, 1874-10-18
T8E FUTURE OF AMERICAN POLITICS.

! opinion upon.
| TIE FUTURE OF AMERICAN POLITICS.
ANY American engaged in - tho noblest study
Of ma1kiud" must have noticed the despair Will,
| which the average citizen regards our national
politics. The feoliIg is openly expressed It is
| ehowp, besides, IN the apathy of the men who
ought 10 be most deeply interested in politics;
in The support given papers like the lately
departed Imperialis&, which had brilliant,
though brief, career; and in the interest which
the prepoeterous third-term dogma has excited.
It is worth while to inquire whether We are SO
very much worse OF than our forefathars, and
whether there arc no signs Of q good time coming
sufficient to justify hope rather than despair.
There is some small consolationin the retloo-
tion that our ancestors we're not as angelic poll
tcians "a nc are spt to think: Human pature
has not changed since 1859. The opportunities
for corruption have increased, to be sure. but
tho bilty to resist temptation has probably not
been weakened. Men yield more often because
the temptations are greater. 4 poor, thinly-
settled country, with no powerful corpora
tons, offered small chance OF piunder COM
pared with rich, mell-peopled. corpora
tion-ridden nation. 1t Is but natural
that the latter should supply more cases Of Off
cial corruption than the former. We may, how
erer, trace = perceptib1e heightening Of the
mo1al tone Of the nation in some casea. Noman
could now initiate with impunity "tho God-liko
Webster by using his official position to benefit
the merchants whose bounty paid his debts.
The overthrow OF slavery was the result OF po-
litico-moral causea. There Was \ moral rovolu-
ton between the Fugitive~3lavs Law Of 1850 and
the Emancipation Proclamation Of 1868. After
making due allowance for these facts and for
newspaper exaggcration OF the present evils, re
shall still find residuum OF corruption Of which
our ancestors ware happily unaware. It seems
to be the result Of four main causes, Tbcse nro
increased temptation, immigration, tho influence
of the War, 1nd the long dominion Of cos polti-
cal party.
There Ia ground for the hope that most Of
these causes will vex us but little longer. The
increase Of temptation cannot be gainsaid, but
we may well argue that the popular condemnn-
tiun Of land-grants subsidies, protective duties,
and the kindred sources Of Congressional temp
tatloo, is acquiring such strength with each new
year that the whole system OF subsidy will ere
long be abandoned. immigration has been cut
down to reasonable limits Tho foreigners who
seek cur shores find hero large numbers OF their
felow-countrymen Who have become American
lied. They consort with tle,I and SO hasten
greatly the needful process OF assimilation.
The German who lands in New YORK now will be
= much better American citizen in 1879, when
his five years OF probation have passed, than his
predecessor who landed in 1880 was in 1885. He
will more thoroughly appreciate our institutions.
Moreover, his home education will have been
better. The Ead Influence Of the War fe grad
ually diRa| peacing. Constituencies are begin
ming to col sid t alleged gallantry in the field as
IN insufficient excuse for imbecility or knarery
in Congress-. The South Carolina patriot who
pleads that he ought not to be prosecuted for
official enbezzlement in 1874 because he com
msnded colored company in 1854, ia cut Of
date in most Of the Etates. There is no
ticeable decay OF party feeling. Non-partisan
questions are taking strong hold on the public
mind. Independent movements in regard to
local issues are succeeding. Young men, FREQ
from the prcjudices Of the antediluylan, ante
War period, arc beginning to make their power
m. r..
hope il tho spread Of education. The public
school system Is growing. Tho nou-denomina-
t,oual colleges are crowded with studcnta. Yale
and Harvard were never SO prosperous. While
the youth Of the country are being taught in
these ways, the multiplication OF newspapers
and Of books is instructing their elders.- t1o-
mendous battle is wnging against ignorance.
Such efforts cannot be in vain. The law OF
progress which has ruled humanity hitherto will
rule it still. We are faish1esa to our belief in
the power OF knowledge it ne think that our
politics must necessarily grow worae. The spe-
ci6c for the present corruption il plain.
al power il in the masses- The Gov
ernment will represent them. Their condi-
LlCU, k1Gu3 IQuSt 0e IAls61 1Ae4I PNYHlCA1 CulL-
yation should bo seduloualy cared for. Building
Laws. aad drainage, and parks, and provisions
for pure air aud~%re food oil come into play
here. Their mental cultivation should be IS
earnestly promoted by schools, and colleges, and
museums, and galleries, and lectures, and books,
and newspapers. Whoever is doing good, honest
work in pushing forward any OF thesa many
things can congratulate himself that heis busily
engaged in purifying the politics Of his country.
WOMEN As FINANCIERS.
Mrs. Ju1ia Ward Howe is right in attributinr 4
great part OF the weakness Of women to their
want Of money and to their ignorance OF money
ai1ai1s. The want Of money nar1ous their edu-
cation 4 father will pay any price within his
power to insure good education for his Sons,
bseauss he knows that they csn utilize tho
knowledge they gain. because he does not
know this about his daughters, he is 10th
to lavish money on their schooling. We
know Of a casa in mini rha a,nrhta-