Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1876-05-02
THE ANSWER.

EDITORS SENTINEL: / was mucl
pleased with the tone of an article ap
pearipg in your Wednesdays issue
under the caption, "What is thu
Remedy 2" in which you take the
ground that the character of an admin
istration is determined by the charac
ter of its chief. A few mornings aftel
Scri6ne,'s Monthly reached Eureka
and in its political department, edited
by J. q. Holland, appears the follow
ing article on the same all-importani
subject, the caption ofwhich~ singnlarly
enough answers the question asked in
yours. OBSERVER.
Eureka, May LIST, 1876.
There was nothing so hnmiliating in
all our terrible civil war as the recent
discovery that there was corruption OF
the lowest character in the high places
of the Government. This corruption
has come from a cause which we have
pointed out again and again, and pro-
tested against, viz: the placing OF low
toned men in office. It is the natural
and legitimate result OF the rule of pol
iticians as contradistinguished from
thai of statesmen. General Grant was
elected to the ] esidency in the inter-
est OF . politica. party because he was
q soldier, and not because he was a
statesman. The men he has gathered
around are naturally, in the main, like
him. No man wishes to be the nom
inal head of y government Of which,
intellectually and morally, he is the
tail. We have no right to expect a
President to be wiser in his own policy
than the constituency that placed him
in pc Ger, or to he actuated by a higher
motive. Aud as if Schenck, and Bah
cock, and Belknap were not enough,
we have been still further d;sgraced by
q Senate that willingly listened to the
voice Of notorious denagogues, and
insulted one of the purest names ever
presented for it approval. 1t really
seems as if the powers at Washington
were trying to see how deeply they
can humiliate the nation, and how con.
temptible and deteslable they can
make it in the eyes of the world.
With a Government in disgrace,
with commerce paralyzed and indus
try starving, what do we find in Con-
gress 10 give us hope and courage ?
Nothing; literally nothing. We see
the representatives of two great politi-
cal parties pitted against zach other,
governed by no high principle, and
only bent upon oatwitting each other
with reference to the next presidential
election. Not a motion or a speech is
made that is not ~canvassed mainly
with reference to party capital. The
currency, the tariff, the Southern diff
~culties-even the corruptions of the
Government itself-are treated as party
questions.
There is some comfort in thethought
that we have arrived at a point where
intelligent people can see that they
have no been governing themselves
at all-that. instead, they are under the
rule Of politicians. This is we'll; and
ii we do not now have a change, it will
be the fault of the people themselves.
We look around and see the traps that
are preparing for us. There Is not a
candidate named in connection with
the Presidential Office by either of the
two parties, that has not been named
through the direct or indirect agency
of the candidate himself. There has
been no waiting for invitations-no
modest reliance upon personal excel.
lence or popular choice. The names
Of the self-constituted candidates are
printed upon banners and Haunted in
"a faces. 1t is perfectly we'll known
what gentlemen are after General
Grants place, and the politicians are
c~anvassing their DrOspectssra,her than
their claims and their qualifications.
The matter Is q grand game of intrigue,
macy.
Now, II any man has observed the
influence of the head man Of a cor
ruption, he will understand and appre-
ciate what we are about to say in res
gard to the influence of a President, in
molding to himself the men around
him. As 10 the president OF q railroad,
Is every officer and employee, by
rule. The loose or the sound morals
begin ct the top,and run down through
the whole. Az Is the editor. in chief of
great newspaper, so are the suhOrdi-
mates. Men who stand at the head Oi
great organizations or great interests,
bring around them naturally men of
their kind, who take their cue in
action, and their tone in character and
motive. from them. Like master, like
old proverb, based upon old
and mature observation. Now, it is
lust as i'm possible to have a high toned
Administration, with alow-toned Pres
ident, as it il to have q high toned
with q loafer ut its head. |
The thing ir unnatural and impossi.
BILE. In the next Presidential election,
the people really desire, we believe, to
vote for, and elect, a gentleman and a
statesman-a man who will associate
in Government only with
gentlemen and statesmen, and who
will send only such to represent the
Government abroad. The political and
DOciaI lone 1T Washington 10 disgust
|ngly low. 1t does hoE represent the
people Of America. 1t represents the
party politicians OF America. and them
,nly. They are our bane and n dis
and IL they are permitted to
,old their influence through another
administration, we shall have our
,elvos to blame.
The people have two points Of prac-
ical, aggressive action In the premises.
they can attend the primary meetings
Everywhere, and make their wills and
vishes felt there; and they Gan exer-
ise the grand, inaiienable right OF bolt
az. Let every decent man swear that
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