Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-07-07

the nation that this feeling Is so general, and
fact Of q man giving his time and attention TO
political questions, is dishonorable and disrep-
utable. Political men We must have men
tried and trained In statesmnnshin are to-day
one Of our greatest needs cultured men, pure
men, practical men; men whose lives, public
and private, will stand tho test Of any crucihle
ana from whose presence thieves and knaves
will shrink as vice will fee from the presence
Of virtue. In this centennial year. we ought TO
be able 10 join with one heaTt and one mind in
the aspirations Of the poet who exclaims;
God give us mon a time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts. true faith and ready
Men whom the lust Of Office does not kill;
Men whom tho spois Of Office can not buy,
Men who possess opinions and will
Men who can stand before demagogue,
And damn his trepchorOus batteries without
Tall men, sun crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty and in private thinking-
For, while the ring-leaders N~h thumb-~orn
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, 10 Freedom weeps.
Wrong rules the lRnd, and waiting Justice
sleeps.
ONLY THE CAPABLE ron POSITIONS OF TRUST.
And here may not ask Yeu why a man can
not be as pure, as horcic. and unsciash in poiit-
ical life as in any Of the learned professional
Why should there not be arts that are as honest
in politics as in law, or medicine. or in college
professorships, or even in the pulpit7 A true
statesman never despises the honest arts Of pol
itics, Those who affect dislike Of honorable
political men, and sneer at politicians are either
very innocent and thoughtless persons or weak
and silly demagogues. Would any sane person
select for his lawyer, in critical case, which IL
lost, would sweep away all he possessed, q man
who had never looked into law book would
he select for his physician Q man Who knew
nothing of anatomy or medicineY Would he
vote to call a minister to take charge Of his
church who could not read the Bible? Would
he intrust the education of his child to an ignO-
rant pretendcr2 To ask these questions is to
answer them. Who would put an unknown and
untriod man in charge Of steamer or train
of cars freighted with human life? Who so
reckless or 80 blind rs To wish to put man in
charge of the ship of State, even in time of
arts Of statesmanship? / do not Hesitate to aav
that to call such man to pilot the ship Of state.
whether in calm or in n storm, would be an
voluntarily. If left to your individual Judgment,
intrust the Chief Executive office of the nation
to an ignorant, incompetent or corrupt man, 90
you would not deliberately fill any less respon-
sible position in the government with man
untitled by character or education for the trust.
Why then is this nutrsgc on decrncy and the
public honor, repeated year after year in every
state and county, Why have thousands of
good men everywhere, voted IN put men into
the most honorable and important Offices whom
they would not intrust with any matter Of husi-
ness, however unimportant for themselves? Ii
it not, fellow citizens, because they are slaves
to the caucus and convention system, or because
they are blinded by partizan zenlY Has not our
experience taught US that tho nation ought TO
he so educnted on this subject. that il would
smitc the ring politician and The ignorant OF
corrupt official as it would brand nn Infamous
malcinctor? \ man who accepts public trust
for which he is in no way qualified by natural
ability, or education, iniiicts wrong upon
community which may be more detrimental to
! the public welfare than the 0mlniSsiOu of re-
voting crime. If he is ignorant or corrupt he
may do acts more dangerous to the safety and
stability of the state than any one individual
! criminal can commit however bold or bad.
| The criminal act of one man in private lite, can
| effect but one, or at most but few citizens,
while the criminal ~ always in danger OF arrest,
! conviction and punishment. But the acts of an
| incompetent ar dishonest official may often
! fleet disastrOusly. and for many yours. whole
| communities, and yet, as a rule, such a crimin-
! al cannot be punished except By dismissal from
Office Mt the end Of his torn. and even this can
! not always he done, so long as the caucua and
| convention system remains TO dictate for whom
! the members of each party shall vote. There
/ fore believe such public sentiment ou2ht to
! to be created that any man who either thrusts
| himself forward, or who pcrmits his friend4 To
! present him for nomination TO an important
! public trust for which he has no qualifications,
either natural or acquired, should be every
| where branded by public sentiment as more
dangerous and dishonorable than public mall
Fellow citizens: Our greatest achievement in
political reform during the century just closed
! and the one which to me overHhadows all others
in its benign influence upon government and
! people il tue overthrow of slavery and the abo-
| ltiOn Of the privileged class which il created.
