The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-02-10

the mississippi LeNee Improvement AlV |
has again and again recommended eX-
pensive schemes of enlarging the navy |
and swelling the army expenditure by |
additional appropriations. He urged upon
Congress the purchase Of all the tele-
graph lines of the country by the Gov
ornment, and the management of this
purely personal and business agency,
which is used by comparatively small
part of the population, by corps of Fed
eral officers, and at the expense of the
whole people. He recommended Post
master General Creswell's foolish scheme
of PostofIice Savings Banks, by which
the United States GoeernmeEt would
have gone into the banking business on
an enormous scale, swelling alike the
power and the temptations to fraud and
embezzlement of every Postmaster in the
land,
While such have been the course and
the attitude of the President on domes-
tic questions, his foreign policy, SO far as
his own individual guidence Of it is con-
cerned, has been in the same direction
OF expanding the power of government
and increasing the taxes of the people,
His preposterous scheme for the pur-
chase of San Domingo has almost faded
from the minds Of our easy.going and
rapidly progressing people, 1t would
| have been, if carried out, the annexation
of foreign race of ignorant and unculh-
waited people to the Republic at an eX-
pense of millions, and the carrying on a
kind of personal government on for
eign island, the military and naval eX-
pense of which would have entailed a
perpetual drain upon the Treasury. Only
last year he sent, without the slightest
authority of law, personal envoy to the
Samoan Islands, armed with United
States cannon and other presents, to
savage King, and it is Understood his in
huence maintains Colonel Steinberger
there to. day, nominally Prime Minister,
but virtually sovereign, over a tribe of
half-naked savages. His well known
desire to extend the glory of his admin
istration by interference in the affairs Of
Cuba, so long curbed by the prudence
and wisdom of his Secretary of State,
has of late appeared in more palpable
form than ever. The Uuited States does
not want Buba; we have enough unset
tied and turbulent elements at home,
and we have no men to waste and no
money to fritter away in abortive at
tempts to compose civil wars abroad.
While such has been the course of the
President in regard to great public ques-
tions, he has signalized his administra
ton by introducing an amount and var
riety of nepotism heretofore unheard Of
into many departments Of the public SER
vice. Not to speak of the numbers of
| his brothers-in-law whom he appointed
and still maintains in office none Of
whom, it may be remarked without do
ing the slightest injustice, possess any
conspicuous qualifications for their posts
he has enriched his iavorites and friends
in other directions, and has thrown the
all-powerful influence of the administra.
ton in favor of making the path Of for
tune smooth. He was the we'll known
friend and confident of the District of
Columbia Ring-even going 80 far, after
Congress had abolished the Ring Gov.
ernment for its misdeeds, as to nomi-
nate its head, the notorious Boss Shep-
herd, to be one of the new Commission
ers for the government of the District;
although in this matter, as in the San
Domingo business, he has apparently
been convinced against his will that he
had made mistake-at least it is a fact
| that his last annual message to Congress
omits all mention of the merits of the
municipal improvements" which have
bankrupted the District of Columbia, and
are now charged upon the National
Treasury.
The Republican party have proved no
exception to the general rule that parties
long possessed of power tend inevitably
20 corruption. The Custom House frauds,
the Sanborn moiety contracts, lhe peCu-
lations and embezzements of the Post
masters and Paymasters, the Pacific Mail
Bribery, the Credit Mobilier swindle,
the navy ring frauds, and the robberies
of the whisky thieves, all perpetrated
within the bosom Of the party Of Repub-
lican officeholders, are evidences of the
crying need for publication and reform. |
The bribery at elections, the open pur-
chase of seats in the Senate of the United |
States by promises of office and payments |
of money, and the loose and Indifferent |
way in which political corruption is re-
garded in many quarters, are mournful |
signs of a decadence Of honor and con-
science in our political life. 1t rests with
the people to say whether the govern
ment service shall be still further de-
graded, and the men who have brought
it to its present low estate intrusted with
a longer lease of power. Shall it be said
that the breed of noble men is lost, and
that the conduct of affairs in this Repub-
lie is permanently captured by political
hucksters, by men who make merchan-
disc of office, and treat power as per-
quisite Of their personal ambition GIN.
Conn.,. 22d