The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1882-05-10
OFFICE.
EDITOR DEMOCRAT


tent Of any in the language. In this
country 1t has assumed a phase or
idolat,y, an object of reverence and
alteration. Office is the God whom
great number worship; it is the
"burden Of their song, the lliad OF
their woes.' When we contemplate
our early history as a government
and see what change has been
wrought in the manner of obtaining
official position, and the purposes
for which the position is used after
it's attainment, it creates in our
minds feelings of regret that human
nature can become so corrupt and
that pure seltishness can become the
dominating principle of action. 1t
is truly sad to think and feel that
dark corruption and treachery are
now the chief dependence to obtain |
official preferment and place. 1t does
not take q very wise head to com
prehend that office will be the rock
upon which our ship of State will
some day be wrecked, and the only
way to avoid it is to keep honest and
good men at the helm. This condi-
ton of public affairs is based in a
yitiated political sentiment and par
tisaD zeal.
The stability, permanence and be-
nefconce of government depend upon
the individual integrity and purity
of the parties to it. No government
can long continue when its guar
dams and administrators act through
personal motives, and every effort is
shaped to retain official power. His
tory plainly cvinces that God in His
wisdom has 80 ordered that strict
observance of justice is absolutely
essential to the perpetuation Of pc
litical institutions Of every charac
ter. Only reflect for moment how
the fair pages of our national history
have been darkened by this unholy,
unmanly and INSCRIPTIONS strife for
official advancement. What honest
and magnanimous American doubts
for a moment that General Hays was
made President through fraud and
collusion2 Just think to what
lengths this gilded temple of ambi
tion will lead men. 1t is indeed hu
initiating for American contempla-
ton. Talk about the stability and
strength Of our. government because
it survived the Inauguration Of a
fraudulent executive and then cite
such q consummation as a proof Of
its power.
Away with such nonsense! To
my mind it is strong proof of our
/ national degradation and an open
confession that we are powerless
r against Federal duplicity and politi
cal pollution, and it is in direct con,
; travention of the dictates of man.
hood-an impudent menace to the
principles and teachings of honor
and justice. And by the way, did
you ever notice the law passed by
Congress creating the Commission
to decide who should be the Presi
dent? Such was the indecent haste
for fear something might transpire
to prevent it, that the law was rem.
dered nullity upon its face, for it is
, an old doctrine that ifa law canno,
be administered or practically ap
piled it is a nullity. The law provi
: ded that when the question was de
cided by the Commission that if Ell
Their party felt himself aggrieved he
might apply by quo soo''ranto to the
Supreme Court of the United States
, for redress. It seems to me that s
!, tyro or cross-l Dad lawyer could have
{ made a more sensible law than this
How could the Supreme Court be
applied to when majority of its
, members were on the Commission
, Seven to eight, and every time de-
cisions were made from party con
sideratiens, and to our everlasting
shame impartial history will so de-
clare. The creation of this law was
an insult to the intelligence and lie.
gal ability of the nation, but IS it is
; said charity is best in all thugs il
may be that those who made did not
know any better. The Constitution
} provides a plain and practical mode
of declaring who shall be Presiden,
; when the matter gets into Congress-
and if the party who then had con.
troll of the House of Representatives
+. had have persistently commended fol
9 its rights, it wonld have succeeded
!. Disaster always follows the conces
r sion of a plain principle of right
The office holders of the United
States, I mean those who hold unde,
the government, form a distinc,
o class, whose most strenuous efforts