, 1876-04-15

ana the fCiulc Ot Tue AulellCdu oyo'OlA
and Of the American political caste will
receive another terrible blOw,-a blow IN
furious to Liberal institutions throughout
the world, 1t ma tiers nothing that such
scenes have occurred in almost all cOun-
tries not so free,-that in Russia official
corruption is the despair Ct the Cars;
Il a, in Austria it has helped the defeat
of armies that even in Prussia, the
Hohenzollern has been compelled to issue
some severe orders about great men and
that in England, though official malversa-
ton is nearly unknown, it is so because
the governing class, wanting nothing and
least OF all wanting money, visits pecula-
ton in any shape with irresistible social
penalties. A Republic is expected, and
r., asonabIv expected, to be cleaner-handed
than a Monarchy, and every American
scandal diScredits seIf-government as q
polity to be adopted by mankind. RE
publicanism becomes corrupt, III that
sentence is, at this moment, the most
eff, ctiye defence alike OF personal govern
ment and of government through an
arjstocratic caste.
The temptation to speculate on the
causes of such a situation as Washington
now presents are great, but we must re-
serve ourselves to-day for something more
concrete,-the consideration of the remedy.
and about this we should, if Americans, be
lust now very practical indeed. The
ncop)e of the United States may not, with
their busy lives, their excessively scatter
ed energics-for the existence of the separ-
ate States, whatever its cOmpensatlonss
undoubtedly s~catters political ~energy-and
their tolerant habits of thought, be able
to keep up a watchfulness on Washington
such as EugIjshmen keep upon their
Cabinet and House of Commons. They
NAV not be able, with their jealous
woman votgrs-so impatient of pre-
tension and exclusiyeness-and their scep-
teal better cluss-so full Of exclusiveness,
adouted in self defence-be able to Danish
the professional politicians whose ascen-
dancy in the political world, like the as
cendancy of spectators in the commercial
world, is the root of most of the evil, and
of all the %pecunialy corruption in the
Union. They may not even be able, In
the teeth Of deepIy-rooted prejudice, OF
partv-feeIing, and of the Senate's vested
interest in iobbing, to establish a scientl-
fcaily organised and irremoyable Civil
Service, perhaps the best guarantee against
corruption yet devised. But they can Sc
cure one remedials measure without vio-
lence, or a remodelling Of their machinery,
or a break with any of their traditions.
Their Constitution enables them to elect
any President they choose, and invests
him with power to keep the Central Adj
ministration pure. These Secretaries, and
Superintendents, and Controllers, who are
charged, truly or falsely, with taking
brides, are, by the Constitution, his clerks.
If the President chooses to make honesty
a sine aud non as a qualification for Office,
to uphold any man who hates corruption,
and to dismiss my man who even tolerates
it, he can do it +; and if he is elected for
that end, he will make it his business to
do it. 1t is nonsense to talk of the pres
sure of opinion in favour of this or that
man. AS a matter of fact, the President
chooses whom he likes, ~sustains whom he
likes, and dismisses whom he likes, with.
out respecting opinion at all. This very
President has chosen, during his Presiden-
CIV, Mr.. Chandler, sustained Mr.. Delano and
superseded Mr.. Motley in defiance of the
whole " opinion" of the country ; and if he
had devoted himself, to such work, could
have made a suspicion of corruption as un-
pleasant to a Secretary as a suspicion of
-o1J;nr Thok ba Al