The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-05-04
Tolerating Corruption.

Whens attention is called to the govern
mental corruption developed by various re.
cent In vestigations, some men answer, ooh
well, there has always been corruption in
All governments. Beside, these charges are
mostly made for political effect by oppon-
haps those who make them have private
grlefs. The ends of government cannot
usually be attained without some corrup-
tlon, ana these ends are far more impor-
tant than any malfeasance in Office"
10 the men who talk thus know what
they are doingi Do they understand that to
sucn talk rs this, kept up for years, is ow-
ing in great degree the tremendous frauds
of the Tammany ringf Do they realise that
when they speak thus lightly of the vilest
political practices, they give these practices
direct encouragement, and assume part of
the responsibility for the wrongs they tao
lily permit Do they remember that the
only safety for the freedom of all is in re-
solptely standing by the freedom of each
and that when they treet as q matter of
course the violation of the rights of another,
they most forcibly invite the violation of
their ownf Do they forget that the term cor.
ruption ia but another name for injustice,
tyranny, wrong of every kind, and that its
essence is the defeat of the very ends of
government And have they failed to
observe that submission to injustice, tyrau-
ny and varied wrong has been the destruc-
tion Of every people whose history is COM
pletef Are they willing to admit that
have taught this generation nothing, to
grope with closed eyes along the same
path that all the dead nations have trod.
den, and walk at last into the same
pitfall The spirit evinced by such
remarks is unmanly, pusilanimous and
despicable. If it does not show that
the speakers at heart sympatbize with cor
rupt!on and hope to gain opportunities to
practice it; if it does not show that they are
in league with those who practice it, and
are secretly profiting by it in some way
it does show that they fail to appreciate
the privileges of freemen; that their NOR
al perceptions are blunted and it raises
the question whether they do not deserve
to be robbed-to lose the liberties for which
they do not seem to care.
The true spirit for every enlightened Cit
izen of free country is to frown constant
~ on corruption, and to attack it cease
Iessiy by every proper means; to attack it
when strong, but also to watch its begin
nings, and crush it when it is weak to
study the system of the government, and
demand that opportunities for malfeasance
shall be removed, and methods which Gre
ate temptation shall be abolished ; to quail
ify himself by research and reflection for
resistance that shall he not only brave and
strong, but skillful and effective Thus
shall he deserve and keep the name of
freeman. But he who tamely valves the
question of the truth of charges of official
wickedness, and pirates instead about pos
sible personal motives on the part of those
who make such charges, brings himself in.
to suspicion and contempt among upright
men, and does what he can to hurry his
country to decentralization, despotism and
destruction.-N. Y. Mercantile Journal.