fellow
ohcuient to their call. a few blasts
OF popular Indignation. however.
coWcd the bodies! OF them. But the
impotence ofmcreindiv;Lual STRENGTH
unsupported Ey Il public sentiment.
was even more ~si.nally displayed in
the case q; the revolving It~rpublica-, ,
lenders. There were Sumner. Nar.c +
fcn!on, Curtin, TrHmbu.l. & .nurz
and cores of others, for r,.nrs H..
ihosi brilliant ntincs OH The honor-roIi
Of The Republican PART, who durinr
many months mat..e use Of eyer,
possible c~lueay"r 10 induce their cid
adhcfcht' TO follow them into the
ranks Of Liberalism. But for once
t'a leaders were more numerous than
the army at their backs and election
day left all these great men without
4 party, and powcrless in the land.
This phase Of the matter however is
a matter of no sCiicitude to us, aud
need :'isFirr but few regrets. But it
Is a significant, ven an ominous fac;
ina Ill proportion as mere intellect
AID intellectual attainmcnts in public
men have lost influence amon~ the
people, the trappings of wealtl, and !
power ave become enhanced in -,
value an hundred fold. Cameron
has not been accredited witt, anv !,
amount Of brains, especially OF ,
the higher sort, and morally it can /
be well said, 'hc stinkeih," yct lv !
Of his wealth he holds the !
great commonwealth Of Pennsylvania +,
- the hollow Of his hard. And so ,
tendency is everywhere. At the |
of lie Government there !:
q period when moral integrity. ;.
represented by sucl, men MS Wash. q
ngton and Adams wa The ~cl,aracter.t
site of American statcsmcnsLiu. '
lien followed n period, extending ::
good many years during :,
hicii, pure intellect was worsbiprd I
he country is now fairly launched a
Il third period, in which money u
y destined to be the great co%urroiiiun y,
that is 10 give shape TO the i,
administration OF aifairs-a period
hat corresponds to tl,r era Of the Il
I|sars ai:t Catalincs in Rome. when !,
lie m:" who scattered most freely ii
hc seste'cea among the popuiacc re. |!
rived their louirst a~cclnnatiops l.
here Is 10 come n fourth period, and T.
ldications point its near approach, 1,
hex fo:cc will be more worsliued u
ban moral integrity. intellect or 81
old, and then the country will be =.
for M empire Ike that OIL
.nsus.us 1T Grst, and in time Of b,
.atipniy b,