The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-07-14

/ believe it will come and to doubt IL is to
doubt dooas the n,sigeDoe and integrity OF csS
ernment our fathers left MS. Ny faith, it is
true, has been severely tested, but my faith in
the people exists etill and can say like Job'
Yet will trust thee"
believe 1t is only necessary that these pas
sions, which were excited, when the fret nm.
constitutional act was performed, should cool
aSS,,a ana that men sho9ld o'S and that men
Of the necessity Of the purity Of the
principles of the Government, and the horrore
OF sectional experience will bring them at
least to the understanding th at in the original
principles Of the Government there is peace
and prosperity. There can be no peace or per.
msnent prosperity. NO honorable career OF
Government without them. There should be
no nepotism, NO gift taking, no distributing re-
wards for political services. Those things
should be held as crimes. and the peoples
offices should be distributed for the peoples
good. Applause
The means with which we are to achieve
those ends are not to my miud 50 difficult to
determine. First and most important, as the
bed rock upon which the edifce stands, we
must have tho elective franchise intelligently
and honesty exercised. Then we must have
men then we must have low taxes and low
salaries, and no perqnisites. Applause 1t
is an anomaly in the Federal Governme emit that
men who give tho laws fix their own compen.
satiop. He must be pure indeed whose mind
will not always incline to the high compensa-
tion for himself. But this is not SO great an
evil as another. II our Government is rep
resentative government; II an ofioer holds
his place ss Q trust he has no property ID the
office, and the patronage in his hands is yours
You have intrusted him with the power to ad-
minister, it, bnt You did not make 1t o present
to him. II he administers it for his own bsn-
eft, IL 10 for you to seek the remedy. For In
. Government of the people there can be
no abuses permissible as usefolly oounteraot-
ing each other. With us every abuse is an
evil. Justice. truth and honor presided at the
birth Of the Federal Union in the form alton OF
its constitution, and these must attend 1t to
the end or lite mission can never be fulfilled
Let no one suppose that I am contending for
do not. i am oontendipg only for condi-
tion in which there should be 1ough virtue to
control vice, enough of Intelligence and patri-
otsm to make it apparent to dishonesty that
the road to honor aud power is through the
gate of faithful service. [Applause.
To you, self deny ing and self sacrificing de-
tenders Of imperishable truths and inalienable
rights-you of the Army of Tennessee, and
you, yet more sslf-sacrifoing women who stsy-
cd In the rear and suffered oil the tortures that
our Imagination could paint, to you my coun.
trymen OF every age, seotien or condition. feel
may appeal, and appeal to such virtue as
this, that you may be the means of elevating
this Government to the high standard of moral
excellence, which is necessary to render its in
stitutions practicable. Without this our form
of government in the beginning was mistake,
and must prove failure.
In the language of gifted poet Of Missis-
sippi:
1T 10 not for Je to fAlter,
It is not for ye to palter
In the crisis for thy
Mission is the miRhtiest of time
1T In thine to lead . legion
Out Of every realm and region;
On the glorious march sunward
To the golden heights sublime"