Litchfield enquirer., 1877-03-22
4.F.eht.ne the DsvlI. with Flrel''

''FiRhtinG the Devil. with Flre!'
 The writer of the political letter on our first page is very able as we'll as very angry denouncer of Republican iniqui- ties; but, unless we are entirely mistaken, his diagnosis of the disease that afaicts our body polite is faulty and superf- cial one, and his proposed remedy utterly inadequate. He evidently considers the long Republican tennre of power the chief, if not the sole cause of the preva- lentlpolitical demoralization, and expects reform from the mere substitution of Democratic for Republican administra- ton! To use his own words:
 Now should be very far from making any such absurd claim as that* party so large as to embrace. as the Democratic Party does to-day, considerable majori- ty of the people of the United States, has within it no rascals. But here lies the great,- all-important point of difference between the Republl- can and Democratic Parties of to-day tu8I JUG I0EaOI W4tu BUILD SOOo @AN Aon rst men still left in it) has become, ds c s0soSe, as party, thoroughly corrupt; whereaA the Democratic Party, whatever it might become after sixteen years unln- terrnpted possession of ''the spells" is issosp, dsgg party. i,a cOna1oGrison with cts opponent, pure and honest. Our view of the matter is that the prev alent political corruption is not the growth of sixteen, but of fifty years; that 1t is not confined to one but prevades both political parties; that it can never be rehledied by the mere substitution of one bad lot of politicians for another bad lot of politicians; but that it can be reached only by 8 general elevation of political standards of morality among the people themselves. estf. s
 s It is e shameful fact that American po- litical morality has not yet got beyo nd the point of fighting the devil with fire" If a man involved in lawsuit em- ploys counsel, and is told at the outset that his only chance lies in fighting the devil, with, efre," i. e. in subornation of perjury, he will, if he is wise. discharge that lawyer and employ an. honest one. Savages and politicians have not yet learned that honesty is the best policy. As regards the Eight Commandment the moralities of the Sioux camp and of the political State or National Executive Committee are on the same low level of "barbarism. Elections are conducted and votes are counted on the principle of lighting the devil with fire." Look at Louisianal There were marvellous con- Eyersious of colored Republicans into col ored Democrats, on . scale unequalled since the wholesale baptisms. of northern pagans into Christianity in early medi- Iseval times. No doubt part of this was real conversion; part, coercion; and who can tell the true proportion of the respec' tive ingredients? Republicans secuted I the idea of conversions; Democrats, the idea of coercion; yet both these infuen ces were real and powerful. It was just one of those cases Tn which the prevalent political morality of the period justified fighting the devil with fre" J. Madi son Wells was not smarter" nor proba bly, so ''smart" as the men who concocted the Oregon fraud, but he had better op portunities. We have never justified the Republican party in its acceptance of the < sLouisiRna fraud; but on the other hand, we have seen what has seemed to us con usM ok &ln A;< party would have been equally ready te profit by the Oregon fraud had it beer equally successful A weighty circum' stance, of recent occurrence. indicates that this party is renewing rather than renouncing its allegiance to the venera. ble political policy of fighting the devil with fire: When Mir. Hewitt resigned his chairmanship of the Democratic Ma. stionai iOommittse. few weeks since, Sen- asof Barnnm. of this State. took his place. Now this man bears the same re latiOA to the Democracy of Connecticut that Simon Cameron bears to the Repub licanisin of Pennsylvania, and his appoint naent as Mir. Hewitt's successor can onl, ! mean that the National Democracy in tend Organizing their next campaign ol B the policy that has made Mir. fBafnum' name 80 notorious throughout his nativ states Ya Ina .naina. 1a
 Not long since an amateur Republical politician remarked to us that the onl way to put down Wm., H.. Baraum va a ito bsat him at his own game!" Sue is about tAe average morality of our poll
 ties: and political corruption will surel 60 on increasing until it is raised to
 purer standard. To accomplish such
 reform. two methods. at least, must b employed, We must repudiate the pol
 tieian and al his works, and recogniz
 the truth that. in the long run, honesty
 the best policy even in politics. Figh ing the devil with fire is business {
 whichonly devils can win. We might g we'll employ the Tombs shyiter, with hi
 perjuries and his chicaneries, to condut
 oar lewsuits. the politician of the e,
 isting breed. with his briberies and hi
 frauds. to conduct our elections. Flu,
 tlermore, We must starve our politician to death by a real civil service reforl 8S----ss4 f sssase asAA g34ss.n sasiss ss4 es
 sIH printing the letter. our devils l~bom we h.,
 our correction, upon shooting period to the VI, heart of this sentence to the ntter destr notion of
 meaning.