The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-02-21
Hiding Behind the Majority.


ne devil came as an individual
"hen ne tempted Eve. bnt nowadays
usually attacks men as corpora
s'"h. Take the average business
..'ah Tor instance it is safe to assume
''a[ ne is an honest, conscientious
f''ow he would not wrong his gro
|<f or bootblack of penny. But
*Se him the smallest share in a part
'sRhlp, and he will calmly consent
<'3t the Works" should put China
t'W their drillings or sand in their
~ tothe cheating of thousand of
R'prer purchasers, or should even
Hqllterate their drug to the destruc-
Mn OF human life. Individually, he
~ to church Sunday and drop
money IN the box for foreign
missions with the sincere prayer that
it may be blessed to the conversion
naturalization of some poor heath
en- Jpn Monday, as one of the firm,
he will issue orders to his salesmen
to ge rid of certain unstable stock
to uDwary country customers at
maximum prices; or he will instruct
his new shipping-clerk how to cheat
the customs of the usual per centage
of the duties. He knows well enough
that such teaching to lads and young
men beginning a business life infects
their souls with the dry-rot of cor
ruption but it is not he, it is "the
trade" that does it.
Or, take another man, who is in
temperamenttender- hearted and sem
sitive as woman, who would not
look on to see wCrm needlessly
hurt:yet he belongs to little sect
that triumphantly consigns all the
rest of mankind to eternal and mex
orable torture because it does not
submit to its dictation in certain
dogmas; and the idea of this whole
sale cruelty does not revolt him at
all. If he had lived, too, in the time
of the world when his sect had the
power, he would have approved its
use of thum5screw, fagot and rack
to do to death its helpless victims.
Remember how many merciful men
and gentle women consented to these
thingsin the old time simply because
their hideous creed came to them
sanctioned by great majority, a host
OF their cOngeners and forefathers.
Or take others of our readers of a
eeili higher class. refined and honor
able Christians as commercial men,
scholars or clergymen, whatever their
domestic life or business relations
may be, they are scrupulously careful
to fulfil every duty. Yet gigantic
frauds, and cruel injustice may be
carried on by the political party of
which they are nominal members or
by the government which they help
to form, and they do not stretch out
a finger to reform either. The good
man sitting by his chimney corner
shakes his head sadly when he reads
of the corruption in his own party.
and thanks God tnat he knows moth
ing of rings and long since ceased to
take any part in politics. He read
two years ago of the cold, blooded
murder by order of one department
of the government of seventy-five
helpless men, women and babies he
reads now of the robbery, the ban
ishment and,slow starvation of whole
tribes, and it sounds to him like a
disagreeahle but far off song. He
has nothing to do with it," Has he
nothing to do with it? The decent,
honorable citizen who refuses to take
part in politics, who passiveIy hands
over the control of his city or State
to rings or men whom he knows to
be knaves and windlers is just as
responsible for its management as
they are. The voter. who knows of
blot upon the National honor and a
crime like that OF slavery, or the
slow slaughter of the Indians now
going on, and does not protest agai ast
it, is personally guilty Of it. 1t is
against him, not an impersonal
"country," that the voice of his
brothers. blood cries aloud from the
ground. Ii is not IN a garden that
the Cain OF to-day hides from God
it Is in majorities. "If." sings Hosea
Biglow, "you take sword and draw
it, Go and run "A fellow through,
Government amt to answer for it,
Goo III send the bill to you"
The habit Of throwing responsible
ity off Of our own shoulders on to a
party, sect or corporation has increas-
ed in modern times. There are very
few mon who are not guilty of il. We
suspect that one reason why women
are considered more conscientious
and religious than men is because
they seldom work in association or