National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-06-03
Political Purity, Past and Present.

The following Is an extract from the elo luent
address delivered by Hon. VIM. Walter Phelps
at Mount Holly:
You must not cast aside your faith in the
honesty your public men, The only reason
you have 10 say that public mon are degen.
Grating Is because your partisan newspaper
says so. Let me tell you, from the knowledge
your partially has given me the means OF &c.
qniring, your government, state and national
Is not oiIicered and controlled by scoundrels
neither are the political parties simply the
instruments of designing, selfish. and un-
grant you that
speakers in October. But that doesn't make
IL so. Papers and party orators have always
made this charge, and no wise man believes
1t. These chargesof corruption, extravagance,
and iDcapacity are no more emphatic aud
extensive now than In the days of Washington,
Adams, Jefferson, and Jackson. Indeed, the
administration of Jackson mark ed the highest
tide OF newspaper aud oratorical detrac.
ton. The merciless assaults upon personal
reputation then made have never since been
equaled. Although before, even In colonial
times, he who read the history in hostile rec.
ords read that the motives OF the founders of
the government were narrow partlsanship,
personal ambition, and greed for the emolu-
inents for official position. The jealousy and
scandal OF these earlier years In our history
are shocking. And there was truth In It, At
that time all there was OF the government was
personal. The great families of Massachusetts,
New York, and Virginia, and am not sure but
New Jersey, were close corporation, who ran
their political machinery with skill and
selfishness not outdone by the bosses of the
present day. Their relatives and their adher-
ents obtained most of the lucrative offices, and
when there was not enough to go round II was
charged that Offices were created for the pur-
pose; There were more rogues in those days,
and II they differed from ours fear 1t was only
that then there was less to steal. And personal
grudges were allowed to operate in public
places II the old narratives can be relied
upon, John Adams referred to the INN )rtal
washington
and 1t is recorded that the father OF
his country. who could not tell lie. spoke of
Jefferson, after the latter LEFT his Cabinet, rs q
most profound hypocrite." Does our special
correspondent at Washington get anything
spicler than this nowadays Hamilton dc.
MED, or at least very strongly .intimated. that
Je1icrson's claim 10 the authorship of the
declaration Of independence was fraudulent,
and that your patriot, John Jay our first great
chief Justice, aspersed Hamillon'a character
behind his back. The peace Of Washington $
Cabinet wns destroyed by the intrigucs of JEFF
ferson and Hamilton, rival asplrants for the
succession. And the President had to dismiss
another member of his Cabinet, Randolph, the
Secretary of state. because he tried TO extort
money from the French minister. Then fol-
lowed Adams, who had TO break up his Cabi.
net because three of Its members were conspir.
ing, not against each other, but against their
chief
For the first twenty-five years of our exist
ence party feeling was carried TO that intensity
that Republicans would, not let federal judges
try their cases. Federal judges and federalists
would not take their chances before Republi-
can judges. Nor did II stop in Cabinets and
courts.-it invaded private life and social cir.
cles. Bitter and false as is our criticism TO.
day OF all public men who are leaders In op-
position 10 us, the criticism made by our
fathers was worse.
And us for the merits of the case, speak ad.
yisedly when say our government Is to-day
better and purer than IL was then and oiil
public men in the average are as merltorlous
They arc, in my opinion, less self-seeking aud
their honor far more sensitive. And If we
have not the intellectual giants OF those days
the average of our craftsmanship is wiser and
hlRher.