The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-12-11
h THE NATION UTTERLY
DEVOID OF COINCIDENCE:

known as the press gag-law.
II THE NATION UTTERLY
DEVOID OF COINCIDENCE:
Criticism ON Prof NOrtOA'S
Thanksgiving Discourse.
But what shall we say of q national
legislature SO Utterly void of conscience |
as ours is to-day? In the public life |
of the nation there Is not one great |
statesman left; not one who stands as |
a strong, wise, moral hero before the |
world. With all his faults. with all the |
arrogance and bitterness of later years, |
Sumner was such q man; and he was |
the last. The long struggle with slav- |
cry, and for the nations life, devel- |
oped many such. There was cause |
then able to fan the dead embers Of
patriotism into q living flame That |
was a time of moral exultaion, daring, |
toll, self-sacrifice. But ROW no agrees
siye wrong threatens us and all man |
Hesitation of these sublime virtues has
passed away. Never has the service |
of the nation been so utterly empty |
and void of great men, high aims and
noble efforts; so dull, llstless and me- |
dlocre. 1t Is the hour and power of
vulgarity, OF utter purposeless mate |
rialism, of undis2uised seliishness, and
blank vacuity. When the typical DEM
agogue OF modern times was the fore
most man in Congress, we might well
raise the despairing cry, "God save
the American Commonwealth " The
land has redeemed herself in this re-
gard. II Butlerism were likely to
die with Butler, we might well rejoice.
AS it is, negative victory has been
won, but we need q positive one. AS
we look upon our public affairs,
mighty advertisement stares us in the
face: "Wanted, a great moral hero!"
May God send such men into the field
of our national life! For, looking
back of the record of the last four
years, at Back Pay, Credit MObiller,
our home bribery suits, we must con-
fess that, boast of our bignesS as we
may, talk of the "eifete despotisms of
Europe" as we will, our public con-
science Is more debuached, and our
civil service incOmparably worse, than
that of any other nation in Christen-
dom. We are suffering from our old
FOurth-of-July fallacy.
The above statements are selected
from Mr.. Norton's Thanksgiving
sermon.
The first thing that demands no.
tice Is the assertion that our nation
al legislature is to-day "utterly void
of conscience" This is a shocking
denunciation against q legislature
composed largely of the men who
legislated for us during our terrible
war, and who since devised our
constitutional amendments so as to
make the best national constitution
in the world-one that liberated
four millions of slaves, and gave
them civil equality. BY the enact
ments OF our national legislature
since the commencement of the war
up to the present day, it can be
proved that no other national legis-
lature ever did SO much in 80 short q
time for the elevation of the poor
and the protection of the lower
classes of society. With a single
exception the legislation has been
so good as fallable men can make
up to the present day. Yet, Mr..
Norton says "Our public conscience
is more debauched, and our civil
service incomparHbly worse than
that of any other nation in Christ
enlom." So Mr.. Norton believes
but where is the evidence that his
belief is we'll founded? The nations
of Christendom are numerous, ard
therefore there may be some cases
that Mr.. Norton has not investigat-
ed which may be worse than ours.
ID. Mr.. Norton says, "In the pub
lie life of the nation there is not one
great statesman left. Sumner was
such q man, and he was the last"
What an unfortunate nation we
areIl Our last great statesman is
dead! In forty of millions
of people there is not one
great statesman in public life !
Sumner was a man for whom l
once had great respect and deep
sympathy. He advocated a good
cause when it cost him much to do
so but he was too much of an ex-
tremist to succeed we'll in advocat-
ing any cause. He was talented
and eloquent, but lacked the pru-
dence necessary to his being a great
statesman. His speech against Pres
ident Grant proved him to be very
aud vnThn had
regard for truth. There was in it a
tissue of palpable falsehoods, which
he must have known to be such.
Since read that speech, l have had
no respect for Sumner. Any man
who is educated, talented, eloquent
and prudent may become a great
statesman. And we have thousands
OF such, and a number of such are
in the national legislature.
Sd. That General Butler erred in
some instances, is true and il is al
so true that he served his country
nobly during the rebel war, and
was the first general who took
right ground in respect TO the
slaves. He did much more for his
country than Sumner, whom Mr..
Norton eulogizes as the last great
statesman"
If all the ministers in the United
States were to teach as Mr.. Norton
has done in the extract here present
ed, they would loose the bands of
government, and place US in the
condition OF the South American
governments.
That = body 80 large as our
national legislature, selected by q |
common vote, will be all honest, is |
not to be expected. Some bad and |
designing men will be elected. And
that there has been some cases OF
bribery, is admitted; but notWith-
standing these exceptions, our gov
eminent has been well administered
under the presidency of general
Grant up to the present day.
JOHN RANKIN.