The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-09-24
The Duty of Voters TO Themselves,


pletcly as is that of the candidate. Indeed.
the ballot-boN is a better measure Of the
character Of the voters than of the character
Of the men for whom the votes are given
and in a Republic like this it is the voters
who are on trial at the polls. and whether
their thoughts and ideas are nigh OF low Is of
more consequence than the mental or moral
qualities Of any man in the Republic. though
that man be a candidate for the Presidency.
Suffrage, therefore, is the barometer that in
dicates the public virtue Of the voters not
that OF the candidates. A great American
said of Il dead man and an idol. The
honors we grant mark how high we stand
and they educate the future. The men we
honor and the maxins We law down In
measuring our fayOritcs, show the level and
morals Of the time. The character Of the
State Is shown 10y the character Of those it
1 crowns This is not a new thought Tween
ty-two hundred years ago it was uttered i'm
the most cultivated city history has known.
/ but city whose culture could not save il
/ from the fatal effects OF the lapse Of public
/ virtue. \ great Greek, the most eloquent of
( Greeks save one laid down the doctrine
which twenty-five centuries of history have
not altered. but have only confirmed -
Most OF all, fellow-citizens, if your sons
ask whose example they shall initiate. what
viii you say For You well know it is not
music, nor the gymnasium. nor the schools
that mold young men it is much more the
public prOcl1matiOns the public example. If
you take one whose public character Is loose.
who is lax as to public morals and crown
him in the theatre, every boy who looks on is
corrupted. When a bad man suffers his
deserts, the people learn. On the contrary.
when a man votes against what is noble and
just and then comes home to teach his son.
the boy will very properly say: Your lesson
Is an impettinence and "a fraud. Beware,
therefore, ArtheuianS, remembering poster
ity viii rcjudge your judgment, and that the
character of a city is determined by the
character of the men it crowns''
The voters of the United States fu some
sense are about to crown " a man. They
are about to place the peaceful laurels of a
Republic on his brow. They are presently
to unfold to the world their own character bv
the character Of the man on whom they are
to beStow the highest honors this Republican
Government knows There are many thous-
ands Of young men who are ON the border
land Of suffrage there are bows who have
never voted i'm Presidential election bows
who will vote for the first time in this elec-
ton: boys who are almost ON the edge Of
the right to vote in this election. whose years
are insufficient, but who are, nevertheless.
thoughtful boys. The Presidential election
Is to al of these impreSsible and ingenious
youths an education in public morality. for
one OF the lessons of the hour Is one of pub
lie virtue. We will not say that the men
whose heads time has silyercd have become
insensible To the claims Of public morals. for
we have already urged that the election Is the
Of the public virtue of all voters.
and we insist that the voting places are the
confesSionals Of the voters, young OF old.
We do not charge that the offences which
General Garfield has committed against pub
lie virtue are the highest crimes known to
the law; but is the Endorsement of these Of
fences by millions of voters a harmless thiur2
That plain people are sensitive on these
is evident in the fact that Garfield's
majority in his own district was reduced
from 1000 to 5000 and has never been
quite TegGined. In the face of the great
prize OF the Presidency, when public virtue
should be more tenaciously remembered.
should it he most easily forgotten The
country has lost little money by the loose
public morals of General Garfield. and Gar
heldhaS gained little but is this mans ex-
ample in public virtue a lesson which the
State, great country, can commend to her
sons, scaling that cOmmendation bv a ma
iority in millions Of votes His connection
with what is known as the salary grab " did
not intiict irreparable pecmiarv loss upon
disgrace he hasteHed to flee from the wrath
of his constituents, though the act that
kindled that wrath had not troubled his con
science He only received Il 600 of stock
par yalue, in the Credit Nobflier COMPANY.
without investing penny. The dividends
On this stock amounted i'm a few months
to only Si,32o, and S-i23 could not possibly
make Garfield rich man but the offence
against public morality can not Justly bc
10y the profit accruing from it.
OakeS AmeS, for giving this stock 10 Garfield
and others, was driven in disgrace from the
House of Representatives 10 the grave. i'm
obedience 10 the sentiment i'm favor of public
virtue Is it fit education to the future Of
his Republic to make a partner of OalpS
Ames President of the United States When
Garfield sold his official influence for s.. 600 i'm
The matter of a pavement contract. he did
not much enrich himself. and he may. there
fore, he Yet poor man: but is that an cx-
ample to be held up as q model when great
peril of the Republic is thc laNity OF public
virtue Voting men, IL must Toe remember
'd, are giving themselves certificates of char
lcter when they vote, and holding 1in ex-
lmplcs for the future. They are Judging
themselves and forming the character of
heir children. Beside this, the fate Of any
candidate is of little consequence
Ii we pass from the candidate to the ques-
ion of party, are the methods by which the
Republican managers took the current Pres
dency lessons we wish to teach our children
md our cliiidren's children. Has any thing
more demoraiizing happened in the history
# American politics? The Presidency was
AIKEN 10y taking the vote of Louisiana. and
he takers confessed that they were thieves
y giving the Governorslip of Louisiana to
Nichols an the world knows that the same
otes could not have elected Haves and
(icholls. This was trampling sacred suff-
age under foot. Is this a thing to teach
ising generations Is this a thing which
self-re>pectfu men with high
rected thoughts are anxious To endorse
'he people of this Republic are about TO
ote for themselves and theirposterity. They
viii be morally measured bv the men
nd the things they endorse. Whom and
What shall the State hauor - Cincinnati IN
Ujrer.