The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-11-24
why Politics Become Democrat.

Gov. Bul!Oek In the EpIseopalhn Congress.
In the daily business Of trading among
men the immoral element Is simple in It.
self and proceeds from q simple cause.
This Is almost alone the unregulatsd love
Of money-in other words, 1t is avarice.
But since such business deals with coFpo.
real and visible things which pass from
hand to hand, and its operations arc dt.
rectly under the inspection otthe con-
tracing persons, the evil has been 30
generally detected and corrected that
pure morals have become the aeknowl.
edged mistress Of commercial life. There
Is not, in any field Of social existence, q
higher standard than tia. which now has
the sanction OF modern commerce. But
In the domain Of politics the disturbing
causes and forces are more numerous,
more varied and more subtle. In inc
first place, the clifton is tempted away
from the rule OF individual sccounta3ill-
ty by his participation Ia large numbers
Of men, and BY sharing with them hi. re-
sponsibility. lie parts with his own mind
He gives in bis adherence to lax
customs lonr before they become i'm
morallties, and out Of these the highest
resultant expected il tho average moral
sense Of the whole number. The scrupu-
lou.uess OF the individual Ii merged in
an average public conscience, The liner
sensibililies are etfaeed by oontempla-
tiou Of expediency and necessity OF COM,
pliance. This from numbers alone. But
then we arc TO add to this the vehement,
tumultuous, overwhelming influence Of
Numbers conbin into parties. There
IA no despotism like that Of political or
religious party, and if 1t has lost the
power to bring recuSants to the tagot and
The block, still It's means Of command
and discipline, though rapidly weaken.
ing, are not yet oveTthrown. When elect
ed q member OF Parliament, Sir Samuel
Romilly wrote 10 his sister letter
tremulous with fear, because, he
said, he should DO under compulsion
to deal in partial and selfish inter
ests, to hear the profession Of dishonora-
bic sentiments without opposing them
and to be near spectator Of degrading
conduct wi,hou. discovering his d0testa.
ton. And still again, to these combined
causes Of evil must be added tile love OF
money, most corrupting Of all. This not
only acts as subtle cause Of corruption
in the heart Of the individual, where II
has spontaneous inception, but it be-
comes the instrument OF corruption
wieldly broadly over the political inter.
ests OF the State. at 10 by bribing,'
wrote u profound statesman, "not so often
by being briSed, that wicked politicians
bring ruin on mankind" This love 'ol
gain fetches into lie alliance and support
all other impure and oorruptins forces
It debases honorable ambition Persona
ambition is both a good aud bad ole
ment In the solution OF politics, but Ii be
comes especially bad when II Is sub
sidized by avarice. y"ThereSi ia tsaid Mr.
I Burke) a natural allegiance and fealty
due 10 this domineering, paramount
evil, from all the vassal vices which
: acknowledge It's superiority and mllitat,
; under It's banner; and it Is under tia
discipline alone that ayarice Is able 4
spread and TO render itself general, pub
lie mischief" And we must add anothe
source Of evil which Is historical. APP
peAllng TO all these infrmities, ant
welding all these agencies Of impurity
; diplomacy, by les high authority and OK
ample in times past, has tainted the pc
litical fountains through many genera
!, lions. In the international game Of cnn
, ming and stratagem in former periods, Ii
: which the players mask their faces AM
characters, the church was an associates
. actor with the State. The crosier an
.. the mace were lowered together. In tn
. hundred years preceding the time whe'
. our church, purified, stood forth In he
> beautiful garments, u century Of whicl
the interest eliminated In the hundred
!. shaped duplicity Of Woolsey and Clemen
the church taught enough Of immoFa
politics TO require two centuries to elm
mate /, from the natural mind. Y