The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-10-14
Correspondence Of the star.

corrupt dynasty by winch we are now
ruled, the prostration OF liberty and ma
tionai ruin are inevitable.p
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
Resolved, That we recognize in the
present administration OF the general
government the presence of a wise and
patriotic spirit in the eminent individual
who stands at ius head; TO whom and to
his able advisers the country is indebted
for numberless blessings and benefits"
ACCEPTED BY AccLAMATIoN.
These are, substantially, such senti.
ments as party bodies express at their
stated assemblages, and which, as regu-
larly aa they convene, they are expected
to promnlgate. In fact, the caucus of q
party out of power which should fail to
condemn and the caucus of a party in
power which should neglect to applaud
the administration In terms as extrava.
giant as its rhetOricians are competent to
contrive, would be regarded as dereIict
TO an important obligation.
WHO TOLD THEM.
L
Where are the elements, and from what
sources are they drawn from whicn such
positive opinions are derived? parEv
man reads. his party newspaper, from
which he obtains the food by which his
prejudices are nourished; and he is
ready, as the case may be, to look upon
the administration as able and patriotic
beyond example, and upon the country
as enjoying incalculable advantages
through its agency, or as, out of all pre-
cedent, inefficient and corrupt, and the
country suffering incalc1lable evils
through its misconduct. But
HOW DOES HIS NEWSPAPER KNOW?
Take the average American Journalist.
There is, in the first place, detect of edu-
cation; The want OF tnat general kaowl.
edge OF politics and economy essential
to constitute the stock upon which par
ticuiar information may, to profitable
purpose, be engrafted. Secondly, there
is defect of particular information. Adj
mlnistrations ito not explain their acts
and the ground for them at large, for
any body's instruction, and the most that
is related passes through conduits that
are, Tor variety Of causes. crooked and
incapable. The atmosphere that sur
rounds government is one of false
thoughtful. different rules of judgment
and systems OF ideas, so that measure
or course oil policy which, to one, may
seem wise and beneficial, to another may
appear iil-j idged an1 injurious. The
number OF constitutional lawyers in the
United States-they who have looked at
the Constitution from the political point
OF view, and have arrived at consistent
system of ideas in respect to its mean-
ing and intenL-nay be counted upon
the fingers; whiie there are tens o.
thousands who regard themselves as
qualified, at sight, to pronounce upon
the legal, as well as the economical mer-
its of any question that NAV arise in
practical government, and to deliver
their dogmatic opinions thereon tor the
enlightenment of their fellow citizens.
La short there is, in respect to the doings
of government III tie United States,
great deal OF well-meauing stupidity,
great deal of pretentIous half
and great deal Of ambitious ignorance.
Now Ia expending
A LITTLE PHILOSOPHY
upon thfs subject let US begin with
the following proposition: There is no
reason to believe that any President OF
the United States ever wiiliuIIy made a
corrupt administration. Presidents NAV
have been injudicious, they may hayebeen
inefficient, susceptible OF prejudice, ill.,
clIned to favOrItISm, dispOseu to avoid
affirmative action and shun responsible
ity, even tolerant of persons subject to
suspicion, but that they have been
wicked in Intention stands altogether
improved. While IL is probable thaL TIE
larger share of what Is alleged both in
favor OF and against each administra-
tion in It's turn, is, 10 say the least, but
truth very badly disguised, there is little
reason to doubt tnat our Presidents, one
and all, have been. in the main, honest.
This is, of course, to be taken under
A CERTAIN QUALIFICATION.
The political system of the United
States, at least phenomenaIIy, admits
Of the obliteratIon of the difference be-
tween the political ami the party con-
science. We have, in fact, obliterated
the distinction between party and poIft-
ical in the common terminology. We
allude to party acts as political acts; to
party policy as political policy; to party
motives as political motives, and to
party considerations as political consid-
eratiOns; and there is little more dis
elimination in the idea than there is in
the phraseology. Sound principles of
government would teach that a Presi-
dent Of the United States should cease
to be PARTISAN when he became a Chief
Magistrate; but parties out of power
quaLiediy admit that the President
may maintain his allegiance to
the party by which he was
elected, and parties in power insist upon
its maintenance. In fact, III there Is
any human being who is regarded as a
reprobaIe, who il held up to universal
sc0rn as a traitor, who has poured upon
his head exhaustiess vials OF maIedic-
tion, and who is cast out into the wilder
ness with every eur of the congregation
howling after him, it Is y President OF
the United States who has shown him
self remiss in the discharge of his party
0blfgations-who has gone hack On the
prime article of the party creed, that
zone hand must wash the ather.1
A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT.
This exaltation Of party--whiehi is per-
haps Inseparable from the system Of rep
resenfatiys g6yefnment--is carried to
such an extreme in the United States
as almost to exclude tine idea of instItu-
tisnal pernansncy; and although, under
the stimulating effects oil the spread
eagle diet with whieh the people are con-
tinually fed by their political iEsrrue-
tors, we are not aware Of if. we are in
fact, realizing, in abundant uneasfness
and discomfort. the fefebediugs Of taess