The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-06-09
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Stewart l.. Woodford, of New York, which
so faithfully describes the present condition
of politics that we give below an extract
man in his state, aud knows what he talks
about. In addressing the members of the
Fraternity he said
You, as educated young men, are among
those who mould the opinion and shape the
activities of your fellows in the several CONF
munities where you live and labor. Let me
speak with you freely. Take no offence. |
shall talk of politics. not the politics of par
| tizanshp, but such politics as the Centennial
time forces alike upon our brains and hearts.
| 1t has become quite the fashion among edu-
Gated men, and even more among successful
| business men, to take little personal interest
| in public affairs. Very many of our college
graduates, and of our leading traders, mer-
chants, manufacturers and bankers, affect Il
sort of Dundrearyish Indifference to our pol
itics When one of our number gives any
personal, practical heed to the duties of our
| citizenship, they may not always openly con-
demn his waste of time or sneer at his en-
thusiasm, but they take little pains to con-
| ccal their surprise at his want of taste, or
still worse, want of wit in giving to State an
hour that might have been given more pleas
| antly to society or more proiitably TO trade.
| In many instances this Indifference must be
affected rather than hearty and thorough,
because the careful student of the past can
not be entirely careless of the present, and
| the intelligent financier must at least esti-
mate the political forces within which his
| private enterprises are being urged.
This fashion of indifference, whether sim
cere or affected, has some nPtural causes.
The excitement of a great popular debate
over questions that lay at the very root of
our social system quickened every interest,
and in some degree touched almost every
person in our land during the years preced-
| ing 1861. Then followed the war, with its
volcanic outburnts of enthusiasm, its patience
| of long endurance, its heroism of achieve
| ment, and its terrible sacrifices. Then came
| long and exhaustive debate over the adj
| justment and settlement of the terms of re-
| turning peace.
Thus for many years our politics, in one
| form or another, appealed to the interest,
| quickened the conscience, and occupied the
best thought of almost our entire people.
Such long excitement naturally caused
WEAKNESS. Men turned from politics and
arms, asking for rest and peace.
During this long struggle very many bad
and designing men had by shrcwd appeals
| to the prevailing sentiment of their locali-
| ties, and by various adroit methods so
possessed themselves of the mechanism of
their respective political parties as in many
| instances to WELD large local influences and
| exercise large local control That corruption
which seems as incident to all national life
as disease is to all individual life. had fas-
| tened itself upon both the great political par
| ties. This tendency to evil, by the way, is
in no measure confined to politics. There
are detaulters in banks ard trust companies
as well as in the public treasury. Lies are
told over the counter and in the drawing
| room as frequently AS at the caucus and in
| the convention Human nature, when OPP
| portunity is afforded has an old fashioned
way of showing its bad side as well as its
| best There were probably canker spots on
the apple in Eden. There was surely hb
on the sweet lips of Eve and cowardly tale
| bearing in the manly heart of Adam. Even
| where John loved so devotedly and Peter
spake so resolutely there was Judas with his
| hungry bag and his ready kiss. But the eX-
| istence.of evil is neither justification nor ex-
cuse for evil doing. Corruption is in our
politics, and the slime of the serpent is in
the primary caucus and in legislative halls.
This corruption has disheartened q few good
citizens. 1t has Gis sustcd more aesthetic
and refined ones. 1t has been availed of as
an excuse by very many busy or careless
men for their taking little personal interest
in public affairs, and being indifferent to our
| politics.
| There is still another cause which to-day
largely produces and stimulates this indit-
ference The pecunary rewards of public
life are very meagre. 1t you except the
chief customs officers at some five or six of
our principal ports of OF entry, and few
local officials in our largest cities, there are
none of our higher place holders who are
paid salaries in any degree approaching
what the ability required for Just discharge
of such duties can readily earn in private
life. Take, for example, the Judges through
out the country, excepting in New York,
and possibly in one or two other States Al
most every lawyer fit to be judge can earn
so much more money in the ordinary prac-
tice OF his profession than either nation or
State will pay for his services on the bench
that it is difficult to get first-cass lawyer
to be judge. Indeed you cannot, unless
you find one so well off that he can afford
to give up private business, or so fired with
the noble ambition of his profession that he
| is willing to forego wealth for the great
honor Of the ermine. There is not a sue
cesstul business man in Philadelphia to-day
who, in Il pecuniary point off vIew can at-
ford to take public Office and faithfully give
to 1t the time necessary for conscientious
discharge of its duties. Our Office. holders
must therefore come, rs a rule, from one or
other OF three classes OF our citizens. Either
from such of the wealthy as have decided
taste for public affairs or as recognize the
duty of the citizen to serve the State when
the State needs his service, and can afford
to give their time and service or from
among those of moderate means, who have
such natural fitness and incl nation for of
fcial place and public duty that they are
willing to torego opportunities of private
gain and the accumulation of wealth in or
der to crafty their ambition and fulfil their
inner sense Of personal respo lsibility to the
State; or else-and here lies the greatest
dangerNour ollice-holders will be men who
having The ambition to rule among their fel.
lows, and being burdened by no scruples
will take public place, and either use its
opportunities for the advancement of purely
private and selfish schemes, or else will bold.
ly steal what they may desire. But the
fact remains that here, where there are nc
hereditary riches, no entaled estates, no rea-
/ sonable certainty that the grandson will
possess what the grandfather earns, all the
, avenues of an honestly acquired material
success lead away from public station.
The Speaker declared that the reaction
| after the intense excitement of the pas
, twenty-five years, the corruption which un
deniably soils and stains both our poltica
organizations to a very great and alarming
extent and the great comparative reward,
OF all business pursuits and activities furn
i ish natural explanations for this indifference
, or rather furnish fair-sounding excuse,
e to indifferent citizens for their neglect o
$ personal duty. In conclusion Mr.. WoodforC
remarked that if political work is to b,
mainly done by political place, holders, ther
. party Leaders vii naturally and quite log
ically fill such places with men who can ant
will do the required work. The evil is to b,
corrected most largely and most effectively
q by the old-fashioned but sure rule that eacl
a citizen shall, in his own place, perform hi
own duty to the State, Ny faith in imme
-, diate results would be greater il the classe
, whom you represent would more hearth,
: appreciate this truth.
Ii is yOur duty ~ n citi1en to ,,oto a.