Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-11-17
POLITICAL AND JOURNALISTIC DEM
AGOGCES,


where for competent and honest ad-
vlsers, to Do the first to sniff the APP
proach Of danger and to scud of in an
opposite direction. Official position
Is the Alpha and Omega OF their
political lore, and the spoils which &C
orue therefrom the reward Of their
base obsequiousness aud servlle pam
dering to all moods Of popular feeling.
Barometers they are not, for rarely do
they indicate the true direction of pop
ular desires. They are rather wealth
ercocks perched aloft on clubhouse ga
bles, swaying with every zephyr and
continually In a tremu'ous flutter lest
they fall to catch the latest Whit
which blows from the political centres
Of the nation. A demagogue may al
ways be found either bestrlde some
zlgzag fence Of political tom-foolery or
with loud mouth trumpetings and
wild gs~sticulation sounding tho
praises Of some new tangled doc
trine by which he hopes to
catch a Whit Of popular favor
and crafty his greed for Office or
spite against his more honorable and
successful compeers. Like the famous
Don Quixote. he travels about fighting
imaginary giants, and more substsn-
tial wind-mills, crying aloud his own
daring and willingness to avenge Inn
aginary wrongs.
Ben Butler IL a sample Of the dema-
gogue. Foremost in every scheme
which, during the past ten years, has
been put forth in the legislation OF
Congress to rob the people and enrich
the lobbyists, defender Of the Credit
Mobilier criminals and author of the
back salary grab. bold and unblushing
In all the villainy which has SO dis
graced the nation and the party to
which he attached himself only aftcr
1t had obtained power, deridlng de-
eency and ignoring both the popular
Instinct and the attribute Of self-re-
spect, to which he Is an utter stranger,
he stands forth a type Of the school OF
demagogues who have for years had too
great a hold upon the United States
Government.
But demagogues turn retormers more
quickly than other men Reckless,
inscriptions, boldly audacious when
In power and with prospects Of Its con-
tinuance, they become the loudest-
mouthed orators and swiftest racers In
an opposite direction when signs arise
that the office or position which they
hold and its appurtenant emoluments
are imperiled. SO Ben. Butler and
his followers turn reformers, aud all
the journals which have followed In
the wake Of this great whale take up
the cry Of reform, and curse the or
g~anizstion which has been degraded
by their membership, and from whom
by their intolerance they have driven
many Of It's most honest aud conscien-
tlous supporters. Arrogant in their
dic,ations, ever ready to cry bolter
and to excommunlcate all those who
fail to support the nominees whom
they have. from purely personal and
pecuniary considerations, attempted to
foist upon the people through the
strict and causeles, tyranny Of party
caucus, they fly the track at once when
the power Of the organization they
have aided to render obnoxious seems
waning. Then these subsidized and
vsnal offshoots Of dspraved and selfish
motives cry loudly for reform, but let
It be remarked, only such a reform rs
they themselves shall lead and control.
Assuming to represent the interests Of
labor, they give the lie to their asssr-
tions by their daily acts. Domineer-
Ing and unscrupulous themselves they
wage war upon the very bulwarks OF
national or sectional prosperity. With
the greed Of swine ; the fouln ess OF
vultures; and the honor Of hyenas,
they pounee upon the business men
and business interests Of the country
solely to crafty an unhallowed lust
for positions to which their blind am
bition and over sening self-conceit
impels them to aspire. We have faint-
ly sketched a picture Of the demagogue
in politics, and In Its great adj
junct journalism. 1t need not be ad-
ded that the portrait is from life, and
will be quickly recognized.