Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-09-03
Nerve.

| l. =
used to denote quality of the mind. self
command il. personal danger and courage il
the face of peril. In it's good sense it is un
d Iubtedly an excellent thing to have, and i
a quality which commands admiration.
In these days of bold operations of al
sorts the word, however, has come to be uset
IN sense which photographers have not ye
given it. Some years ago, when the Lamoill
Va ley Railroad project was IN its infancy
an eminent railroad man predicted the fail
ure of the enterprise and he gave as {
reason for this expectation that MIR. Horace
Fairbanks had not I" nerve" enough to &C
complIsh the undertaking. A mild inquiry
as to what was meant by g nerve" in tina
con nection ELECTED this general explanation
Mr.. Fairbanks is too timid. HIS conscience
is too tender. lie ought to 60 ahead, gel
what money he can from the towns, sp' nd 1t
and then tell them they must pay more OIL
they can't have the road The Lamo;lle
Valley Road has been built thus lar without
any exhibition of that particular kind o.
" nerve"
In this sense nerve" means something
like unscrupu business and boldness combined
and is nearly lied to swlndllng by false
pretences, but possibly does not quite come
within the legal definition of that offense
The successful po6er player probably has q
clear sense of lis value, as undoubtedly also
has the bur lar and the highway rotber. Il
is contempt tor any pubic opinion founded
upon the moral obligation to do unto Others
as We would have others do unto US.
Tnls Is nerve is supposed by some to be
valuable in politics The other day the pub
lie were informed. through a newspaper re-
porter, that Senator Cameron liked Gen
Butler. aud hoped he would succeed in his
forts to be Governor of Massachusetts
rne Senator said Gen. Butler was the kline
OF man be wanted to see at the front 10 the
K publican party: he was a man o
nerve" Now 1t is not d fl cult to under
stand what politician like Cameron mean'
wuen he wants men of - nerve - as leaders
In the Republican party. He is looking for
men who are not troubled with piles
conscience or timidty. He may have mis-
Jud Led Gen. Butler, and done him injustic,
IN chasing him among the model statesmen
who are dear to the heart of this veteran
Pennsylvania politician, but there is no mls
taking Simon Cameron's notion of politica
Z" nerve y
Boidness even in villainy often commands
"a sort of admiration. Inc highwayman II
less disreI utable than the sneak thief JuJg,
Bingham of Ohio got off much better Will
his Credit MobllIer plumber, making no de-
NAL OF it, than those who attempted by varl
GUS devices to make the public believe the,
nad had none of it, or at worst We're onl,
the innocent dupes of Cakes Ames. Whether
on the whole, virtue and honesty gain OF
lose by this trait Of human nature, it il
hardly worth while to discuss here, but thu
fact Remains ami thus it happens that poll
tIcians like Senator Cameron, VINO never aztec
d virtue they do not possess, are eminenIly
successful with voters who work for pay, ol
70 advance some selfish interest, and who ad
miIe the - nerve " that is ready to carry al
election by buying off the OPT ositIon, pack
ing caucus.s. OF stufiug ballot-ooxes.
lie is not yet clear that one OF the quea
lions vi the NEAR tutuIe will not be bet~ eel
.hIs kind OF " nerve" and the honest courag,
That rests upon Conscientious conviction ant
is not tor sale IN the market. Il the mora
sense OF the generation 80 Supplied that ii
canuot see any right or wrong IN politics
OF any principles or ideas in government
Except that IL le machine got up for th
SPECIAL advantage OF those who run 1t
- nerve - and cunning are likely to get an,
rclnaIn IN Possession OF the government inde
nnltely, AMI To make iG a sIupendous Credl
Mooliier affair IN which the managers will la
aside ior their individual use their millions
all IN the name OF the g general weliar. ,
I5 will doubtless require nerve to vote
hundred millions lor canals in the name o
cleap transportation from the Mississippi t
the s-aboard, but committee of the Unite
states Senate is evidently getting ready [
ecommend the beginning of job that Wi
-ust more than tnat before it is done.
.lll require some :" nerve" Tor the genera
government to assume the debts of til
constructed states, but third of the vote,
necessary to accomplish it can undoubtedl
no ttad ar finn nd 81
plumber may command a M ,rity in an
money making Congress. Freight railroad
steamship subsidies, government telegraph,
and hundred other jobs are only watlu
: Cne advent into public lie of enough he
sho have the perception to know :" goo
t thing" when they see it, aud the " nerve
use the puollc treasury for private purpose
20 frame such schemes into laws. s. nate
Cameron is wise in his generation md i
I no ubt, as much disguised with publ
It man VINO has scruples and consciep,
md notions of the proper limitations
! government, as the claim agent was with h
Il c!erk who refused TO swear to a lie 10 Il
orm of an affidavit :; his employer at on
u dismissed him as he didn't want any body
J his employ SO deficient in moral courag
= The people can be served by that kind
y public men it they prefer such servants, al
the issue is likely to be very SO rarely pr
J 'ented to them 10 the next few years to Sc
o Gle. Is it not tolerably clear in advanc
o tina. the success of Republican governmer
U will depend upon how that question is met
C. W. W.
Political.
p The Pennsylvania Democrats met
| Wilkesbdrra Wednesday md xo.