The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-04-01
politral affairs,
Fsem ~ Nss royt World
The Question Of Honesty.

Il Is a common thing for men to say,
when revelations Of the dishonesty Of the
party in power are made :--"0h. well, the
Democrats would be just as bad if they
had chance, and perhaps worse one set
of politicians Is as knavish as another
This judieious and impartial decisioa Of
the matter, IS on the very face Of 1t, an
absurdity, since il implies that il IS useless
. change bad government The inn
pulse Of the people always is to turn out
these who have been tried and found
wanting, and the experience Of mankind
shows that no other method Of reform has
ever proved effective Speaking for the
Democracy Of the country, We deny EN-
phatically that the rule Of our party would
be rs corrupt as that Of the Republican
party has been, and we base our opinion
upon no claim Of superior virtue in the
members Of one party over the members
Of the other. We assert that the Demo-
cracy would give the country better
government than that under which it is
suffering. simply because the policy Of the
party IS such as tends to foster sound,
honest and economical administration Of
affairs. Human nature is subject to the
same weaknesses and yields to the same
temptations in all parties, but ii IS the
policy Of Democracy to narrow the sphere
Of Government TO reduce the number Of
Offices; to cut down salaries; to refuse
subsidies; 70 promote enterprise and re-
ufr H
economical. II Is the tendency Of Repub-
licanisn, on the contrary, TO multiply and
extend the functions Of Government, to
make il paternal, powerful and splendid;
anas the public treasure running through
thousand channels The result is
natural When the Democrats cut down
salaries, as they have done in the present
Congress, reduce appropriations in every
department Of the Government, and cut
OF all hope Of grants to spectators, they
diminish opportunities forstealiDg. When
the Republicans advanced the wages Of
the public servants, from the President
down; when they gave money and public
lands to build railroads and yearly grant
to steamboat lines; when they added mail
carriers collectors, gaugers, inspectors and
the like in thousands to the public service.
they multiplied the opportunities for steal
ing and the temptations to corruption.
Il IS no wonder that under such system
the politicians Of the party became de-
bauched It is no wonder that the infse-
tion pcrcOlated from above downward
through society. And there vas this
peculiar evil about every opportunity which
Republican rule offered for stealing-there
was almost complete immunity from pun
ishment; for the party held uDquestioned
sway in every branch Of the Government,
and for years treated any imputation on
its wisdom or its honesty as treason to the
nation.
When, therefore, We say that there never
was political party in ancient or modern
times 50 corrupt as that now in power in
this country, il is simply another way Of
saying that no party ever before enjoyed
such opportunities for stealing or ayailed
itself 50 industriously Of its opportunities
A few figures, taken from a Republican
source, viii show in part the amount of
public money which the Republican party
has handled-the amount which il has
stolen is matter of inference, though in
yestigations In progress at Washington are
furnishing few data for calculations on
the subject. Il appears that during
seventy years, extending from March /,
1889, to June 30, 1860, the net revenue
Of the Government was 81 SOC, 354 $50. SO
and the net expenditures during the same
period were s1,73t, 734 ,673.72. From
June 80, 1860, to June 80, 1874, inelud.
ing fourteen years Of Republican admins
tration, the net revenues were 4,437, :
lS7,765.12, aud the net expenditures So
465, s97 .922.84. These figures, which are
taken from an Administration campaign
document, are very significant. They show
that the Republican party, during its brief
career, has spent more than three times as
much money as was spent for seventy
years previous As it IS the nature Of
evil to advance in geometFical progression,
il Is not too much to say that the party, in
the same period, stole ten times as much
As had been stolen during the seventy
years previous.
This Is the plain, common-sense answer
% the cant about one party being just as
honest as the other.