The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-08-07
PUBLIC WICKEDNESS.
INCOMPETENCY OF OFFICIALS.

competency for Office. If man struggles
for an of1cis position for which he has no
qualifications, and wins that position, he
commits crime against God and against
society. 1t is no sin for me to be ignorant
of medical science, but if ignorant of medi-
cal science, l set myself up among profes
sional men and trife with the lives of peo>
pie, then the cEarlatanism becomes posi-
tive knavery. 1t is no sin for me to be ig>
norant of machinery, but if knowing noth>
ing about it, attempt to take a steamer
across to Southampton and through dark
ness and storm, / hold the lives of huns
dreds of passengers, then all who are
slain by that shipwreck may hold me ac-
countable. But what shall say of those
who attempt to engineer our political ais
fairs across the rough and stormy sea,
having no qualifications We had at one
time in the Congress of the United States
men who put one tariff upon linseed oil
and another tariff upon faxseed oil, not
knowing they were the same thing We
have mad men in our Legislatures who
knew not whether to. vote yes or no until
they had seen the wink of the leader.
uhAOIA INC SCTOlI OI DUO"
lie wickedness, and / come to intemper>
ance.
There has been great improvement in
this direction. The Senators who were
more celebrated for their drunkenness than
for their craftsmanship are dead or CONS
PEELED to stay at home. The day is past
the grog> shop under the National Capital
to which our rulers use to 90 to get inspir-
alton before they spoke upon the great
moral and financial and commercial inter>
ests of the country;ha been disbanded but
l am told even now uDder the National
Capital there are places where our rulers
can get some very strong lemonade But
there has been a vast improvement You
know as well as l that again and again
dissipation has been no hindrsnce to Office
IL this country. Did we not at one time
have asecretary of the United States carried
home dead drunk did we not have vice
president sworn in so intoxicated the whole
land hid it's head in shame; have we not
ia other times had men in the Congress of
the nation by day making plans in behalf
of the interests of the country and by night
illustrating what Solomon says: He 60
eth after her straightway as an OK to the
slaughter, and as the tool to the correcting
of the stocks, until q dart strikes through
his liver"
But the two political parties are silent lest
they lose votes, and many ofthe newspapers
are silent lest they lose subscribers, and
many OF the pulpits are silent because
there are offenders in the pews, meanwhile
Gods indignation gathers like the fash
ings around threatening cloud Just be-
fore the swoop of tornado. The whole
land cries out to be delivered. The nation
sweats great drops of blood. 1t is cruel
fed, not between two thieves, but between
a thousand. while nations pass by wagging
their heads and saying: Aha aha !
Now, if there were nothing for you and
for me 10 do in this matter, would not
present this subject There are several
things for us to do. First stand aloot from
political Office unless your have your moral
principles thoroughly settled. Do not 90
into this blaze of temptation unless you
are fire proof Hundreds of respectable
men have been destroyed for this life and
the life ito come because they had not
moral principle to stand in office. You
60 into some Office of authority without
moral principle and before you get through
you will lie and you will swear and you
will gamble and you will steal. Another
thing for you to do is to be faithful at the
ballot box. DO not stand on your dignity
and say, TIL not 60 where the rabble are
If need be, put on your old clothes and
just push yourself through amid the I'M
washed, and vote-vote for men who love
God and hate rum. You cannot say, you
ought not to say, Il have nothing to do
with this matter" Then you will insult
the graves of your fathers who died for the
establishment of the government, and will
Insult the graves ofyour children, who may
live TO feel the results of your negligence
Let US have decoration day for the brave
who died for liberty, but let US also have
honor and encouragement
for those who are still fighting for the es>
tablishing and perpetuation Of honesty in
our government The wife may not sor
row so greatly for the sire who dies tor his
country, as the nation may grieve for the
bulwarks of national integrity.
Evangelize the people, get the hearts of
the people right and they will vote right,
know there are great many good people
who think that God ought to be recognized
in the constitution, and they are making
move in that direction. / am most anxious
that God shall be in the hearts of the peo-
pie. Get their heorts right and they will
vote right If there be fifty millions Of
people in this country, then at least fifty
millionth part of the responsibility rests on
you. These great evils that we now so
much deplore will be vanished from the
land, and remember that we are at last to
be judged not as nations but as individuals
in that day when Empires and republics
shall alike 60 down and we shall have to
give account for ourselves, for what we
haze done and for what we have neglected
to DO in that day when the earth itself will
be heap of ashes, scattered m the blast
of the nostrils of the Lord God Almighty.
God save the United States Of America.
JASPER L. CAN'T, SR