The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1873-10-10
SenseleSs elimination.
From the Marysyille Tribune.

1HSTS ls great ucdI oiIu III the pOlltl-
cal journals in regard to the SALARY
grab" One party is trying to make
capital by saying to the other, ''you are
responsible for the corruption" while
the other retorts by saying, "you are
equally guilty, for the majority of your
members aided in the swindle' Then
the little spaniels in the shape Of side
parties, are all busy in their efforts to
unsettle the minds of the people, by ta-
king up the cry of corruption" and
saying to them, "come over to US; we
can offer you something honest, good
and pure"
All this is next to so much nonsense
nothing more. So far as the old parties
are concerned, we hold that they are in
a large measure pure; that is, as pure as
men can be made in the capacity of a
party. Because a few of their agents,
having the opportunity, have acted un-
wisely or treacherously, and both sides
being equally guilty, it is foolish to
charge that the bulk of those parties,
constituting the rank and file, are i'm
pure. Just so long as party shows
the disposition and proves that disposi-
tion by its acts, to punish its recusant
officials by th-usting them out, .iust so
long is it entitled to receive the support
of honest men. When a party shows
no inclination to cure its own evils, OF
has not the ability to do so, it is then
time to talk about destroying it.
No new party has ever been success
fully formed or ever will be, in this or
any other country, that does moi en-
brace all the political issues that enter
into government. Suppose, for instance,
the Prohibitionfsts should carry the
day on their one-idea issue, how long
would they exist as a party upon this
one-idea when there would come up
scores of other issues for consideration
and action? And how long would this
one idea serve the leaders of this party
as stepping stones to official favor and
patronage when it became mixed up
with the great mass of other vital mat
ters claiming the attention of State and
Nation? Human nature is wonderfully
the same the world over, and the man
who will foolishly argue that a party
can be got up free from impurities and
kept pure, is manifestly visionary, and
impractieable for any duty of life. If
you want to reform man, you don't
conceive the idea of killing him! If a
few branches of tree become diseased,
to cure the distemper you cut off the
diseased branches, and not the trunk.
II church needs awaking, you do not
first blot it out. Hence if few officials
have stained their hands with corrup-
tion, it is the quintescence of weakness
to talk of wiping out that party and
substituting in its stead another lot of
material c: the same kind. The only
effect would be, to remove the floating
corruption would be, to remove the
floating corruption from one place to
another-from the old party to the
new.
The talk of corruption is vastly
overdone. Even moderately good men,
and men who ought to be better histor-
ians, go about with doleful countenances
and talk of the terrible corruptions" in
the government-that the like was
never known before, and all this kind OF
puerile stuff, because majority Of our
Congressman, massing the two parties
voted themselves back pay, and because
half dozen or 50 had some interest in
the Credit Mobilier swindle All this
is greatly to be deplored, but the idea
that it can be bettered by new party
is folly. ,Corruptions, more or less
with all the caution that could be exer.
cised, have been practised in the subor-
dins.e departments of the government
and they viii be till the end of time, ol
till God in some way shall work mira
Gle in the constitution of fallen human
nature. Who does not recollect the
fearful mania for peculation under Var
Buren's administration, when tn,
Swartwouts, Prices and hundreds of cor
rupt officials in post offices and customs
houses came near bankrupting the ma
tion, by appropriating millions to thei
their own uses? Who dees not know
that the administrations of both partie
have found it one of the most Difficult
things in carrying on the government, t,
find in all cases pure and honest men Il
entrust with responsible official positions
All parties as well as persons, are liabl
to be deceived, and SO long as we remail
in the flesh we can attain to no highe
degree of insight into the professions q
purity in men, and therefore the evil
we cannot force we have got to endure
There seems to be but one plain com
mon sense duty marked out for our gui
. dance. Instead of parties eriminatin
each other for the sins that both ar
; guilty of, let them cast out the rotte
elements from their midst, and thu