The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-06-30

nesses. Then the Cadi pulled out from
under the ottoman the bag of duCats and
said: This pool man has been able to
furnish no witnesses, but will produce
on his side 500 witnesses" and throwing
the duCats aside in disgust, the Cadi de-
Cided for the poor man. Epanimondas,
when offered large bribes, replied, IF
the thing you want me to do is right l
will do 1t anyhow; If wrong, all the goods
in the world could not persuade me-"
FabriCius, the Roman Senator, was offer.
cd for betrayal OF his land, gold by Pyrr'
hus the Macedonian. FabriCius respon'
ded: "What example should ! set the
citizens of RomeP Keep your riches to
yourself and will keey my poverty and
nv reputation" The President of the
American Congress during the Revolu'
ton, Gen. Reed, was offered by the for.
eiVH Commissioners ten thousand gum
eas to betray his country, and he repli'
cd: Gentlemen, / am poor, very poor;
but your King 10 not rich enough to buy
me-" Why go 80 far back, when You and
l, If we move in honorable society, knew
men and women which all the Concen.
trated forces of earth and hell could not
shake. No one would think of Offering
such an Office or a dollar in bribery any
more than they would think of trying to
tempt an angel Of light to exchange hea.
uen for the pit. 1t is villalny to offer a
bribe, but it is very poor compliment
to the man to whom it is offered. | do
not like those men who 60 about telling
how much they could get il they would
only sail out. Women who complain OF
frequently getting insulted, may know
there is something in heir carriage to
invite insult. There arc men at Albany,
Harrisburg and Washington who would
no more be approached with q bribe,
than a pirate boat with a few Cutlasses
would dare attack a British man.of-War
with two long banks of guns on both
sides, loaded to the touehhole. There
are inCorruptible men, and they are to
be the righteoue men that will save the
city and save the state and cave the ma
tion. .....- ....
NV counsel is, stay out ofpolitiCs un.
less you are iuvulnerable to this style Of
temptation. Indeed, your natural
strength needs religious braCinR. Moth
ing but the grace Of God can keep our
public men what they ought to be.
wish that an old.fashioned revival might |
break out in Congress and our Legisla
t1res, and that many of our leading Re-
publiCans and Democrats might 60 down
on the anxious seat in repentance. That
day will come, for Kings and Queens are,
according tO the Bible, to be made
nursing fathers and mothers of the
Church, and If King and Queens, then
all lesser officials. Meanwhile, let all
parents know that the home circle is
where the evil Of bribery often starts.
Do not bribe your children. Have them
do that which is right, because it lis right,
and not because you will give them ten
cents or an orange, There Isa great diff.
fl renee between rewarding virtue and
making the profits thereof the impelling
motive. He who is honest merely be.
cause honesty is the best policy is al
ready morally bankrupt In all depart
ments of life steer clear Of bribes. Not
one of you, man or woman, but will be
tempted to do wrong for compensation.
Let us remember that the day comes
when the most secret transactions of pri-
vate and official life, unless repented OF,
will come to reprehension. We can not
bribe sickness. We can not bribe death.
We can not blibe the grave. We can
not bribe the judgment Of that God who
thunders In the text: "Fire shall con.
sume the tabernaCles Of bribery" "Fitp
cried Cardinal Beauford when dying,
'FieI Will not death be hired2 Will
money do nothing? Wherefore should
| die, being 80 rich 2 II the whole realm
would save my lite l am able either by
policy to get it or by riches to buy it,"
Men bemoan that they have to leave
their wealth on earth. But l have to
tell the tsker Of bribes that he will take
bis money with him out of this world.
God will wrap it up in his shroud or put
It in the palm of his hand in the resur-
rection, and there it will stay, not the
,old, bright, shining gold that lay in the
palm on the day he sold his vote and
MS moral principles, but a hot metal,
burning in the hand forever. Or if there
, Q enough 10 forge a chain, then from
he wrist shall it Clank, the fetters Of an
'ternal captivity. So that bribe shall be
IN eternal possession. You took it for
ime and you took it for eternity, and
ome day in the next world, longing for
you may feel on your cheek
/ kiss, and, turning, you shall find it to
,e Judas, who, after taking thirty pieces
II silver as a bribe, closed the bargain
~ kiss on the pure cheek of his Mas.
er. vE .r.