Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-03-14
Communications.
WRITrEN ron TIE VERMONT PHUrIx.
THR LRssO.v or 1HR HOU8.

ohcers maue the good OIL the country ana
the welfare of the people their chief desire,
well might they feel proud of our form of
government and our prospective greatness
as nation. But as the fruits of our prog
ress and advancing civilization began to
rpen, the political parasites increased, aud
the elements Of corruption and decay be-
came more apparent and now, before the
first century of our national independence
Is closed, the Fisks, and Goulds, and
Tweeds are rapidly multiplying all over
the country. In every age of the world
liberty has Withdrawn from people that
disgraced her name. Wealth and despot-
ism silently sapped the foundations Of an
cient republics, and defrauded the people
of their rights. Nations, like men, must
possess characters to be respected their
political machinery must be kept in good
running order, and managed by engineers
who regard the peoples rights of para
mount Importance. Strong Capitalization
is unfavorable to municipal cohesion, and
detracts from the liberties of the masses.
When statesmen become venal, and their
public acts are bought with dollars and
cents-when elections are made by stip-
ulated price, and intelligent people are
swindled on wholesale plan by heir trust
ed leaders-can any thing less than indig-
nant scorn he expected? Ames, Brooks
Caldwell and their Congressional confreres,
are the natural vermin of our age, that prey
with impunity upon the fruits of social and
political economy. Such men could not
have lived in the days of Washington and
Jefferson. Aaron Burr attempted, slightly,
to practice that theury-and what was the
consequence? Public sentiment at that
period of simplicity and honesty, indig-
nantly placed the mark of Cain upon all
such transactions. Even suspicion that
Henry Clay's support of John Quincy Adj
ans was prompted by the promise of the
chief place in the Cabinet, was treated with
a scathing rebuke. But in this age OF po-
litical refinement, bargain like that charg-
ed upon Adams and Clay would be a sa-
gacious and praisworthy act. Burr lived
in wrong age to be popular; to-day he
might have been Congressional pet aud
been lauded by an infatuated people. 1t is
hard work to conyict Tweed of any
wrong. individuals and corporations can
buy legislatures and congressional votes to
suit their purpose; and a whitewashing
committe can recommend the expulsion of
Ames and Brooks, thinking to make an
enlightened and contding people believe
them to be sinners above all those that are
sent to Washington. But Dawes, Garfield,
Kelley, Bingham, Scofield, Wilson, Patter-
son, Coltax-the leading members of Con-
| gress-where are they? All of them bought
more or less of the Credit Mobilier stock
received their large dividends; some set
tied with Ames, and others were not able
to tell how the matter was adjusted. The
only difference between the receivers and
vendors Of that noed stock seems to be
this: the purchasers, after taking the fat
dividends for while, criminally deceived
the people by their disingenuous and I'M
truthful prevarications, If not by down.
right falsehood, in relation to their connec-
ton with the transaction, while the sellers
made no such abortive attempt.
If the rapid progress of our social and
political development, and the great a.
chievementS of the Republican party Gre
ate loose integrity, and give duplcity
a premium over public virtue and official
honesty, are we not paying too dear for the
real advance we are max ing? Corruption
and decay are apt to follow ripeness in gov
eminent as well as other things and if d
people neglect to employ the proper pre-
servatives of their civilization and social
progress, decentralization and ruin are sure
to follow. Power is never left without pos.
SCISSORS. In our government, when it pass.
ed from the shareholders of the south, il
passed into the hands of northern capital.
lists and monopolizing corporations. The
high places do not belong to ecclesiastical
men as they did in Rome, or military mer
as in st. Petersburg, or men of noble fam
lily as in England and Spain, nor even t
men of genius as in Berlin, but to the ricl
men. History repeats itself in our owl
government as elsewhere. Twenty year,
ago, in the Augustan age of slavery. tn,
Democrat party elected Pierce their Presi
dent by majority of 254 to AZ of the cleo
toral votes, and the prospects of politica
quiet and national prosperity were neve
more suspicious. The champions of slav
cry could not rest quiet till the last vestig
| VI pPlooitioh W iuio VI pct luStl
tuition was removed. The consequence
are too fresh in the minds of the presen
generation to need comment. individual
despots, like summer flies, may be short
lived, but that does not diminish the dura
ton of despotism, nCr is it any less in con
flict with the true theory of government
when practiced by men or by parties of no
BILE record. When it comes to be under
stood that men in whom the people of thi
great Republic have coniided their deares
interests have so far betrayed their trust a
to excite suspicion of dshonorable scheme
of specu 'ation to crafty selfish avarice, @
what consequence is it TO talk about thei
good repulationr Men of bad characte
may have a good reputation; for the on
represents what he really is, while the 9th
err only represents what people think he is
Pacific railroad swindle is no party con
Germ, but that men of all parties will hav
to take the responsibility. But how can
party that arrogates to itself the credit o
doing all the noble acts that have been a
chieved the last twelve years, including tn
Pacific railroad, escape the responsibility
of the consequences of those acts? If the
have had the absolute control of the gov
eminent and have neglected to prevent th
disgusting frauds practised upon the gov
eminent and the people, should they nc
be held responsiblef Is it not adding in
suit to injury to include all parties alike
Every attempt to evade the righteous in
dignation of an intelligent people wi
prove a failure. When the slaveholdin
despotsm attempted to force obnoxiou
institutions upon free people, public sem