The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1879-01-03
CONSCIENCE in POLlTlCS,

CONSCIENCE IN POLlTiCS, Z
REIIER TO BE RIGHT AND gAIL
THAN WRONG AND sUCCEH.
lFtom tho Baptist Courier.
There is such thing, VIC all per-
sauded, despite Appearances. e be.
lieve, though some may be d5osed
to smile at our credulity, ths.3there
are men who every year go ddsa into
the politi- al arena and come ID un.
lsmirched /; men who feel thaFit is a
serious thing to have handsin the
q colliucI ''e,lel OF olgo'eFnment Tor cIS, state
or nation, who walk humble 8unrIes
the weight of their responsibility who
seek divine guidance and .rength.
b and whose souls loathe ytGing
false, hollow and unjust. ssSIlt such
men, it must be admitted excep
2 tional. May God multipl .ir num-
Der, for they are the of the
country.
II is humiliating to have h confess
that, as o rule, even ChristHns seem
agreed to leave their cons ences at
home when they go into political
contest. Everything is f@s9r in love,
wal and politics." is thsSaccep,ed
principle and the rpeS Senly4 20
every protest Of ,merg religion
Is, You must. figh devil with
Hhre,h or, awe are onlagturning their
pown weapons against aem."
i. Now, we have ncSng to say Of
kthe course OF one po&tical party more
than another, ncr&bf the particular
ends sought to bA 6ttained Ivy this
eide or that. ye do mean to
say that "therel mething nobler
than victory ace better to fail
with clea.A haS Sds than to succeed by
dishonest an9!gnoble means, because
such successfwill prove in the long
run the wprst of failures, and will
carry a curse with it, How much
fraud and injustice was Hrracticed all
over this broad land during the late
i campaign and election 1T is impossi.'
Bile 10 say. We have no reason to
! believe that there was more than is
common in times of great political
2iexcitement and conflict. 1t is not of
recent events that we write, it is O.
Yprinciples which apply to oil times
and all parties.
Government is of God, and every
man who has anything to do with gov
srnment, from the most ignorant and
abscure laborer whose highest glory
I is to: cast a vote q the laestand
mighfiest officiaI from Tie sfiee fields
50 A s,s nv q &c. Ts e ) Ssss5s
ergo is bound 10 use bis political
J God.
How has it come to pass that
Washington City is acknowledgement
sjof by intelligent foreigners, hnd by
a honest men among ourselyes1as a den
lof thieves? How Is it that State
7icnpitals are SO often regarded as
lsinks of corruption, and many city
governments as fendish machines
lcontrolled by powerful "rings'' for
their own vile, selfish erdsI! What
has brought about this state of things,
Jbnt the almost universal exI xIercise of
/, 81 riuhts un6la. tho or;5on,o ,f
passion or selfsnne hout the
elighest regard to the suggSstions Of
conscience? Any kind or tAgree, of
yilliany appears to be expect led in the
conduct of political affairs. And the
men who practice it-how iare they
treated by society, the best society?
even the church? (for they are some
times religious men-by profession.)
Are they scorned and secuted?
Are they dealt with as YOU would
deal with your neighbor who bad told
you o lie or practiced some fraud
upon you in your social relations?
No, truly. They are petite d, they
are lionized, their names are ;blazon-
ed everywhere, and their wd.Rderful
sspeeches heard with shouts Of aps
alausc by admiring thousands. Moth
ng is too good for them, no glory
po great for them. Accordingly, we
|sts:liaa sts:lia the West men in places OF honor
;E5RSS trust, men who are 4dadly ambi-
s or meanly greedg Off gain.
kybody sees it, everybody la-
as it, everybody detlounces coun-
legislature, Congsess-and yet
he mass Of the people continue to
Se political privileges without once
lying to conscience, Heret IS my
i-be thou my guide!
hppose it were otherwise. Sup
every man in the country de-
I'D with what political party he
hld act, and what candidates he
hid support, upon conscientious
sbunds. with the fear of God before
eyes. Suppose that every one,
9en he went tb the ballot-boI Ix, re-
sshered that he must give account
sasshag vote, jnst as surely as
deed of his life, and
tth q pure conscience9
htion we should present
EVOLUTION which would
'' tstice, impurN nd kna-
uD truth, holiS virtue,