Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-04

political power in the hands of those who
use it for wholly selfish ends and personal |;
gains until a new revolt occurs and takes, |
perhaps, the form of protesting and threat
ening organization, that lives possibly for
a single campaign, and dying, leaves mat
tiers to drift back again into old ruts.
We shall never have permanent reforms
in community government until public
sentiment is reinforced by personal courage
and self-sacriice on the part of the citizen
ship that despises corrupt methods; in
other words, until sentiment is as vigorous
in its demonstrations as it is unquestion-
ably sound in its contemplation Of duty
doing For, we take it, that what consti-
tutes public opinion is, in the great ma
iority of cases, right. The census of public
Judgment will rarely, if ever, show it to be
in opposition to purity, progress, enlight-
eminent or culture, and will expose it as
almost always opposed to all manner of
wrong, and all infringement of human
rights; but, as our contemporary argues,
between the great ills and the great good
there is broad field in which public
opinion, or community sentiment, is not
made manifest. 1t tolerates by its silence
multitude of wrongs it suffers without
open protest a host of outrages. And this
is due to the fact that there is lack of that
sense of personal responsibility that lies at
the very foundation of a system of self
government.
A half dozen citizens, imbued with high
purpose, never find themselves repulsed by
the best elements of our democracy, or to
lack community support in any endeavor
to rightly serve society, to uphold a just
law, or put down vice; to crush out old
errors, and to advance better methods
But the half dozen groups of duty con-
victed, courageous individuals are very
few. and because they are few communities
suffer as they do from mea1pess and out
rage. We shall have dead-letter laws,
judicial abuses, political prostitution, and
a multitude of social evils in the United
States wherever public sentiment, the
most potent of all forces, is only spasmodic
in its activity.
That political activity is vulgar; that
office-seeking is disreputable; that tolera-
ton of fragrant abuses is better than the
conflict necessary to their suppression
that it is undignifed, or unclean, to take
part in the foundation laying of political
fabrics that it is cranky to be philan-
thropic, and uneconomic to give something
of time and energy from business and
money-getting to public concerns, and the
betterment of our fellows; these are the
teachings our children are imbibing, and
that paralyze and belittle duty doing when
the youth natures into manhood. Under
| the doctrine that it is unbecoming to as
sert the power and acknowledge the indi-
yidual responsibility of the citizen to his
fellows, community evils will continue to
augment, and to fasten more and more Sc
curely upon community life. All the pro-
posed patent methods to work reforms by
compulsion are delusive. Social good
invariably results from voluntary in
dividual effort; nothing can take the
place of it. That Christianity exists to-day,
as reform work, is due, said a
great thinker, to the fact that it deals with
men individually. Self-government is
likewise grounded, and just as men with
draw their individuality from it, in that
ratio will it suffer decadence and the
growth of parasites.
When every man teaches every son that
honest political activity is honorable; as
piration to serve the public is praisewor-
thy; concern in public affairs a solemn
duty; engagement in public works REIN
ing, humanizing, elevating, outstanding
are commendable when it is taught to
the very children that politics does not
involve blackguardism, or ofice-holding
ignorance that first duty is by the COM
munity; that every man is sovereign
weighted with authority and responsibility
not possible to be ignored without conse-
quent suffering; We shall have purer
methods and more orderly forms in gov
eminent better enforcement of laws better
citizenship and manhood backed by self
respect, genuine sensibility, and philan-
thropic impulses, and that will not intrigue
with the minded and mercenary, or by
any act forfeit popular respect.