Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-11-16

deserters whom Andrew Jackson had
shot, and all the pictorials of those
times represented jackson az taking his
office from the hand of the devil.
Isaw at Put-in Bay, Ohio, in q museum.
prominent paper of 1874, which spoke
OF Henry Clay as a gambler, libertine,
and murderer; and the manner in
which he was DETAINED, and the outrages
winch were heaped upon him may be
well guessed from Mr.. Clay's eulogy Of
MS native State, Kentucky. He said:
When seemed to be assailed by all the
rest OF the world she interposed her
broad and impenetrable shield, repealed
TIE poisoned shafts that were aimed for
my destruction, and vindicated my good
name from every malignant and UNI
founded aspersion."
Defamation! It is the curse of the
American ballot-box. Just as soon as in
the great cities man is put up for Office
he is made the target. The fact that he
Is up is prima facie evidence that he
must be brought down. His public life
and his private life are scrutinized, and
all the electric lights are turned on.
How often it is that men have gone down
under such things. In every autumnal
election the air is filed with carton
crows scenting carcasses. Cav! Cav!
Cav! There are newspapers. in the
United States that in the great autumnal
elections take wild license for liberty.
They are filled with calumny. The
editorial columns of such papers reek
with it; their columns are stuffed with
II. There are newspapers in the United
States which in the great popular cleo
tions breakfast and dine and sup on in
decency. They wallow in it. Swine
like the mire. They give more for one
quill full Of it than a whole hogshead
of decent product. There are in these
great autumnal elections men sitting in
editorial chairs who write with quill,
not plucked from the stupid goose or
sublime eagle, but from turkey buzz
zard! Ghouls! Ghouls! They tip the
city sewer into their editorial inkstands.
Defamation of character is one of the
curses of the American ballot-box to-
day. In your great Presidential cleo
tions who can tell from what he reads
who is the man he ought to vote for?
Bad men sometimes applauded, good
men denounced.
Another wonderful foe of the sacred
chest, the ark of the American covenant,
the ballot-box, is the rowdy and drunken
caucus.
The ballot-box does not give any
choice to a man when the nominations
are made in the back part of groggery.
When the elector comes up he has to
choose between two evils. In some of
| fha nit hoxv ko <hn hn1 0&
box to vote, and have found both names
such scaly, greasy, and stenchful crew
they had no choice. You say vote for
somebody outside. Then they throw
away their vote. Christian men Of New
Yorkand Brooklyn, honorable men, pa
triotic men, go and take possession of
the caucuses. First, having saturated
your pocket handkerchief with cologne
or some other disinfectant, go down to
the caucus and take possession of it in
the name Of the Lord God Almighty and
the American people, though after you
come back you should have to hang youl
hat and cont on q line in the back yard
for ventilation.
In some of the States politics have
got so low that the nominees no more
need good morals than they do bath
tub. Snatch the ballot-box from such
men. Where is the David who will &c
| forth and bring the ark of the covenant
back from Kirjath- jearim? Do you not
think politics have got to pretty low
ebb in our day when Tweed could be
sent to the Legislature of New York
and John Morrissey, the prince OF
gamblers, could be sent to the American
Congress?
Now, how are these things to be
remedied? Some say by property
qualification. They say that after a mar
gets certain amount of property
certain amount of real estate-he il
ment. and he becomes cautious and con-
servative. I reply, property qualifica-
ton would shut off from the ballot bo,
great many of the best men in this
land. Literary men are almost always
poor. A pen is a good implement te
make the world better. but it is a very
poor implement to get a livelihood ordi-
narily. I have known scores of literary
men who never owned a foot of ground
and never will own a foot of ground
until they get under it. Professors OF
colleges, teachers of schools, editors OF
newspapers, ministers of religion, quail
! fed in every possible way to vote. yet nc
worldly success. There has been many
a man who has not had a house on eartl
who will have mansion in Heaven.
There are many who, through acct
dents of fortune, have come to great
success, while they are profound in theil
stupidity as man of large fortune will
whom was crossing the ocean, who told
me that he was going to see the dykes
of Scotland! When a member OF my
family asked lady on her return
from Europe if she had seen Mont
Blanc, she replied: We'll, really,
don't know; is that i'll Europe?" lgnor-
ance by the square foot. Property
qualification will not do. The only way
these evils will be eradicated will be BY
more thorough legal defense of the bal
lot -box and more thorough moraliza,
ton and Christianization of the people
The ark of the covenant was carried into
captivity to Kirjath- jearim, but one da!
the people hooked oxen to a cart, and
the cart was taken to Jerusalem-the ARK
of the covenant coming with the shout
ing and Thanksgiving of the people
And though the American ballot-box
the ark of the American covenant, oul
sacred chest, has been carried again and
again into captivity. by fraud and iniq.
uity, and spurious voting, l believe il
will be brought back yet by prayer an6
by Christian conservation, and will be
sat down in the midst of the temple Of