News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-04-24
GREAT EVILS OF POLITICS.
MIR. TALMAGE'S NEW SERIES OF SEN
SATIONAL SERMONS IN BROOKLYN.
The Iniquities of Public Lifc-HOw and
Why Bad Bills are Passed in the Legls-
lature.

The Iniquities of Public Lifc-How and
Why Bad Bills are Passed in the Legis-
lature.
Mr.. Talmage began Sunday series
of sermons on important social and
political subjects. He will preach on
sHigh License; or, the Monopoly of
denominations" ''Should divorce be
made easy?" care the theatres improv-
ing in moral tone?" Chow shall we
meet the question of our largely in
creasing foreign population ?" sis
Spiritualism a revelation or a sham ?"
"What is the cause of the increase in
suicide % 'sIs life worth iving?" "Are
the dead aware OF the honors done them
and the garlands laid upon their
graves ?"
The following are extracts from his
sermon Sunday, which was on the sub
| iect of ''Iniquity in Public Life"
1--WE are apt" said the preacher, "to
praise the past at the expense of the
present. These times are not half so
bad as those of half a century ago. l
Judge this from the fact that Aaron
Burr, stuffed with every iniquity, be-
States and missed becoming President
by only one vote. I judge it from the
fact that a Governor of this State once
dismissed Legislature as unfit to make
laws.
81 shall this morning unroll the scroll
of our iniquities in public life 1. There
is incompetency in office. When man
accepts position for which he is incom-
petent he commits crime against God
and man. 1t is no crime that L am
ignorant of medicine, but being ignorant
if should attempt to set myself up for
a doctor and prescribe for the afflicted /
should be a criminal. But what shall
we say of men who attempt to doctor
our laws and are destitute of every quail
fcation for the office? Yet there are
men in Congress who would make one
tariff for lnseed oil and another for flax
seed oil, not knowing that they are one
and the same thing. School Commits
sioners are elected in grog shops who
can't read their own commissions. There
are judges who in sentencing criminals
use such bad English that the prisoner
In the box is more amused at the mac
curacies of the language than terrified
by the sentence.
'Another iniquity in public life is in
temperance This evil is not so great as
it once was. The Senators who were
more celebrated for drunkenness than for
craftsmanship are dead or compelled to
stay at home. We all remember them, |
the Senators from New York, from Del
aware, from Illinois and from other |
States. Grog shops under the National |
Capitol have been closed, but I am told |
that there are still places in the Capitol
building where the Representatives can
get some very strong lemonade. In
public life twenty or thirty years ago
how few died respectable deaths Those
who died of delirium tremens and kin
bred diseases were in the majority. The
doctor fixed the matter up, called it
govt or rheumatism or kidney
trouble or patriotic exhaustion but
God knew it was whisky.
cat one time we have Secretary of
the Treasury taken home dead drunk,
and at another q Vice. President so in
on taking the oath of office
that the nation hung its head in shame.
Judges, juries and attorneys tried i'm
oortant cases in the daytime and caroused
together in iniquity at night.
81 unroll the scroll of our iniquities
again till come to bribery. This is not
L product of our own soil. 1t is sin we
got from the other side of the water.
But it is abroad in our land. You know
hat it is impossible to get bills through
unless there is financial
OF certain bills it is
always asked, is there any money in
t 2 The capitals are filed with railroad
md other lobbyists. Reformers are
laughed at because they come empty
handed. You favor this bill and viii
favor that Here is 1000 for prudent
in that quarter. Give
S5, 900 to that intelligent member from
Westchester County and 81 900 to that
stupid member from Ulster County
The bill now lacks only two votes.
We'll, give $500 to that sick member
who can't leave his bed, and $500 to
that member who must go to visit his
great aunt, who is in her decline.
Now, gentlemen, are you ready for the
question? Those in favor will say aye
The ayes have it; the bill is passed.
Some of the finest houses on the Brook
Ign Heights, in Madison avenue and
Beacon street were purchased by votes
in the Legislatures.
"While it is getting harder and harder
in this country for poor men to make a
living, there are too many men worth
five, ten, twenty and forty million dol
lars, who carry the Legislature in one
pocket and the Congress of the United
States in the other. There is trouble
ahead Revolution l pray God it
may be a peaceful one accomplished by
votes, not q bloody one. Bribery is
cursing this land. The evil started dur
ing the late war. IF you will give me
this contract will give you bonus of
S5, 000.' So we sent to our boys in the
front rice that was worm eaten, bread
that was moldy, meat that was rank
aud horses that stumbled In battle.
But it was all right; we got the bonus.
Bonus was the word.
''There are three things for you to do:
First, stand aloof from politics unless
your morals are firmly established.
Don't go into the blaze of temptation
unless you are fire proof. If you do it
will not be long before you will lie and
gamble and steal. Second, vote. If
necessary put on your old clothes and
push yourselves through the ranks of I
the unwashed, and vote for God and
against iniquity. Third, evangelize the
people. Get the hearts of the people
right and they will vote right Some
people are demanding that God be put
into the Constitution, but / am more
anxious that God be put into the hearts
of the people.
"God save the United States p