Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-08-21
pOIITICAL OATHS.

pOTETICAL OAEEfS.
,,,.r. has been considerable discus
of late wears, upon the force of po-
. ,"g' and judicial oaths, to make men
.'s, ast as politicians, or to secure purity
trntb in judicial Investigations, and
A"' comment has been enforced with
Wv Siderable earnestness, that where men
',o 60 depraved in character as to soil
g,;, hands with jobbing, bribery or cor
'. .,aon that same depravity would lead
, .,.m to AID perjury to their other sins,
~ that It was but a temptation to men
'" t,ke upon their souls the burden of a
s.,ntinc insult to DietY,to require them
..,o through the forms of an oath, and
opneal to the justice and good
If an omniscient Creator for what
.., knew. and other people knew, was
rropg and an untruth. This might
conclusive reasoning if we were
W. FIRST to admit, that all men were
.,rriribly corrupt or depraved, or that
NJ were too high-minded and pure to be
..eorved from the right by self-interest
~. desire to promote personal ends.
There is. however, a large majority of
..o whose hearts are full of honest in
,.ofons, and whose minds are impressed
with their grave responsibilities to the
,,,bor of all things, for their deeds
.,,,rr men, yet who are so weak in
afr purposes that they are unable,
..bn, left to their own volition, to stand
firm, before the wiles of the tempter.
r.-,ni- class the solemn invocation of
. aatn. wherein the $50 help you
G,I" rests upon the conscience and
,...he. the yeneraton of the man,
.rnaneycr he performed an act to which
h..,fb relates, is not only n shield
.,,irst temptation, but is a stimulous
AMI Incentive to right action, and many
,r... SAVES the man from ruin and the
,rorration Of great wrongs and while
.r1 men live in the world, the political
qaI the judicial oath, will be found a
necessity of politics, and an essential at
,rruof courts Of Justice.
III, "a current topic of conversation
rav. whether well founded or otherwise,
tHrhnp is much corruption in lcgisla-
t.. assemblies, particularly in the ma
s.l Congress and in the legislatures of
H.. Ml-.r States, like New York and
PENNSYLVANIA. The late constitutional
convention in the latter State has sought
nanpy q remedy for the evil they hear
much about, by prescribing oaths for
remembers of the legislature and those
official station. They suggest that
.erv LEGISLATOR, before he enters upon
h- duties of his office, must take an
ath that he will be honest, and that,
after the adjournment, he must make
solemn oath tLat he has not knowingly
listened to corrupt private solicitation
from interested parties or their agents,
nr lived any Gift or promise OF gift
from any such parties, or from any can
Hhte. that he has not voted or spoken
an any matter in which he had expected
70 have a private interest that he has
ut done or willingly permitted to be
iorc any act which would make him
guilty Of bribery; that he has observed
Hu order and forms of legislation, as
prescribed by the constitution, and has
ao. knowingly voted or spoken for any
law. bill or resolution, that he knew or
believed to be inconsistent Herewith.
Tlts oath is to be subscribed and kept on
te, and if any member refuses to take
f. or takes it falsely, he shall be for
eyer disqualified from holding office in
'as State.
This system of oaths seems we'll con-
rived toprevent whatever oaths can pre-
vent 1t will have but little effect on
politicians of the Simon Cameron or
Ben Butler school, who are corrupt by
.nntion and design, hut the great mass
BE-. mcn who are elected to the Lcgisla-
lrrof Pennsylvania, will be citizens Of
good intentions who will feel honored by
bring selected by their neighbors and
friends, to represent them as lawmakers
of the commonwealth. They will be
men Of religious impulses, and will en-
5@vor to keep their consciences clear of
all stain, so that when they raise their
right hand to heaven, and repeat the pre-
srbcl oath, that they have been honest,
they will feel not only at peace with
their God, but will have no forebodings
of dishonor and disqualification for fu-
trc honors by reason of having commit
rj the crime of perjury. 1t is a duty
for all our States to cultivate a sturdier
conscience in the people, and we should
have greater faith in the efficiency of the
wre if the members of constitutions
conventions and members of Legislative
assemblies would spend less time in de-
nomcing penalties against corruption,
while they by precept and example, at
home, are constantly teaching loose
morality.
Let their oaths stand for their influence
upon the only class they can affect, but
allow us tosuggest that more potent re-
form would be worked out by creating a
public sentiment that will not cOunte-
nance and reward corrupt politicians.
There is no danger from legislative dis
honesty when the people frown upon
and punish its disciples by public con-
fmpt.