Fortunately this act will ultimately advance
the interest and benefit the South more
largely than the North. 1t is of inestimable
| value to the people Of the entire Union, but its
| economical and moral worth is under -estimn-
ted even here and now We have not all yet
learned that y privileged class, created or
! main thincd by act of government, is three.
fold wrong, in that il endanEers the stability of
| the State, violates the democratic idea, and en-
croachcs upon the rights of labor. A moment s
reflection would teach that one privileged class
soon beEets another; and naturally enough,
during the continuance of slavery, men said II
the government can authorize n few thousand
persons to own and appropriate to themselves.
the labor of four millions OF men, why may II
not grant special privileges to US, 80 that by Sc
raN u n - nn nn N
protected by law, we can also live upon the hall
paid labor of the toiler. And so the govern
ments, National, State and Municipal begin
ming with class legislation. have gone on
making new grants of power and authorizing
the most gigantic m"n3nolles. until today the
National, State and Municipal governments OF
the entire Union, are administered specially in
the interests of corporations, rings political
partzans and personal tlvorites: and these
governments are in turn manipulated and con
trolled by the very organized power which they
have created Turn which way you will. in all
this broad land to-day. and you will hnd. that
organized wealth with its Speci al grants of pow
er ia master of government and people.
This Formidable power fayurs from interest
and of necessity. consolidated government
aud an administration of force. 1t controls the
National and State Executives when elected
and nnminAtes their successors; II nils Congress
and State legislatures with its Dnid agents and
Cabinets and Courts with its retained attorneys
II works in secret, and by the aid of a subsidized
and venal press, strikes down all public men
who oppose its grasDing power and schemes OF
plundcr. 1t manages in turn by bribery and
conventions of ench party and nOminntes the
candidates for whom the elector l. forced tC
Note or snnJect hlnseli 10 osITaclsm oy his party
and thus the people whose interest and purpose
is to fight these monOpOlies, are ottcner than
otherwise, CO operated with them. and in the
name of party and at the dctatiOn of - Rims
enucus." vote for and elect the retained agent,
or attorneys of these very monopnlos. need
hardly add that the tendency to foster all kind
of monOpoiies strengthens privilege and consOl
idates the National Government into nm over
shadowing central power. in which the Exc
cutiye shall be supreme, was never so stronl
nor so dangerous; ms now; since the government
was organized. lou all know that monopoly IL
the shape of class legislation, or special grants
of puwer to tho few, has preyed like n hungrS
vulture upon the labor of every age, that il hn,
eaten out the substance of every people and
destroys the life of every free government, anC
that il will eat out life. and destroy our FIRE,
institutions unless the system IL squarely con.
Gronted aud made subordinate to tho interes
of the people, hy the restraining power of tht
Government.
CORRUPTION.
The growth and corruption of cities. the in
creased power of corporate wealth and the con
tinued monopoly of land, in my opinion is ser
ously endangering our democratic theory o
| government, and menacing the solution of th'
labor problem in this country as never before.
As necessity of self preservation the labor
ers and toilcrs Of all countries are considering
and adopting methods of industrial Organiza
ton, and corporation. This is a healthy anC
encouraging sign.
| have given more thought to this industria
question than any other social problem Ant
7 watched with interest and sympathy ever!
movement favorable to cO-OperntiOn, and tn
organization OF labor, not only in this country
but in Europe, and am constrained to admi
that in Germany they are far in advance of u
in the practical working of their unions and CO
operative associations. But our labor unions
and cooperative societies, the Self assuranc
associations" the Patrons of Husbandry an
their Grange organization. have each in then
much to commend them to the hearty appro
: val Of all thoughtful men, who see and conf pre-
> hend the formidable power which day, by da
and year by year, increases in strength, and O
every hand impeTils the rights and interests o
I ! labor To you, who are members the Agri
/ cultural society of the county, anu on who's
invitation l am bere to day and to all VIII
make up the farming and laboring population
before me, l may with propriety hpeak. of tn
rights of labor and the interests of agriculture
y Agriculture is the natural employment Q