The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-07-27
CONGRESSIONAL DEGESEnArIuS.

Tho position of member Of Congress
was formerly 4 digniied and honorable
post of public duty, and should always
be such, but the Republican party, in its
greed for power and for private fortunes,
is fast lowering the public estimation of
our congressman. A Legislative body in
which Kellogg can retain n scat in the
Senate unmolestcd, when it is generally
conceded he has consprcd with others to
largely dcfraud the Government he pre-.
tends to serve, and in which so notorious
apublic plundercr rs Robson, so vulgar
and obsccne speaker rs Ruttcrworth,
an cX-convictcd brbc taker like Smalls,
and man charged with forging portions
of the evidence OH which he was admit.
cd like Mackcy, can hold seats in tho
House of Representatives, cannot expect
much either Of public respect or honor.
1t is great misfortune for country to
lose confidence in the purity and intcg.
rity Of its lawmakers, and when coun.
try pcrceivcs that the drift Of n political
party is to debasc the character of tho
law-making representatives for partisan
advancement, it becomes the highest
duty of the citizen, regardless Of party,
TO assert his sclfrespect, his patriotism
and his personal integrity by assisting to
the extent Of his influence and his vote
to hurl such party from power. When
this individual integrity is not strong
enough to so assert itself, there can be
no mistake that the future of the coun.
try is not encouraging. 1t is better for n
country like ours that either its Execu.
tive or its Judicial department should be
corrupt than that its Legislative depart.
ment should be so, for if the Executive
or the Judiciary is corrupt the Legisla.
tive can correct it by impeachment, while
there is practically no remedy for corrupt
legislation.
Corrupt laws exert their influence all
over the country and leave their impress
upon the future, SO that people cannot
be too particular or exacting in the selec.
ton of their lawmakers; and those po.
litical parties which show disregard of
this most sacred trust by assisting pol
luted men to obtain seats in our legisla.
tive bodies, and show themselves to be
reckless of the consequences of SO lower.
ing the integrity Of the law. making body
as to be willing to take among them men
like Smalls, Mackey, Robson, ct id omne
genus, should be swept forever from the
control of our government. We have
confidence enough in the American peo.
ple-although we know they are largely
blinded by partisan strife and misrepre.
sentation at present-to believe that the
day is not far distant when the party that
boldly perpetrates such enormities upon
tho people as to degrade and debase tho
Legislative body of tho government will,
ere long, be driven into oblivion. Even
now the storm of public indignation is
gathering, and wo have An abiding con.
fidence that it's strength this year will be
sufficient to turn the majority of the
present House Of Representatives into
minority, and give the next House into
the control of the Democracy. There
should be some check to the brazen dis
regard of all that is pure or honorable or
estimable which, has characterized Re-
publican rule.