The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-03
DO WE GROW WORSE.

The question, do we grow wo-se?" is
naturally asked with the beginning Of the
New Year as We look back upon the fight
Of the old year. Pessimistic philosophers,
who have been accurately defined as per-
sons Of more brains than soul, with q bad
liver and worse heart, always argue that
the world grows worse rather than better
with the lapse Of time.
Tested By facts and figures the world Of
today is far better, brighter and purer
realm than il was in the days OF the
founders Of the Republic. The study of
the struggle of the American colonists for
Independence makes i: clear that the men
of 1776 were relatively no better, no
mora patriotic, no purer il the
mass than the men OF 1861 who
fought for the fsg and founded a nation
at Appomattox. Washington vas not 4
purer, wiser or more unseltish a patriot
than Lincoln; Greene and Wayne were not
stouter or more sincle-heartet soldiers
than Grant and Sheridan. Samuel Adams
and John Adams were instinct with no
more fiery enthusiasm and lofty zeal for
the cause than Governor Andrew or Sec
Rotary Stanton; John Hancock and Robert
Morris did not spend their money for the
cause more freely ;haE did General Wads-
worth his fortune for the Union. There
was relatively IS much dishonesty. co--up-
ton, cowardics and disioyalty behind the
Continental IS behind the Union army.
Families were divided into Tories and rs
triots then, as families n our struggle we're
divided into Union men and copper
heads. Thirty thousand tories sailed
from New York city in I7s3, cast
their faith and their fate with
the British Lag and settled in the mari
time provinces O. Canada and Ontario
BeaiaI Franklin left his son little prom
erty br his will because the son was : h.
ter New Jersey tory. The tory Butler.
who wasted Cherry valley and Wyoming
with FIRE and sword. was as fe-ocicus sa5
cruel SIS QuantreI. who sacked Lawrence
Kansas. The barbari:ies Of the British
prisons in New York city were as bad as
those inflicted II the exceptional il
stance Of Ande-sonvine Washing
by dese-ti0a- Z was cursed by
thievins contractors and swindle-s, as SCI
fsa amid the general woe g. those OF cur
own day. who cried when the rebellion
was crushed, because there was 10 longer
any carcass for the turkey buzza-i CON
tractor 10 feed upon. AMI no longer any
market for the military broker in the hi
man Gesh Of substitutes Ma-auslnr Vas
so common 70 both armies that New Jer-
sey was oyerrun with rival Cuer-i..as. i,1s+
as Missouri was in our cjvi, war, who
robbed and murdered each ether with
hearty good Will, and when they could not
rob = foe we're not sGQeanish about robblu =
their own side. Washington had such i
lot Of villainous men IN his army 81 Cam
bridge that he wrote letters Of absolute
despair of the issue Of the contest The
British flooded the country with counter
felt Continental money, and found no diff
fcOlty in getting plenty Of base Americans
20 shove -
Iae correspondence. records and private
documents Of those days show that there
wss large and popu.ous under world dur
ing the Revolutionary period, "a x oFld O.
shaTpers and whipping posts. Of drunken
tavern keepers and loose women" The
country was 50 demorsiized during the
war that every biz Of wood was lurking
place 'or thieves and tranps Of both sexes
drunkenness vas common, and loose
women a5oun3ed u every town, some
times according 20 the rriyata cara
spondenes Of those days, coming in