New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-06-12
HOW To Cultivate REFORM.

w dIG RldO tQdl OOsSAAAOA O~-I
q Iowa, has At last put OR neigaoor. the
Times, on the right trail. We have been
hard a. work trying to DO SO to: q NUMBER
Of years, but failed to make ourselves SUI
hciently persuasive, EU: the western
Governor has TAUGHT il a new lesson ~
political ethics. and we sincerely nope IL
will profit byi.. Tie point is this: That
i. is the people Themselves from whom
public officer, aye selected, and to whom
thew look fox app,ova! OF censUre. who
Give colo: 70 oticia! morals. There Is an
other ;da. similar e. this. and which Is
c7,;.e a, new. 4, the fountain Is. 50 VIII
he the stream. Ii TIE latte: te impure,
n. fo;,ue. uul.,: iy,. be c.e.u,ed, before
aav marked reform CAL be expected.
When the RE,v.r.,cAs declared, at the
close OF the session Of tie General Assem-
blv O. 1871. that the members OF that
body who vera " No means very popu-
lar were very fair representatives. OF the
PEOPLE Of tn, State tina. the Republicans
who found the: way there closely resem-
bled an equal number Of average mem
be,s of tha. party. and that the Democrats
were excellent fac SMILES IS TO intelll-
cence, moral, and ability OF the several
hundred constituent, OF tia: political
faith whom We enjoy the doubtful honor
OF knowing personally. there was gene
Ia, demUrre, heard il the opposition
camp. What. exclaimed a superficial en-
thusiast, tna: crowd a fair sample OF
''this people, Of our Oldest and best citi-
zens. The charge is fatty ioe!ous. But
this Little puff OF reflected indignation
closed the controversy. and the politicians
began to prepare for tie next game.
Our experience here is that We have
plenty Of citizens Of undoabted age but
questionable respectaoility; and that what
little reputation they enjoy is owing more
to good luck than good management. to
thei, wealth or the popular belief in their
wealth, than to merit. But our newspapers
have alluded 70 them 80 persistently in
such super!a.;veiy hattering terms that
they have come 20 over1ate their own worth.
and set themselves down n so near
70 perfection tna: i: was not worth while
to make any further efforts toward I'M
provement. Mr.. Smith. who has little
money. which he want, 20 double at the
expense O! the public, brides Brown. a
poor scrub Of Representative from a
swampy district to vote FOX skillfully
coutrived bin. After the law is passed it
is discovered that it authorizes monopoly
or the payment Of money out of the treas
ury fox wor. not yet done. or for some
service never performed. Brown, being a
Republican, is called by the Tines and
P;cay,:,. 4 th;eviae Radical legislator,
while Smiths name figure, il the same
issue as mos. respectable vice presi-
dent At . great Reform meeting on
Lafayette square, And ye: for mildly
iutlma.inS that IL. corruv. legislator
WA: tie true rervess NATIVE Of the hypo-
critical politician OK finarcie-. We were
held to he Al enemy Of tai, people. But
every man Of common sense in this city
knows that it is impossible fog public
officers to be VIGOROUSLY corrupt unless
they are sustained and shielded by the
wealthy and influential classes. That
frequently the only temptation to depart
from straightforward. honest course. is
the money OF man who manages once in
Will: to have hi, name paradei in the
papers as a ''highly respectable" OF the
benefits that are hoped fox from
Lis friendship and influence. ''Now.
do this for me. Bill" says an
old capitalist, "aud YOU shall not lose
anything BY L. OF course, the loss
limited at is purely pecUnioUs. honor not
being understood to be insured. Accord
ingly. Bill exert, himself. works" for his
PATTON. and if successful probably gets his
reward. and tear, all the odiJ:n.. He re-.
mains po!;.ica. rat, while his employer
add, 20 hi, Responsibility ia degree pro-
port.oaat. t. tie p.oft, Q. The ''little
business"
Now. there i, remedy for this evil. in
par: at least. Let the empicye be treated
as tie principal. and the serving man as
the accessory. And having established a
just rule Of accountability. the rising
generation s.ouIi be taught 70 call
things by Their right names. They should
not read il tie morning papers plaudits
of their elder, whom they overheard the
night before coac octiug a scheme to rob
the State or city. For they will naturally
fall into the same bad was when they
grow uc. and expect the same treatment.
Young men should be constantly employed,
either 1t school, Or in the workshop. or
wherever they are best adapted to be USE
fu!. Then they will grow up to be good
citizens. Good boys will ripen into
worthy men. The aggregate will make q
virtUoUs community. aud the public Off
GERS vii. aays such check upon them
that they viii! b. honest from necessity.
But SO long as ii i. customary to launch
invect.ves AZ offending officials for corrup.
practices. without looking Wei to precau-
.ionary re:o-il.a:Ory measures. and depend
Uvon that system. alone. So long vii! the
abuses OF wn.e. Just complain. is now
;n'le continue. The press. tie clergy.
H. achoo!:na>:e: and tie mothers at home
really have t., Whole matter in their own
hands. and il they begin a. the begin
Ming AID per>eve:e to the end they can