Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1890-08-08
Judge Tourgee on ingalls,.

Senator Ingalls, is reported to have
said in the course of recent speech
at Gettysburg:
The publication Of politics is an
iridescent dream. Government is force
Politics is a battle for supremacy.
Parties arc the armies. The decalogue
and the golden rule have no place in q
political campaign. The object is sue
cess. To defeat the antagonist and ex
pei the party in power is the purpose
In war 1t is lawful to deceive the ad-
versary, to hire Hessians, to purchase
mercenaries, to mutilate, to kill, to de.
stroy. The commander who lost a
battle through the activity Of his NOR.
al nature would be the derision and
jest Of history. This modern cant
about the corruption of politics is
fatiguing in the extreme. II proceeds
from the tea custard and sylIabub di.
letantteism, the frivolus and desuItory
sentimentalism of epicenes.
| It was bad place to make such a
declaration and bad doctrine for the
brilliant senator from Kansas to utter
anywhere, but especially in sight of
those graves whose holy calm had in
auced the greatest statesman, the
greatest leader, the greatest politician
of our land to bow his head in humble
reverence and say:
'.But in larger sense, we can not
aedicate-we can not CONSERVATIVE
can not halloS these graves. The brave
men, living and dead, who struggled
here have consecrated them far above
our poor power to add or detract. The
world will little note nor long remem-
Der what we say here, but they can
never forget what they did here. 1t is
for US, the living, rather. to be dedi.
Gated here to the unfinished work which
they who fought here have thus far SO
nobly advanced. 1t is rather fer US to
be dedicated to the great task remain
ing before us-that for these honored
dead VIC take increased devotion to
that cause for which they gave the last
full measure Of devotion, that we here
highly resolve that these dead shall not
have died in vain, that this nation, un-
der God, shall have a new birth of
freedom, and that government of the
people, by the people, and for the
people, shall not perish from the earth. y
Have "the desalcgue and golden rule
no place. sin the government of the
people, by the people and for the
people," which rose before Lincoln S
prophetic visioa as the consummate
flower Of American politics?
There can be no doubt that the scin.
.illant senator has, as be always does,
succeeded in phrasing his idea in the
most expressive form that could be
conceived, but if it is true that ''thc
publication Of politics an irideseent
dream, government only force and poll
ties a mere battle for supremacy then
is civilizatio only meaner form of bar
barism and the selection of parties and
leaders only "a choice between stink
ing fish, If "thc commander who
should lose battle through the activ-
ity of his moral nature would be the
jest of history" what shall be said of
those worse than testers who would
imperil nations by a lack Of moral
sense? If a political campaign is "a
mere Battle for supremacy" a simple
struggle for plumber, then is each party
merely q gang of robbers, and their
leaders the compeers of Captain Kidd
and the pirates of the Spanish Main.
If this ideal is true, why should the
American people concern themselves
about political affairs at all. Perhaps
the senator thinks they should not, but
should merely supply the party leaders
with the sinews of war-the funds ''to
hire Hessians, to purchase mercen-
aries" to debase, degrade, democrat
lie.
It is beyond question the tendency
of modern politics not to excuse but to
vaunt its iufamies. The hope of the
ssboss'' lies In the recognition not only
of the fact but the necessity Of plumber
and generalization. To dcbauch the
ballot, to debasc the voter, to shire
Hessians," 10 deceive the enemy
these are essential features of the con
Aict for party supremacy. It's the ac-
ceptance Of this theory, cnunciation OF
this ideal by such leaders as Mr.. In
gals, that is doing more than any
other influence can to weaken and de-
stroy ths republican party. How can
we claim 10 be in favor Of the purificas
ton of the ballot when man of his pc.
sition boasts that our sole purpose is to
gain power by corruption 1t is no less
dangerous 10 the republic'to corrupt the
ballot by buying mercenaries" than by
using the bull whip and IS even more de-
spicable. The tslk about the corrupt
ion of politics. may be ''fatiguing to