The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-05
WHAT Is THE MORAL7

Now that the election is over, the virtuous
Springfield Republican, like many others, en-
deavors to draw great moral lesson from the
effect produced by the "private fault which
constitutes the only blemish" of Grover Cleve-
land. While the Republican believes that the
fault had no relevancy to the discussion of his
character as public officer, it is, nevertheless,
convinced that the circulation Of the story
lost him States. In view, then, of this loss of
votes, the lofty and self-constituted guardian
of public and private morality regards the Ii
centiousness of the reform" President-elect
as a great warning to ambitious young men to
refrain from ways that are dark. ''No man."
it says, "can tell when the voice Of the people
shall summon him or his children to pass from
obscurity to the highest and gravest response
bility," and he should, therefore, not permit
his obscurity to lead him into evil practices.
Gould the Cleveland of twenty years ago"
says the Republican, shave foreseen the fu-
ture, can any one doubt that he would have
put away pollution, as the consecrated priest
would shun all uncleanlinessY The lesson for
young men is so to live as to make the retro
spect of their lives clean and right before God
and men, for they know not upon what
heights of searching light they may be called
to stand in the mysterious history and destiny
of the great Republic"
If the foregoing lesson means anythin g. it
means that it is advisable for a young man to
lead a pure life, not because it is right so to
do, not because he may thus retain the favor
of God and his own self-respect, but because
he may wish to run for office, in which case
his sins will be likely to find him out,
and he will lose votes. ''Sn not for you will
inevitably be caught at it, and it will get
into the newspapers, is the high standard Of be-
havior set before young men by an organ which
assumes to speak for the 'better element" of
society; and no utterance during the cam
acter of the holier- than thou reformers. They
have helped to elect self-confessed impure
man to the highest office in the land, but the
less they use his career as "a warning" to
young men the better estimation will the
community have Of their good sense. Mr..
Cleveland was elected in spite Of his sin, and
the young men of the country will not be slow
to draw the conclusion that impuuty is no
impediment to political preferment. 1t will be
better Of course, that such moral reflections
be carefully concealed; but if they are dis
covered no great harm will ensue. "Take
good care not to be found OUT is the only
plain "warning" to be drawn from Cieveland's
case, and that the youth of the country will
deduce any other is an absurd assumption.
Even that conclusion is equally elevating
in tendency with that painfully evolved by
the Republican. But the whole question
is one not lightly to be discussed. 1t is
serious matter far reaching in consequences,
and troubles many thoughtful mind who
sees in political movements something more
than the outward and visible processes of gov
ernment Certainly it is far better to keep
silence than to treat the subject from the
disgraceful stand point taken by our Massa-
chusetts contemporary.