The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-10-03
The Decentralization OF Politics.
.Sou1hey7a Caristian Advocatc.

The Decentralization Of Politics.
Southern Christian aduocatc.
The attempted disseverance between
business and religion finds counterpart in
the entire separation, it would seem, be-
tween religion and politics. Men who
are altogether moral and without re-
proach in business and social life encour-
age and participate in political methods
whose dishonesty and immortality are
open to the world. Partisanship has
gone so far that principle has ceased to be
the rule of party government, and policy
is alone the test of political measures.
The false motto, "sll Is fair in war;" has,
by the strikingly correct analogy of war
with statecraft, as now practiced, come to
be the regulating principle of politics.
The old idea that righteousness exalteth
people" has grown obsolete and inap-
plicable to our sharp practice. Instead,
we have tacitly given in to the practical
theory that 'schicanery eXalteth party"
The evidences of general political de-
bauchery are manifold; they meet us
everywhere, North and South, in Con-
ventions, Legislatures, municipal meet
ipgs, and in all elections from town
ship to national. No one denies that cor
ruption and fraud are so general in all
departments of political management as
to make purity and honesty the excep-
ton. growing ever more exceptional.
The very children know the stories of
bribery and intimidation and corruption
that characterize elections and canvasses.
Men have come to regard such things as
a matter of course. Good men, pious
men. Sunday School Superintendent,
Elders in the Church, ministers them
selves, wink at abuses and denominations
such as called out the stinging dennncia-
tions of the old prophets against Israel
and her enemies, and drove the chosen
people into captivity.
"Be OF deceived, God IS not mocked.
Whatsoever man soweth, that shall ne
also reap" We are reaping. Our wind
is growing to be whirlwind. we are
likely to garner q harvest of public ruin
and private corruption. The first ripen.
ing sheaves of this vicious cyclone, so to
speak, are giving us bills to enrich the
rich and ilSpoverish the poor, to give
power to money and crush poverty un-
der its feet, to perpetuate the power of
parties at the ex pense Of liberty, to en-
large the rule of king alcohol to the DESC
lation of homes and hearts and the ener-
yation and debauchery of the race. Worse
than that, the leaven Of our public evil
methods creeps insidiously into private
life, and conscience accepts the iron
bound logical conclusion that, If public
fraud and cheating be winked at, private
theft and iniouity must be condoned and
pardoned. Falsiaffs reasoning is getting
to be our serious argument. If Adam
sinned in his innocency, much more
Jack Falstaff in his depravity. It Is vain
to hope that men may be corporately vile
and personally upright! We have sought
to divide up moral responsibility among
mob till the values should be infnites-
sinai Of evil and shame; we have SIM
ply multiplied the seeds of vice and made
each responsible for'the sin of all! We
have tried hard to make legality the test
of moral responsibility to excuse all ac-
,tions not indictable By grand iuries and
actionable under statute. It cannot be
True, the corporation has no soul, but
corporators may be damned; the mob is
irresponsible, and parties are mobs, but
Of q mob to judgment. Man may not
dare to do in the multitude what he
would hesitate to do alone. When we
learn: this We will begin to purify our
business and political life.
What shall the Christian man do in
such times and circumstances as these?
Z Can he be in doubt a moment! C@sar's
to Cesar and Gods to God but never
CB,ar's without reference to God. Reli-
gion has to do with all things, more espe-
cially with the most important things,
and the one thing most important to our
life now is politics, with all 1t means, for
it is over-shado owing and all-embracing.
It is the most potent channel Of influence
in modern life, and concerns all human
interests as no other one agency does. 1t
sadly needs reformation, and that refor-
nation must come from the awakening
of Christians to their responsibilities as
Christian citizens. Let US be done with
fighting the devil with fire; it is his ma
tive element; he loves the conflict and
will always win. We must meet him with
that shield that quenches his fiery darts.
Christ's method of honesty and purity
and truth is the only one that can drive
the devil out Of politics. It is time for
Christians to apply it fearlessly and fully
without fear of the party lash; without
reference to party gain or loss.
s HAh," says the devout reader, "this Is
what the Church needs; just such edito-
rails as this are the things to give to the
peoplel' So he reads it to his family and
1 comments piously on it, and the next
November stuffs ballot box or bnys a
voter, or sells one in some form; and
hurrahs when his party gets into power,
and bows his devout head in the Church.
thanking the God of righteousness and
truth that peace and prosperity are vouch-
safed to our favored land w.