The daily gazette., 1875-02-02
.. s.rs ..--=s..- -
4he Senatorial Elections.
From the Nation.

cred as political field, has two pecu-
liar attributes. First 1t is the field
from which party management can
mostly keep out bad material--for but
a single Senator is chosen at time;
he represents an entire State; the ma
for choosing him is that which
party management most completely
controls; and the position is still ac-
counted one of great honor, being in
popular estimation only below the
offices of President and Vice Presi-
dent. Secondly. The Senate is the
political field in which bad material
lasts the longest, and in which good
material can effect the greatest good;
for it is invested with the double pow
er of correcting the eccentricities of
the Executive and of curbing the
stampedes of the House. If only the
Senate were made up of high minded,
courageous, and intelligent men, really
devoted to the work of good govern
ment, we might lay aside solicItude,
and feel assured that though our gov
ernmcnt might not go forward very
fast, yet still that it would not go
very far astray. Conversely, let any
one conceive of our foreign relations
being controlled by such men as But
Ter and Chandler, and Logan and
Pinchback some of whom would think
it Il fine piece of patriotic bluster to
break off friendly relations with for
eign power, while the others would
deem it a smart thing to step into
Wall street betimes and make fortunes
| out OF the fall of stocks. Ii the capa-
! bilities of the Senate for conservative
| action of profitable mischief were fully
appreciated, it would be the chief sub
ject to contest between anxious citi
zens on the one side and unscrupulous
managers on the other; and it is moi
unlikely that the future rise or fall O.
our Government will hinge upon it:
| Improvement or decline.
| Into this Government of ours ther,
has been slowly eating its way dis
ease Or dry rot, consisting OF a low
standard of character, which believes
in avoiding indictable offences, ant
tle taking of specific bribes for specil
acts, and such crimes as theft and pei
jury; but which allows men in public
office to make money from their office
by indirect methods so long as they ar
not guilty of direct tembezzlement, an
to cq -ivocate provided they avoid
downright lie, and to wink at til
crimes of theirpolitical associates ur
on condition that they keep the stole
money out of their own pockets. i
, studying this disease, let us conside
, in connection with our highest legii
tive body such cases as Mr.. Harlan bt
. coming the voluntary tool of fe'
I unscrupulous, unprincipled stock jol
bers; Mr.. Cole, through the infuenc
of 500, 900 paid to his brother-in-lav
becoming the chief manager of the Of
Cosing set, the same Senator susp
ciousy smuggling the Sanborn an
J.. endment through the Senate withot
debate Conduct which has increase
: Significance since the Pacific Mail e.
1 posure); Mr.. Conkling listening,
: say the least, in the New York Gu
Q tom House while his appointe'
7 were planning the plunder of Ne
J. York merchants, Mr.. Carpenter, u
rebuked, deriding every one wi
tried to prevent the back salary er
= bezzlement, or elevate the degrade
n civil service of the Government; Al
n Stewart colluding with the Americ'
n Minister to defraud unsuspecting fo
3. eigncrs who foolishly believed tn
7. the honor of American dignitaries W
of as high caste as their own; a
- finally, though the list of cases mig
he indefinitely prolonged, men of
good previous reputation as Mr.. II
IF terson and Mr., Dawes allowing
l. shrewd man like Oakes Ames to
" tangle them in his tolls. From the
animation of such cases every retie
IL. a. ing person must turn away with t
ie conviction that the standard OF CHI
al acter in public body where su
y things can exist must be low.