Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-11-10

the whole field.
The first evil that threatens the ami
hilation of cur American institutions Is
the fact that political bribery, which once
was considered a crime, has by many come
to he considered tnlerable virtue. There
| is legitimate use Of money in elections,
in the printing of political tracts, and in
the hiring of public halls. and in the OBJ
tanning of campaign oratory, bur is there
any homunculus who supposes that this
vast amount of money now being raised by
the political parties is going in legitimate
direction? The vast majority of it will 90
to buy votes
Hundreds and thousands of men will
have set before them 50 much money for
a Republican vote, and so much money for
a Democratic vote, and the superior finau-
cial inducement will decide the action.
You want to know which party will carry
the doubtful states day after tomorrow?
| will tell you. The party that spends the
most money This moment, while
speak the peddlers carrying gold from
Wall street, gold from Third street, gold
from State street and gold from the Brew
ers' association, are in all the political
headquarters of the doubtful states deal
ing out the infamous inducement
There used to be bribery; but it held its
head in shame. Ii was under the utmost
secrecy that many years ago railroad
company bought up the Wisconsin legis-
lature and many other public officials in
that state The governor of the state at
that time received $4,000 for his sigma
ture His private secretary received 5000.
Thirteen member of the senate received
$4,000 among them in bonds. Sixty
members of the other house received from
s., 900 to Sl0,0 900 each. The lieutenant gov
ernor received $4,000 The clerks of the
house received from q, 900 to $4,000 each
The bank comptroller received $4,000
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars
were divided among the lobbyists. You
see the railroad company was very gen
erous. But all that was hidden, and only
through the severest scrutiny on the part
Of legislative committee was this in
EQUITY displayed. Now political bribery
defies you, dares you, is arrogant, and will
probably decide the election next Tuesday.
"A TERRIBLE DANGER.
Unless this diabolism ceases in this coun-
try Bartholdi's statue on Bedloe's island,
with uplifted torch to light other nations
into the harbor, had better be changed and
the torch dropped as a symbol of universal
incendiarism.
Unless this purchase and sale of suffrage
shall cease the American government will
expire, and you might as well be getting
ready the monument for another dead ma
tion and let my text inscribe upon it these
words, ALAS, alas, for Babylon, that great
city, that mighty city, for in one hour is
thy Judgment Gomez My friends, If you
have not noticed that political bribery is
one of the CHASTITY crimes of this day, You
have not kept your eyes open
Another evil threatening the destruction
of American institutions IL the solidifying
of the sections against each other A solid
north. A solid south. If this goes on we
shall after awhile have solid east against
a solid west; we shall have solid middle
states against solid northern states. we
shall have a solid New York against a
solid Pennsylvania, and "A solid 0hioagainst
solid Kentucky. II is twenty-seven
years since the warcloud, and yet at every
presidential election the old antagonism is |
aroused When Garfield died and all the
states gathered around his casket in sym
pathy aud in tears, and as hearty kilograms
Of coincidence came from New Orleans aud /
Charleston as from Boston and Chicago, !
said to myself, Il think sectionalism is
dead. But. alas, mol The difficulty will |
never be ended until each state OF the ma.
tion is split up into two or three great pc
litical parties.
This country cannot exist unless it cz.
lists as one body, the national capital, the 1
heart, sending out through all the arteries |
OF communication warmth and life TO the /
very eXtremities. This nation cannot cX.
list unless il exists as one family, aud you /
might as well have solid brothers against /
solid sisters, and 4 solid bread tray against |
a solid cradle, and solid nursery against 1
solid dining room, and you might a well /
have solid ears against solid eyes, and solid /
head against solid foot. What is the in. /
terest of Georgia is the interest of Mas. /
saehusetts; what is the interest of New |
York is the interest of South Carolina /
Does the Ohio river change its politics
when it gets below louisvilleg 1t is not
possible for these sectional antagonisms to
continue for "A great many years without
permanent compound fracture.
HAS THIS NATION FORGOTTEN Gops
Another evil threatening the destruction
of our American institutions is the low
state of public morals.
What killed Babylon Of my texty What
killed Ph@niciag What killed Romey
Their own depravity, and the fraud, and
the drunkenness, and the lechery which
have destroyed other nations will destroy
ours unless merciful God prevent. To
show You the low state of public morals
have to call your attention to the fact that
many men nominated for offices in differ
ent states at different times are entirely
unfit for the positions for which they have
been nominated
Ihey have no more qualification for
them than wolf has qualification to be
professor of pastoral theology in flock Of
sheep, or a blind mole has qualification to
lecture a class of eagles on optics, or than
a yulture has qualification to ehaperon
dove. The mere pronunciation of some Of
their names makes demand for carbolic
acid and fumigationl Yet Christian men
will follow right on under the political
have to tell you what you know al
ready, that American politics have sunken
to such low depth that there is nothing
beneath. What we see in some directions
We see ia nearly all directions The pecu