The morning news., 1889-05-05
Bishop Potter,s Sermon.


Bishop Potte 5 centennial sermon. deliv
cred in St Paul's church, New Y rk, last
Tues lay, has been the su ject of more
comment than anything in any of the csnten'
NAL speeches. One thi that he said ap
pears, fro u a subsequent interview with
| hun, to have been misunderstood. 1t was
this: We have exchanged the Wa hing
tonian dignity for the Jeffersonian simple
| ity, which was, in truth, only another
name for the JacksonIan vulgarity, and
what have we got in exchange for 1T"
By many il was thought that it was his
| purpose TO as5ail the character of Andrew
jackson. H declares that such was not
the case. He says that "yulgarity" as he
used it did not refer to manners, but to the
| political atmosphere" For instance, the
vulgar idea, he says, is that tie office of
President is crea ed for the man, AMI t at
the whole business of the Preside 1t is to dis
tribute the offices In this con lection in
his interview he said: How much time has
Harrison gwen to statesmanshipf Not an
hour! Not an instant, so far as anybody
knows. He was put where he is to main
tain the nations dignity, to protest the
rights of the poor and rich, to rule, not to
engage i'll barter and trade. But as, what
a spectacle e avel We behold the P esi-
dent of the United States of Anne lea inte t
only on getting congressman cut of the
house at midnight so that be can go to bed
What's the use of beating about the bush in
this matter. IL makes me very tired"
TIE President Ii tened to the bishops
sermon, bus it is doubtful il he understood
1t Just a. the bishop, in his interview, ex-
plains it Re could hardly have found
much comfort, however, in the latter part
Of the following extract from it: "a
generation which vauuts its desce from
the founders OF the republic seems largely
TO be in danger Of forgetting their pre-
eminent distinction. They were few in
number, they we're poor in worldly posses
sions--the sum OF the fortune of the richest
Of them would afford fine theme for the
scorn of the plutocrat of to-day; but
they had an invinc BILE conf lence in the
truth of those principles in which the
foundations of the republic had been laid,
and they had an unselfsh purpose to main
tain them. The CO lception of the national
z vernment as a huge machine, existing
mainly for the purpose of rewardIng parti-
san service-this was "A conception SO alien
t. the character and conduct of Washing
ton and his associates that it seems gro
tesque even to speak of it, 1t would be
interesting to imagine the first President of
the United States confronted with some
one who had ventured to approach hi
upon the basis of what is now commonly
called practical politics."
Has not the Presidents course thus far
been such as to justify the conclusion that
he regards the governme t as a ''huge ma
chine" whose purpose is to reward those
who get possession Of itl The bishop says
that the President has given no part Of lis
time tn administer ng the governm n but
has devoted all of it to rewarding those
who were largely instrumental In electing
him. Could he have had him in mind WI en-
deliveri & this part of his sermon, partIcu-
larly when he said that it would be interes =
ing to imagine the first President con-
frnnted witt some one who had ventured to
approach him upon the basis of what is now
called practical pohticsi'
OIe cannot help wondering what the
first President would have said if 1t had
been suggested to him that he ought to in
vite certain man into his Ibine5 becau ;e
the man IN question had raised large sum
of money for campaign purposes; and yet,
does any one believe that the present Post
master General would be a member of
President Harrison's cabinet if be had not
collected ca npaigl fund Of several hun
dred tn ,usand dollarsl
There is no doubt that there has been a
wide departure from the political morality
that ext ted during Washingt1n's time, and
that increasing wealth has had much to do
with this departure. 1t is a question
whether the danger point has not been
reached. If it has not been it is not far
away. 1t would seem to be the part OF
wisdom to approach no nearer to it, but to
make greater efforts in behalf of civil
service reform which lead away from it.