Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-09-27
Are We Living In n Debased Po-
Iiticai Eray


Iiticai Eray
Certainly II ones judgment as to cur
rent politics were founded upon the un-
pleasing developments OF constantly
recurring violation of iiduciary and
other official trusts, 1t would be very
triste indeed. Beginning with tho in.
quiry into tho Custom House frauds of
Colonel Leet, an intimate friend and
crony of General Grant, and running
down through the Belknap, Robeson.
Roach and Whisky Ring frauds, to
the more venial malversation Of John c.
News nephew, the procession of Grim
inals who have spoliated upon the public,
aud whose guilt has been measurably
condoned, Is melancholy one. In this
review we say nothing of the monstrous
Star route frauds, because the wretches
who engineered them have been acquit-
ted by juries as to whom the supposition
is natural one that they were bought.
But acquitted they were, although there
were just two conspicuous things in
tho trials which, "liks wounded snakes,
drew their slow lengths along
for months upon months. The
first was tho shameless prodigality of
Arthur's administration in throwing to
Colonel Bliss and other personal pets OF
the President royal largesscs in the shape
Of fees, In fact, this old time crony
of "Chet" has drawn from tho
Treasury of the United States, for
his so-called services in prosecuting tho
Star Route thieves, money enough to
mako an ordinary man rich. The sec.
ond fragrant feature of this expensive
comedy, in which the people were OF
course to come out worsted, was the
utter indifference OF the old, pock-
marked dandy who figures as Arthur's
Attorney.Gener as to how much the
people were swindled or as to how sig
nslly justice should miscarry.
Who, in truth, expected anything but
failure from prosecution, by Arthur's
administration, OF the Star Route
thievess Brady and Dorsey were the
Coryphei of these infamies. As to the
latter, after he had carried Indiana, by
his own recent confession, by raining
down thew and crisp" three and five
dollar bills, he was rendered q banquet
in New York at which Gen. Grant pre-.
sided, and at which the then recently
elected Vice President, Arthur, assisted.
The now accidental President, at
that famous feast of reason and flow of
soul-God save the mark gave cur
rency to the sentiment, which was vo-
ciferously applauded, that Dorsey had
really made success possible in Indiana
by the plentiful employment of soap"
Thereupon there was great laugh
around the board at which sat these
degenerate Republicans. One and
all, they knew that this euphemism
soap" meant the disbursement of bribe
money. There is not n single little of
evidence that, at that famous banquet,
which ought to be, as to continued
Republican ascendeney, what another
celebrated wassail, at which the prophet
Daniel figured, was to the domination
Of Belshazzar there was not so
much as grunt of dissent at
the proclamation of a prostitution
OF the American frshchise which
ought to have sent al the participants
in it to the Penitentiary. OF course, all
sagacious people, who read the account
Of that banquet, knew what the out.
come of the Star Route trials would |
be, in advance. What gravels them is
that such immense amounts of the pub
lie money should have been spent on the
hollow mockery of the trials, when the
result was already fore-ordained.
These facts surely indicate gross de.
yeneracy in and a very degraded era of
politics!
Perhaps there is feature in our pre-
ent political declension which is even
worse, and which assumes that all par
los are alike, and that no matter which
,arty succeeds, the result will be the
anne.
Here Is confession that, having got
own into the Slough of Political
)espond, we should stay thore. Such
postulate, duly sustained by argument
, the stage of demonstration, would
sally be surrender of Republican gov
But the facts are not so bad as all
nat. The truth is that Democratic
recess on national scale has, OF late
ears, been followed mp by the most !
.lutary reforms and by the disband- /
ent of the Congressional lobby. The
eat tidal wave of the Fall of 1874 was :
Icceeded by Congressional era of re- '
rm and rotrenchment without par. I
lei in our history. The elections that n
placed House of Representatives . !,
hieh was three. .fourths Republican, by .
Q which was two-thirds Demo cratic,
,ultsd in retrenchment of the alton
outlays of S60,0oo,000 in tho two
sions of the Thirty-fourth Cor gress. fo
q tidal wave OF last year will Lave an n,
ialfy eacoura3ing outcome, we firmly 81
ieve. n,
While we admit that we are living in Iv
egraded era OF our politics, it is by gi
means a hopeless one. There is eff 1t
y enough in the approaching Demo- w. yv'
tic renaissance to leaven the at pres an
sodden lump of the body polite. ro