The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-08
THE GOVERNMENTS PERIL.
The Danger. to Popular Government
Lies in Corruption and Bossism.
There Is Peril When Founders Can Offset the
Popular Verdict-The Mission of the
Government Must Not Fail.
Rev. Myron W. Reed in Denver, Nov. l.

| Kew. Myron w. Reed, in Denver, Nov. l.
/ TEXT-Luke xiii a. 5: "Or those eighteen upon
whom the Tower of Sloan fell and slew them, think
We that they sinners above all men hat dwelt in
Jerusalem! tell you nay but except ye repent ye
shall all likewise perish"
1t is very human, when something dreadful
has happened to a man. it is very human to sup
pose that he has been guilty of something dread
full. have young barbarian at home. l told
him that General Mcclellan was dead. ''Oh,
yes" he said; she would not go to General
Grants funeral, and God has punished him" 1t
is nine year old barbarous reasoning The Tower
| of Sloan fell because it was built of sandstone
or was not plumb, and the eighteen people
caught under it were not remarkable sinners
simply average sinners. Jesus informs the citi
zens of Jerusalem in general that unless they
| repent, something as heavy as Tower of ST
loan will in due time fail on them.
Interference with a free ballot and fair count
is not peculiar to Colorado do not know that
the improper use of money in an election is con-
fined to any city or State. Perhaps money is
used to influence votes more openly here than at
| the East. 1t is easier to find gambling room
in Leadville than in Boston, but one who desires
to gamble can find place anywhere. am not
prepared to confess that an election in Colorado
is less fair than in New York 1 think we are
all sinners together in this matter and must all
| reform. There is proper use of money in an
| election. The bill for printing, for orators for
use OF halls, for transportation, all necessary
| expenses. There is fair and foul persuasion.
| We need to mark the distinction. If l can by
| any reason make man believe that my notion
of government is the better one, and that GER
tain man is the most fit in Office to carry out my
| notion, have the clear right to influence him.
| But when l suggest to him that he is to have
| money for his vote-much or little-or place,
or that if he chooses to vote as he thinks he will
loose his place, then l am trying to spoil citi-
zen. and have already spoiled one-that is my
| self
How did this bad national habit begina Well,
| some man believed that unless his party won
and his man was seated the country was ruined;
| really believed that success of certain measure
| and certain man absolutely essential. Such
being the case in his mind, he used all the fair
| means and few of the foul-just as few foul as
1 have seen him. Not one but many. Not
scoundrels-good men, patriots. Commodore
Decatur's motto was. "My country. right or
| wrong" The lrishman who said to his FRIEND
''You are wrong, but l am wild ye." had a COM
mon feeling. have it myself. The mistake is
| in assuming that the success of any man or
party, or party measure, is necessary to the ex-
| stence of the Republic. A President with the
opinions of Alexander Hamilton would not
| wreck the Nation. series of Presidents like
| Thomas Jefferson would not scuttle the ship of
| State 1t never was essential to the endurance
| of these United States that any one man should
be elected or that any should not be elected.
| When Washington died we found we were able
to 60 on without him. We were able to go
on without Zachary Taylor and with
John Tyler l do not think that
| Andrew johnson intended to do any great
| mischief. Ii he did he could not. What the
people put in they put out. So of measures.
| Protective tariff has not at any time ruined the
country, and free trade will not any time. If a
measure or man are not good .Rhe people will
| find 1T out and set them aside.
| 1t never, therefore, necessary to use foul
means to end The first well-intentioned
partiZan who began this business set prece-
dent and the invention returned to bother the
| inventor 1t is all very fine to invent Gatng
gun to kill Indians WITH but suppose the Indians
get one. All inventions to heat the enemy are
soon In use by the enemy. The partisan who
has consented to the use of foul means in order
to gain victory is barred from complaining
when he is beaten by foul means.
A defense has been contrived for Judas Isca-
riot. He was loyal follower of Jesus Christ
knew he had the power to make himself king of
the world but was too difident, too slow, had
Hamets disease. was like boy who could swim
delaying on the bank looking at the water. Now
come up behind and push the boy in and the fact
of swimming will take place. So if Jesus thus
delaying 20 seize the throne, could only
choice OF the cross or the throne, he
would manifest his power to become king. So
he betrayed Jesus and, in order that the chief
priests should not guess his motive and discover
his plan, he took thirty pieces of silver. But
when he saw that his plan was a mistake, and
that Jesus was submitting to be tried, sentenced
and led to the slaughter, that he was as sheep
before the shearers, dumb, then he came and
threw down the money and went and hanged
himself.
From all that can and read we can never
be so sure of the excellence of the end the out
come, as to make it right for us to use foul
means We began an experiment in this country
to see if the people of a country were good
enough and wise enough to govern themselves
to see If the people of country could get
along without a king. We rested the govern
ment on the consent of the governed, on the free
choice of the mind and heart Now NEEDLE with
this free choice persist in meddling with free
vote and a fair count and the Republic ends 1t
does not wait to die and linger along-it is dead.
The free vote of citizen. the result of mind
and heart, and the vote of Hessian, the result
of money, may look alike; but as building
material for nation you will see the diff
ference.
Two ''bus" loads of FOUNDERS. handled by an
election expert can Offset the votes of all the
merchants on LaIimer street. Can the result of
that, by very accident, be good for a city, es
pecially city that is becoming9 What class of
immigrants does such result invite9 We have
enough Huns here now, and Dagos here now
Men with money apt to think of all these
things before they invest their money The peo-
pie who planned this Republic did not. Lthnk
include in their plan that there should be class
of business and professional men and class of
politicians. | think they intended that every
man should be a citzen-have some business of
some kind, but not much as to make him
blind and deaf to public interest, and on the
other hand, that he should not be so filled with
public interests as to come to depend for living
on some gift of the people do not think they
intended chronic postmaster or congressman
You have your bread day by day, and the com
monness of it makes one forget that it is a gift
| OftIpR 70 alyoa an
think that his position is personal property. His
removal that strikes every one else as the re-
moval of an old cottonwood on Sixteenth street.
fills him with a sense OF outrage
man so much immersed in politics that he
cannot attend to his own private affairs is not a
good citizen cannot be a wise ona Ha cannot