Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-07-21
Political Morals.

, havoc of consequent corruption an
, prohigacy in public life, there woul
, be no occasion for such plain and pos
tive speaking as that of ex Presiden
!, Woolsey, before the Phi Beta Kapp
, Society at Cambridge. That a ma
OF his studious cast should feel i'm
PEELED to step forth and declare in un
disguised terms what forms the bul
den OF his Grafton, indicates so extrem
an urgency as to suggest to the reflect
ing mind crisis in the morals of thu
nation. 1t would be an inexact inter
probation of the speakers meaning t,
make the application of his mos
thoughtful discourse less than univer
sal; yet almost the whole of the force
of that meaning would be lost if the
real responsibility for the state o
things was so distributed as to be fel
in one place more than another. Civ
ing to the natural drift of circum
stances all that belongs to it, the polit
ical party which has ridden triumph
antly on the full-breasted current anG
assumed to control it is directly anG
solely tchargeable with results which
are thus seriously deplored. For the
rapid introduction of new methods in
to politics, which through this means
threaten to undermine our republican
system, none but the party in power
for the last thirteen years can be held
responsible. Counsel and protest have
VIGOROUSLY been in vain. Their oppo-
nents have been steadily in minority
and for part of the term SO much SC
as to excite only the scorn of the dom.
inent organization. Having enjoyed
all the power, with the perquisites,
monopolizing the purse, the sword
and almost all the avenues to popular
sentiment and opinion, now, when the
fatal fruits of their administration
rouse the apprehensions of the better
class Of citizens, it is not the time to
offer to shift or even divide the ac-
countability. Perhaps it is not profit
able to search particularly for that
when surrounded with perils, extrica
ton being the more pressing duty;
but at no other time is it possible to
give the true point to the moral by Sc
curing the right connection
This decentralization i'll public life,
which forms the theme of DR.. Wool
sey's discussion, certainly did not
come by chance, 1t is the outgrowth
of fixed causes, operating upon cir
cumstances known of all. A confu-
sion ofpolitical morals as the result of
general civil confusion "a Treasury
OVERLOOKING with revenues drawn from
taxation levied like fine ; the sudden
temptations to convert the legislative
office into the means of amassing per-
sonal fortunes; combinations styled
rings, for voting the public money in
to private pockets; monopoly raising
its head everywhere in the Govern
ment a persistent and repeated re-
flsal to establish the National honor
by so simple method as that of re-
deeming its neglected promises; job.
berry rampant in all the Departments
protiicacy entering as an element into
every branch of public administration
Investigations purposely instructed
or wholly smothered the highest off
cials involved in transactions whose
exposure was overwhelming disgrace
Credit Mobilers, District rings, tariff
swindles, syndicate operations, salary
grabs, vote seling;-the last grows
burdensome in its contemplation, and
leaves no single chance to make the
active, bold and defiant influences
that have brought the country to the
crisis of its present danger. But there
is still hope in the people. That over
powering and unanswerable Reform
vote of last autumn revealed the well
come truth that the people had not be-
come corrupted Dy the example CT
political leaders who had successfully
deceived them, and that the 'inde.
pendent citizen" does not need any
special training to enable him to show
his power. 1t is from that fresh
starting, point in public affairs that the
future is to be viewed. With that ex-
plosion of the elements OF popular
opinion the sky became suddenly
cleared. Its parallel has never been
known in any of the great movements
of the public mind. Give that power
free play, and there is no reason to
doubt that the people will save them,
selves and their Institutions Boston
Post.