The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-03-07
SERMON ON CREDIT MoBILIER.
Practical Applications.
From the Springfield Republican,

i The first moral of this unspeak
ably sad business is greater car
in the choosing of public servant
Ia more liberal systematic use il
our elections of that homely com
mon sense, that shrewd practice
segacity, we have been wont tt
boast of as one of the choices
heir-looms handed down in thii
Anglo-Saxon family. We havI
j got too much in the habit of tax
ing our politicians on their owr
valuation. A fair outside, plaus
lible professions, activity in relig
lious or reformatory work-we
have accepted these in lieu O
soldier guarantees, and now VT
are paying the penalty for it. We
must cure ourselves of this habit
We must begin to look behind
profession at character-bind the
Christian statesman at the man.
We must learn also to sink the
partisan in the critical employees
who. wants his work done, and
done well, and done honestly,
Political soundness is all very fine
in its way; but it is not everything
lit is not even the main thing.
A man may agree with US perfect
ly in politics and yet be a rascal;
another man may disagree with US
utterly and yet be a very capable
and upright public servant. The
blood doesn't make the monk now
any more than it did in the day of
stout Uric Won Hutter; man may
pose himself on stump and plat
form as q Republican of the Re-
publicans, and still have the true
Tammany itch in his fingers.
The late canvass and its sequels,
il they teach US nothing else,
ought to teach us that it is not
safe, that it does not pay, to set
down every charge or criticism
leyeled at one of our sort of folks
rs ''campain SANDER"
There is a second and even more
important moral. The temptation
to dishonesty must be reduced to
n minimum. The Credit Mobilier
larceny, in which
''Wealth, like fruit on precipices, grew,
Not to be gathered but by birds of prey"
is unluckily, not by any means an
exceptional, inexplicable phenom-
enon. 1t is the natural product of
natural causes. We merely reap
as we have sown. Given. years of
vicious neutrality-suspicious. in
behalf Of private interests and en-
terprise, legislation to enrich ia
vored citizens or corporations at
the expense of the public-what
else had we any right to expect
than rings, and Hobbies, and Cred
it Mobiliers? This constant tar
iff- tinkering, to take a single in
stancc-what intelligent man, no
matter how staunch his faith in
the wisdom and necessity of pro-
lection, does not have to admit to
himself, in candid moments, that
it has been steadily sapping the
public morals and lowering the
tone of legislation? When we
have come to that pass that men
get themselves elected to Con-
gross, not to look after the inter
ests of the republic, but to look
after the duty on iron, or carpets,
or wooden screws, or warming
pans-in a word to benefit their
private business and pat money
in their own pockets-it is time
we called a halt and looked serious
ly about us. If we are to have
clean legislation and honest legis-
lators, if we are to get rid of our
rings and Hobbies, we must shut
down on all this. Looping off q
branch here and there will do little
good; we must strike at the root.
Compel the government at least
to return to its proper duties, put
q stop to this congressional and
legislative meddling with the pri-
vate business of the people-the
national health will begin to mend
on the instant. Take away its
present means of livelihood from
the lobby, and the lobby will
quickly disappear; remove this
constant and terrible pressure of
temptation from our law makers,
and we shall have no more such
tragedies as this now enacting at
Washington. The remedy is in
the hands of the people. If they
unite, without distinction of party,
in ordering their representatives
and servants to turn over a new
leaf, 1t will be turned. If they do
not, they will have only themselves
to thank for the Credit Mobilier
of the future.
II. For the American politi-
cian:-
First, caution. As things now
are with us, the man who has risen
to office and recognized political
position stands on slippery places.
The air is foggy with corruption.
He has to pick his way through
snares and pitfalls. He needs to
have his eyes and wits and con-
science about him at every step.
If he relaxes his heedfulness for q
moment, if he leaves the straiS ht
road of duty for any by-path,
however inviting and safe it may
look to him, the odds are that he
is a lost man. 1t will not do for
him to daily with temptation, or
to adventure himself in doubtful
company. He must be only less
careful of appearances than of
acts. If he is q gentleman, he
will keep his hands and face clean
he must take infinitely greater
pains to keep his honor and good
name clean. He has had his
choice between the public career
and the career of money-making
open to every American; of his
own free will he has chosen the
former, preferring power to
wealth; he must abide by his
choice. If he Il not rich to kegir
with, he must remain u poor mar
to the end of the chapter; that i:
tacit bargain between him anC
the people, not to be honorably OF
safely broken.
Second, absolute truthfulness
If in weak moment he yields Il
: temptation, if he finds himself il
scrape, the one thing he mus
not do is to undertake to lie him
self out of it He has seen wha
comes of that undertaking in tn
i, fate of these Credit Mobile
! Congressman; if he is a moder
l ately wise man, he will not 500
: forget the lesson. The net i
a which these unhappy victims ar
e now struggling was woven by thei
!, own hands; those minute, harm
!. less-looking filaments of falst
: hood that futtered from the stumy
= Last e..r.nr,,or. ha,-n dn-o IL. L..