Richland beacon., 1877-08-18
REFORM"

and the hol by Of oiiice-seekers, until
it has become familiar by-word with
The smallest school boys and the sub
jcct would seem to have been COM
plctely exhausted; and yet the re-
formation of the body polite has not
been accomplished. The question
naturally arises, Have rcformers ap-
piled their work in the right place !?
Have they discovered the real cause
of the official corruption and neral
turpltude of those in high places? Is
dishonesty confined alone to officials
in their official capacity? Or is not
all this moral depravity the result OF
a demoralized state of society, into
which the great mass of the people
have fallen!
We conclude that the affirmative
answer to the latter question is the
true one, from the fact that the people
do not appear to recognize or compre'
bend the enormity of the public crimes
that are being continually exposed, as
they certainly would if a healthy state
of society existed, as it once did in this
country; and if this be true, then
here is certainly the place to apply
the remedy.
IL is an undeniable fact that, though
the people and the press denounce the
corruption and fraud practiced by
their political opponents in strong
germs, they attempt 10 conceal and
cund.ac similar offences committed by
members of their own party, seeming
10 regard them as Of Importance only
so far as they may be used for pOliti-
cal purposes, aud to receive the revc-
lati0ns Of stupenduous frauds with
apparent delight instead of mortified
ton and disgust. Even those who
DO not act thus show very plainly that
they do not rightly appreciate the
diSgraceful conduct Of official thieves
nor view bribery aud perjury in that
light which charactcrizes healthy
state of society and an exalted stan
dard of morality. The honesty citi-
zen appears to have become So familiar
with crime that he has lost sight Of
the duties he owes himself, his family,
society, his country and especially the
rising generation, who are to follow
his example; and, hence, we see him
associating upon the most intimate
terms with men whose character are
blackened by the most heinous crimes,
and permitting them to occupy the
most prominent seats in the social
circle. And thus the young are
taught that crime is not disgraccful in
the eyes Of the best people of the
land-at least no crime except petty
larceny or such offences as are confined
to the poorer and most ignorant classes
and that the greater the offence
the less the disgrace that attaches
to it.
Is there any wonder then that men
offer aud accept brides, enbezzle pub
lie funds and practice fraud, with so
much IMMUNITY? That virtue is held
at so low an estimate by the young,
that they show so little regard for the
rights and feelings of each other and
hold the lives of their fcllOw-men at
such a low estimate? Is there any
reason for surprise that crime is on
the increase and that the work Of
reformation is retrogressive instead Of
progressive?
The fact is, society is GemOralized
and growing worse. We place too
low all estimate upon moral rectitude,
honor and integrity, bold virtue too
cheap. and punish vice too lightly by
example. Men whose checks would
once have manIled with shame at the
very thought Of being suspicioned Of
immoral actions, and who would have
taken a proposition to indulge in them
as an insult, now practice them open
ly without the least sense of shame
and are thus welding a most buneful
influence in their families and society.
Then, here is where the work is need
ed Reform society, and society will
reform the government. a vicious,
dishonest and immoral people are sure
to have a corrupt. bad government.
but virtuous ana moral republican
people will have more but vir,uous
and honorable officials. 1t is said
that 1.-The people make the king" and
if the subjects Of sorereigus can 90
this. IA sovereign people can certainly
make their public scrvants-can ma he
them virtuous by choosing only The
virtuous to serve them.
-ssS