National Republican., 1877-08-01
THE NA TTONAL PERIL.


The wicked and expensive character oi
the remedy which the strikers rcsortcd to
for preventing rydur.iDn ol their wages is
becomin. moro and more apparent every
day. piitshury H. hrriuning to receive bills
for the merchandise which was destroyed by
the rioters in that city. One firm in Boston
asks $1,000 for two car loads, and similar
demands will pour in rapidly from all parts
Of the country. These, when added to the
immense damages which will have to BE-
paid to the Pennsylvania railroad, will i'm.
pose burden upon that city under which
II must groan for years.
This country is already too much bur
dened by taxation without havingau unncc-
essary load imposed upon II by the whole
sale destruction of property by mobs II IL
therefore matter of great Importance that
effective measures should be devised for
preventing such occurrences in future. The
subject il so important that we hope II will
be discussed by the press everywhere in an
enlightened and independent spirit, free
from all partisan bias.
We regret, therefore, to see any efforts to
make political capital out Of the occurrences
Of the last two weeks. All such attempts
will be futile in the end, and can only
hinder that enlightened and dispassionate
consideration of this subject which will be
necessary if wise and efficient remedies are
to be devised for the serious dangers which
ytiu threaten the country.
L twill not do TO take it for granted that
Because the riots have been quelled the
danger is permanently over The spirit
which produced the riots is still rampant
throughout the land, and unless restrained
by wise laws and superior force may at any
time cause widespread ruiY 1t is not the
honest laboring men of the Country that we
have to fear so much as II is the idle and
vicious element which has been growing in
strength and numbers with fearful rapidity
within the last few years. There are now
in this country not less than half million
of tramps and other vicious and idle char
acters who will not work, however good O
chance they may have of doing 80, but pre-
IF to live by begging and stealing
The importance Of this dangerous element
okour society has not been sufficiently con-
sideredA 1t is very great peril to have on
our hands such large body of men who
are unwilling to work, and who are so utterly
demoralized as to be unfit citizens of o
free State, but who are nevertheless on
par with the most decent and industrious
voters at the ballot-box. There would
seem to be some deeper cause for the rapid
increase of this dangerous class than merely
hard times.
Without entering into all the causes of
this public decentralization, we think we
can point out some of the agencies which
have produced this sad state of affairs. We
would name the decay of public aud private
morality as the chief source Of our national
troubles. The fathers of the Republic
taught that religion, morality and intelli-
gence were the corner-stones Of our demo-
cratic institutions.
We have made very ample provisions for
rendering our citizens intelligent through
our national system Of free schools, but the
culture Of religion and morality being left
10 individual and private effort has not
Kept pace with our material and intellectual
progress. The relaxation of parental au-
thority and family discipline has contrib,
uted very largely to this result Children
cannot make good citizens of free State
who are not taught self-control, but who
are allowed to have pretty much their owl
way from early childhood, and whose mora
training is turned over to the Sunday
schools instead of being enforced b,
parental precept and example.
This lack of moral training is rendered
still more dangerous by the failure o
parents to train their children in industrious
naDlts. 1nOusaiuS oil DOyS IN all the town
aud cities Of the country are suffered t.
grow up to manhood without being trained
in any trade or profession, and they largel,
recruit the ranks of the tramps and othe
iisorderly characters who infest the lant
and threaten our institutions with destruc
lion.
1t will not do, therefore, to consider tn,
Evils we are suffering from rs merely TEN
porary in their character. The whole body
polite is infected with fatal and danger
Gus poison which must be counteracted b,
mitable antidotes, or political death viii
follow. In the face of such grave danger
It is worse than criminal to seek to max
capital out of the disorders of the Republi
for any political party. It is nbsolutel.
necessary that all good citizens should har
moniously and patriotically unite in tn
work OF endeavoring to remedy the evil
from which the nation is now suffering. W
cannot afford TO be divided by factions, 70
1t will require the united wisdom and tn
patriotism Of all good citizens to success
fully solve the problem Of making our fire
Government a success