The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-08
OUR NATIONAL RECORD.

OUR NATIONAL RECORD.
The greatest reproach that impartial histor
will record against the current half centur
in the life of the American Republic will b
that, in an age Of general enlightenment hel
and elsewhere throughout Christendom, th
people of these great and growing State
have produced, educated, fostered, encoul
aged, trusted and honored with public Office
multitude of very bad men.
We judge persons tastes, and sometime
his morals, by the character of the men b.
lauds, trusts and supports. We judge of con
gregations by their pastors, rectors ant
priests; of schools and colleges by theil
teachers and professors; of banks and othe1
corporate institutions by their directors,
presidents, secretaries actuaries and cashiers
of secret societies by the men whom they
trust, promote and honor; of armies by their
corps of officers, and of all other associations
by the heads whom they elect or tolerate.
Even so will history pass its righteous
judgment upon a nation on the evidence
afforded by the character of the men made
favor. Therefore will the future historian,
when preparing his chronicles of this era.
interest himself to learn and record the
characters of the men who hold and have
held offices. He will not dispute the axiom
that the free people in an elective and repre-
sentative government will have law makers,
magistrates and governors of their own
average character if they want such. He
will remember that the people of these
States. from 1850 to the end of the first
century in the nations life, were entirely
free to choose their best and wisest. and
quite as free to select bad and inferior men.
What then must he conclude when he comes
to scan, scrutinize and dissect the men who
have made and executed the laws of this great
Republic for the past quarter of a century?
Let us suppose him to write in terse and
polished sentences his estimate of each Sena-
tor, each Representative, each State Governor,
each Cabinet officer, each chief of bureau,
each custodian Of the public funds of the
can, how he may possibly avoid the frequent
use Of the harshest epithets known to our
language.
He will have proof that scores of men grew
gray in our Senate, having no other purpose
from first to last than the promotion of their
own advancement; that as many others had
none but the sordid motive of putting money
into their purses; that to obtain their ends
both these classes violated every promise to
their countrymen, ignored the Constitution
which they had sworn to defend, bartered
and bargained away their votes for money or
that which is equivalent to money, joined in
conspiracies to defraud the
public treasury or the public domain,
criminals from justice in order that
they might share in the spoils, studied and
planned constantly to multiply offices and in.
crease their emoluments in order that they
might gain more money by the distribution
Of appointments, increased duties on imports
n order to benefit their own mills, tinkered
With the currency and fiscal laws in order to
benefit their own banks, combined in efforts
o control State governments for corrupt and
purposes, and sought by every art
nd trick of legislation to strengthen them
elves and enlarge their baleful influence.
Extending his observation to other branches
4 government, he will find them swarming
nth swindling spectators or downright
hieves, men very accomplished, very adroit,
nd much refined, men enlightened as is the 9
&c, but men whose morals, like those of the
&c, have not kept pace with their knowledge.
BE will find that this republic was ruled by u
iany servants whose grade Of morals was be-
w that Of Italy in the days of her degrade l.
on, or of Venice, when trembling before her o.
III, or of Persia or Turkey of this day. o.
These are the men by whom we are to be ir
,dged. These are the fruits of the great tree d
political liberty planted in genial soil, tf
hose branches ovefspread continent. To
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