Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1877-12-06
THE POLITICAL SITUATION,

The following letter from one of tn,
/ prominent men Of Chicago. on the plesen
political situation. was received by one o
our professional men not long since. w.
it rlace in the COURIER. although we give
differ from the writer on many i,nportan
points:
CHICAGO, Ills. Nov. 6. 1877.
Inote all you say Of our political con,l
ton and agree with You entirely. Even a.
you do so 10 admire Hayes efforts to be
the simple President of our whole country
and not us Grant did-be the craven tool OF
one portion and the bully Of the other.
believe. too. that Hayes is sincere antl
means all for tie best. but have no iile'
that lie can succeed. Tie ruling men of his
party despise his course and oppose him at
every point. lie Will have to yield before
long. The Sollt'l-meantimc-moy act tie
part of wise men and. by so doing. add to
Hayes strength SO much as to defeat many
of tie Radical plots. But. however this
may be. harmony can never again be in
our country. We have outlived the orig
ina. form tas well as the su,ssance) of our
G29yernment.. and hsye been IN p! rp sitiea
What new form it is to end in we cannot
now see.
The European clement in the northern
States is entirely opposed TO our Americ;n n
system of government. and can never be-
come in favor Of it. They long for the
Imperial rule Of kiscr William or else the
Communism, Of France. and between the
two we are destined to make choice be
fore many decades. This will be fastened.
too. by the universal corruption which
now exists in every department of govern
ment. both Federal. State and municipal,
all over the Union. for which reform is ut
terly impossible, for Hayes orany one else.
No Government was ever yet reformed
save by new one. out and out. 1t is now
impossible to find an honest man in any
Office of public trust. and very few i'll pri'
vate trust. Not day passes but huge de
t:,lcltions both in public and private places
are uncovered; yet not one of the thieves
is punished oreven put on trial! And sucl
mas been the case for so long Il time tina.
the present generation all around us lh'S
grown up to look upon ps'culation as per
fectly legitimate and only requiring Ger
tain amount or sl.rcwdntss to make it :
commcndable virtue. 1t is now Il nationa
disease-not an individual Offense! The
riots last Summer were the premOnitory
symptoms Of general break up. and W.
NAV look for rcpctitiOns OF the same III
most any time. until the country shall pro
duce. and the occasion bring to the tOn
men as leaders capable Of organizing ant
commanding the hisatfected elesnents so q!
to give power and efficiency to united &c
tion. Then we shall sec conmotion s'ici
as comes to Ill laste&ied governments. an'
the inevitable fruits OF dishonest laW-iiiak
crs and corrupt executives.
/ We are just now in the heat ola COUNTY
election here. wherein two Judges o
County Courts. County Treasurer. tw'
Clerks of Courts. and five County Com
missjoners. are to be elected, and ever.
candidate has paid down in cash from scv
en- thousand dollars to five hundred dollars
in advance. to the political committee a
funds to secure his election. What com
tmentary is this on Rcpublican-Democrati
government What can be expected troi
"A Judge who pays fifteen hundred dollars
IN advance. to secure his election? or of
Treasurer who p,ys in seven thousan
dollars. as they have done here? But thi
has been going on for years; hence. n
punishment is mp.eL out to criminals
and. hence. TIE iabOring men see and fc'
that their hope is only in riots and strikes
, and they are right! Everything like prol
erity is still on the down grade. shrinkin
in value all the wl,ile--all. save the gOl
bonds in the hands Of the friends of hig
Government officials. Our Federal an
stock officials are not one whit better tia
, the official thieves who have plundert
Mexico for half century but. our n'ass'
are vastly more intelligent, brave and jea
Gus. and hence. they will all the sOon'
force things TO a crisis.
Property in Chicago is worth about fort
!, cents on the dollar of its cost five yea!
ago, Money is scarcer now than in ls3
and is held by the few who know tn;
money is worth more locked up and i'd
than if put into any kind Of business
property. Hence. the man in debt. wiit
counts ninety-nine in every hundred. flint
il next to impossible to borrow. One WI
always nVes the way for another, and tn
other war we will soon have; but, 1t "
not be between the North and the Sout
but everywhere, and in every county, ci
and village. = r IN
-Hotel-keepers are people We have
put up with"