The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-22
ETHICS OF POLITICS.
Golden Rule Should Be Oh.
served Everywhere.
JESUS AND HIS RECENT CRITICS.
Rev. w. G. Elliott Thinks George wash.
ington . Good Pattern for Politi-
cisns-Rev. Nutting at Plymouth,

Tor MS text 1.-The Ethics of Politics He
took as his text I. Cor. xiii. is" Love
never faileth," which contained, he said.
the vial principles upof which his dis
course was based. He said:
one speaks of the "ethics OF law" or the
ethics OF society,"" or the "ethics OF eyolu.
ton, ana SO on. as II there were various kinds
Oh ethics. In certain sense 1t is true but we
are prepared to see In what sense 1t is true only
we aoptehend the larger truth that funda-
mentally there Is but one ethics. There is only
one ethics az there is only one religion-the
ethics ana religion of love. Ethics is applied
reHgion No one knows the truth of either
ethics or religion until in his own experience he
hnds himself unable to separate them: until bs
nnds his ethics set on fire from above and Ali
burning In one flame. Love to God and love
from COO Is the one religion, and anything that
eontradicts this Is not religion. The one ethic.
Is that ethics which has, even If unknown tn
the INDIVIDUAL, Its source in the truth of that
one religion, the ethics OF self-sacrificiuy love
NOW, when We speak OF the "ethicsn OF any
particular department OF human actiyity wa
ought to mean by the expression. not some diff
ferent KIND OF ethics, but simply the different
spphcations OF the one ethics to that particular
department OF human activity which may be in
question.
l may illustrate this distinction I'm the field of
science. Thus all science has two requirements.
j. Accuracy OF method by which true and false
may be distinguished. 2 Form or system in
the truth attained. Thought which meets these
TWO requirements lie scientific, to whatever de-
partment OF knowledge 1t may apply. When
we speak OF the science of chemistry or the
science OF economies or the science of religion.
we 90 not mean In each case that there ia n
fundamentally different science in each depart
ment OF knowledge; 1t is difference of annlica
non OF the requirements of all science to the
special department of study In question. Tho
science OF politics is the application of uni
yersal scientific principles to politics. The
ethics OF politics in the same way is the appIi-
caton In politics OF universal ethical principles
The sooner we get rid of the false notion that
course of action or q motive in conduct can
be wrong in the Sunday-scnool or church or
home and right anywhere else, the better 1t will
De- thing cannot be wrong toward God and
right among men. We cannot consistently
have one standard of right In war and another
In peace; one standard in the home another in
the shop; one standard for employer, another
Tor employe; one standard in commerce another
In politics; one standard in national politics,
another in municipal politics. The ethics of
any department OF human activity is unethical,
IL seems to me, If it infringes upon the perfect
law OF goodness, self-sacriicing love-
The ethics OF politics, then, is self-sacrificing
love applied to politics. When / say that the
ethics OF politics is self-sacriicing love applied
to politics, do not understand noe to mean that
this is actually the present condition of politi-
cal morals Politics-self-s love; the
contrast is somewhat startling.
Vi course some one man at once responds:
startling? OF course, for they have nothing
TO do with each other" A certain United States
senator said, think on the floor OF the Senate,
that "the Golden Rule has no place in poll
tics" But IL politics is a department of hui
man activity; and II the laws of right and
wrong apply In every department Of human &C
uvity; and IL the laws of right and wrong in
human relations are determined by the one eth
les OF seif-sacrifcing love- then self-sacrificing
love has its place in every department o. hu-
man activity, including politics.
When say that self-sacrifcing love must enter
into every department OF human activity, I do
not mean that every time you do anything, lift
finger, or write letter, or think a thought,
you must say to yourself: "Go to. will per-
form an act of selfsacrifcing love" That
would be nonsense.
l do think, though, that self-sacrifcing love
should be the regulating principle in every de-
partment OF life, including politics, however
automatically or unconsciously the principle
may be manifest in the minor details of con.
duct
Tomorrow this nation celebrates with pride
and JOY the birth of General Washington 1t is
ahoiiday throughout our land. The hoisted
flags will greet the morning sun, and tell him
tha! this is day not like other days. Children
VIII be told again of their countrys father: of
histove for his country, his faith in his coun-
trymen, and his example for us ALL
But what If in these times he could come back
TO earth once more, and in the continental uni
form in which we know him est and in all the
Impressive dignity of his personality, he should
appear suddenly upon the scenes OF city poll
hArA L..
throughout our land. Talk of the contrast be-
tween selfsacrificing love and politics. Is it so
much greater than the contrast between George
washington and the meetings in many
apoltical ward? j should think his very pres
enee IN the ward meetings and primaries and
conventions OF our large cities would wither
every lying heart, and the "Billys," and
"Jims', and "Dicks," and "Toms" who boss
our ward politics would stink away like ours
HIS very presence would do this everywhere,
whether In city. in state politics, or in national
politics And II he should speak to the politics
OF our times he could not say more than his ex-
ample and his presence has already said 1t
would be word Of stern rebuke for all the dis
honorable and selfish motives with which our
Pollties is fraught and word of courage and
coincidence for every man i'll however humble
WAY 1t be, who 10 taking part in politics and
doing duty there honorably and unselfshly.
neian who loved his country better than he
loved himself He was this because he was
teii'sacriheing man who loved his fellowmen
better than himself. There. then, is self-sacri-
ncing love and politics brought together Does
The contrast seem SO very shocking?
In George Washington goodness was not
Joined to politics In any abstract or vague way.
~ was part Of the harmony of his personality.
II was an honorable and unselish man: there
hnpnra fsh
The source of the morals, good or bad, in poll
aes today is in the personality OF the men en-
gsged therein. In the personal righteousness
oi individuals is to be found the ultimate
source Of the publication OF politics You can
noe lake our politics or its parties il hand and
elesn them you would machine. Perhaps
nwould be still harder to clean the tools that
Uwth the machine. Politics is not to be
purified that way. There may be many indirect
uays; the denunciation OF wrongs; the punish
nent OF dishonesty when found out; the i'm
ptsonmeut OF boodlers; the Australian ballot;
evil service reform, all help TO keep bad men
out oil politics, or at least TO make them very
careful If they are in politics. But the
Immediate source of all positive improve
meni must be the participation in politics
o. all honorable and unselhsh men.
Goodness and politics are not Joined
In any abstract way, but in the character OF the
individual. Therefore, if that department OF
human activity known as politics is 10 become
purer II must be through those human beings
who are active, or who ought to be active, in
mat department. l do not mean that every
human being ought 20 be politician, but that
every person who has a political duty ought 10
dc IT, That means that all those who have the
right should stseast vote every chance they get
from city primary to presidential election, and
shon d make all reasonable endeavor 10 attain
intelligence concerning public men and political
Issues. Whether they do more than this de-
pends. Of course. ia each case upon the indiyid-