The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-06-15
IN MODERN BABYLON.
SUPREMACY or THE slu.s IN re"
Work POLITICS.

G.,. rf,..rs.as Dixs,a- Jr-. Speaks Of ota"'ai
eo,r.r,i.n From, tn. Text. Excerpt the
Lard Keep the city. the Waterman
walk.th but In yain-~
New YORK. june ii.-fev. Thomas
Dixon. .ir.. delivered today the eighth
sermon in the series on The CAFES OF
Hell In Modern Babylon" The subject
was one which he rnay be said 10 have
u,r.,e special s.utlies of. extending over
severed wears. Official Corruption: or,
The Supremacy of the SlIIrns- tn" text
u.s. chosen from Psalms cxxvii. /. tx
cop; the Lori keep the city. the watch
III ii ~ keith bat i'll vain.
We have seen thus far In our stud'eS
If the cIfv that the evil elements OF our
civilization naturally grav1tate toward
tie civic center. We have sesan that the
cifv is. in fact. the cesspool of the rural
district surrounding. and il Is fact that
the lower and viler the elements that
congregate in this center the more buoy
ant they seem tn be. There is something
about the pressure of life in the city
which brings the slums 10 the surface IN
government Municipal misrule Is one
Of tn, most painful acts of modern life.
Professor Bryce. 10 has recently issued
Ills great work on america. makes this
trr... observation:
There IL no denying that the govern
,rcnt Of citics IS the one conspicuous fail
.,rs nf tie United States. The deticien-
,.ies Of the national government tell but
l,a ,T-alf.sra Gf .hp
pie. The faults of the state governments
are insiguifcant compared with the ex-
travagance. corruption and mismanage-
ment which mark the administrations of
most of the great cities" He enumer-
ates the chief sources of this evil:
'.Tirst-Encompetent and unfaithful
governing boards and officers.
| ''Second-The introduction Of state
! and national politics into municipal af-
| fairs.
'-Third-The assumption by the legis-
| lature of the direct control of local af-
/ fairs"
These undoubtedly are causes of the
present condition Of Gebauchery in city
government Dut the chief causes lie
deeper. They are found il the .inditfer-
ence and seltishncss of the governing
body, for the people who vote are. after
all. the governors OF the city. Boards
and councils are their creations. 1t is
the vote on election day that decides the
government for given period Of time.
Boards Of aldermen, excise boards, are
not self creating The voting constitu.
ency get as good government as they
! deserve. AS q matter of fact, the peO
pie are to blame in the last analysis
We have 80 many loafers who have at
tained the age of 81 and are entitled te
vote. and yet who do not know how to
vote, that it is as yet an impossibility tx
obtain a decent government in our cities
The evil minded are in minority, but
selfshness and Indifference leave the
government in the hands of the rabble
Now and then these pious, we'll dressed
elegant people are aroused by some Wig
orous Pronunciation or some ringing cal
to action. Some glazing outrage has
been committed, and they are Indignant
for brief season and desire somebody
to do something about it. They would
like to see the fur fly, but they wan
somebody else to furnish the fur. Wher
it comes to be personal matter, it i
mono Of their business, they say. The,
are in the condition of the little girl VIII,
was heard to finish her evening praye
some time ago with these words, "Ant
| saw Il poor little girl on the street to
day cold and barefooted, but it is non
, of our business, is it, GOd?'
COLONIAL DANES"
Then we have a great many peopl
who move in what they imagine to be SC
, ciety They do not vote or take interes
, , IN politics for various reasons. Some O
them have not sense enough: other
imagine that they degrade themselves
A well known German scholar visitin
this country was invited to a small re
4 ception given in a city. Only the mos
2 prominent of the townspeople wer
[ present. He found them well bred, GU
$ tured and intelligent. He noticed tia
$ most of the men and women prese1
: wore peculiar little badges Of pins, som
I plain enamel, others set with diamond
y and emeralds. He asked his hostess
: They are orders of American origini
t Yea" was the reply; 1.-The tokens tls
their weaTers belong to the true America
v isristocracy. They are colonial danes
n sons or daughters Of the Revolution
: The visitor inquired into the requisite
: for membership and was told that IL
l. badges sisniied that the wearer was DO
q sessed Of at least one ancestor who ha
b served the republic in the Revelation
:. ss Il civil officer in colonial days. IAN
It the wc2rers of the badges" he continue,
e they also doubtless serve the stat
e They are statesmen and politicians
f oh. no, indeed!" Was the amused repl,
+ Americans of this class seldom vote ;
l. all. Politics is considered by them a
It uncle2n trade. 1t is. as rule. left
the bosses or men who follow politics
d livelihood" They wear badges, the;
because thsy are proud that their gran,
2. fathers dill what they are ashamed
do: cannot quite understand" So!
= the puzzled: foreigner. What puzzle
our foreign visitor puzzles any ration
1t man. Nobody can understand it wi
IS has any sense. 1t simply means til
O people who had ancestors that were D
m trletS now are traitors to the cause whit
IF gave fneir ancestors glory. Thcv descr'
the fate of Benedict Arnold rather thu
y to wear lierolc badges.
Il The duty of the citizen today is as SC
ST enn and heroic as a hun lred years az
l. And yet because a great many people
he not think SC we observe the condition
Of affairs in cur cities today. 1t is a fec
"a too, that In one sense wealth is respon.
40 be for oar present degradation of L
CITY government. G;iny of or rich Dc
pie who have vested interests in the ii
do Tot fight the rulers from the slur
tor one of two reasons-either becau
A they are afraid TO strike them, being VI
We nerthle tE'Io,gh their property. or el
er they find it is more profitable to buy
corrupt city government than to repla
eI 1t with an honest one. There are G,
ty talniy millionaires in this CITY who q
ds hand in glove with Tammany Hall ST
ply because the valuation of their ia,