Morning journal and courier., 1894-05-28

raeed that the state OF Connecticut finds 1t
profitable to compound
With offenders against the law for
ums of money instead of making records
If conviction sgainst them, and men un-
Ter criminal indictment may walk our
Itreets unwhippsd of justice, or loiter on
he curbstones without while their bonds /
IRE called within our courts; If, In short, /
government by the people ia to succumb in /
,ur cities to government by Q class-and |
hat class least fitted to govern-it would |
need no prophet of evil to predict the CON-
Iequsnt failure of free government on the
anger plano of national affairs. The Sc
riousness, therefore, of the problem rem
lsrs 1t great problem worthy of q sus-
aimed effort.
Again, the ultimate hopsfulnees of this
moral task of the preservation of our civic
units commends it to our effort. I am
aware that to many 1t seems almost hope
less undertaking to secure good local gov
and wholesome conditions of life.
know that many good citizens have be-
come Indifferent, because they have lost
faith in the success of any effort in this d.
rection. I remember also how before the
war the problem of our national unity
seemed dark as night to the
eyes of many. I remember days
of defeat, when even patriotism stood
aghast, and times of despair when
false peace. But I remember also, as
though 1t were but yesterday, tina. stood
one bright day on ridge overlooking APP
pouattox Court House and heard the
cheers of two armies assured of q peace
never to be broken. And in the struggle,
which ia indeed less conspicuous and hero
10, but which Ia not less momentous in it's
ultimate issues in the life of the people
our present conflict for the soundness of
the local units of the body politic-I can
not but hold that faithlessness would be
an equal sin against the whole providence
of God in our history. This seems to be
o-day the chief political sin of the good,
the civic sin oven of the Christian church,
of vision to see the moral task at our doors
and lack of faith to believe that 1t can be
accomplished. One single consideration in
argument for a greater faith in our civic
task let me now present. II ia drawn from
the reason which experienced men will
often give for inaction and despair. They
will say "Count up the numbers in any
city who are interested In maintaining the
reign of ignorance and class government or
even fraud. Take sober account of the
powers in a community which do not make
for Righteousness. Trace the underground
wires, measure the pulls. understand the
"practican influences which control public
affairs. Very well; enumerate them; tell
me how they work, who manage them,
what their methods are, how they gain
control, evade the laws, sidetraok justice,
manage to deceive the very elect into vot-
ing for them. Go through the whole list
Sec, you may say, how hopeless 1t Ia to
contend against such things. But there lie
one thing which in your argument of civic
Indifference you have forgotten, which I
will turn into reason for faith. 1t ia the
simple fact that you have counted to me
these corrupting powers. You can follow
round these rings; you can enumeTate
these pulls. 1t is measurable quantity
of evil after all that you are describing to
me. It is great, but it can be measured;
these things are numerous enough, but
they can be counted. We know how many
saloons, how many dives there are; we
know what saloons back certain officers and
commissioners; we can estimate how much
money their protective organizations can
command for self defence against law, or
for continuance in Office for their own
profit. There are mon who, taking dead
level view of affairs, without any senti-
ment or ideslism, will estimate with great
accuracy the whole quantity and influence
of the demeralizing agencies in this city.
Grant that the sum of them is
great enough to horribly us. Admit that
the evil in q city is q linked and organized
class interest of large diversity of opera.
tons, and quick power of concentrated
devilishness. But nevertheless 1t can be
counted. 1t is measurable quantity.
That 10 the hopsfulness of 1t. That is the
reason for courage In the face of IL. Co.
Hath is big; but David's eye can take his
measure. The smooth stone from the bah
bling brook may find the soft spot in his
coarse brain. The evil in community
can be measured; but on the other hand
the good ia immeasurable. You may
trace the pulls of selfshnsss, but who knows
the reserved powers of righteousness in the
community You may cit down and in an
hour or two tell me of all the evils at work
in this place; but cannot tell you half
tho goodness at work here. The heart of
love In any community has never yet been
guaged. The moral powers are immeasur-
able. There Is something infinite about
the passion for righteousness when once IL
takes the will of q people up into the fury
of Its Indignation. There are heights and
depths In love passing knowledge. am
speaking now of realities, not of senti-
ments; of forces practical enough when
once they get in motion; of moral powers
oftea silent, often seeming to have gone on
a far journey, but never beyond recall, and
sometimes awakening at the cry of
single voice of wrong; and these
moral powers have something i'm
measurable in them. am impressed
good, If only they can be awakened and
used, as recognizes their presence even
amid ordinary scenes. I attended, for ex-
ample, only the other evening a banquet of
the Connecticut Medical society. As 1
looked at that company of men, intelli-
gent, educated, active, strong, holding
their professional code of honor high, and
capable of responding to . lofty idea of
service, could not help thinking what
power was there. q power which united
and intent on some public good might
sweep anything before it. And this was
only one power of mahy-this only one
company of honorable men. Power, un-
used, unorganizsd perhaps, but power for
good, is all around us and within rs;
can count the writer's of policy by name;
whore men make their living from the
passions and sins of the people; every one
of them can be located and known; but
the honest men, the true homes, the quiet
doors of good, the friends In need, the
many waiting and praying for the re-
dsmption of soe,ety-God knows them,
their names are written in heaven, We can
not number them.
Yes, 1t may be said. but these don't have
votes. Perhaps not just now. But they
have something more powerful than
yote-ths- vote-msking power. A small
with the moral power to make
votes, is sure ultimately of its majority.
Moreover, besides vote-making power, the
good has another qaulity which renders its
work always hopeful; It has the higher
wisdom. 1t can zee what needs to be
done, and seeing clearly the thing to be
done ia half the doing of Il. Moral intelli-
gsnce having clear Vision, sooner or later,
against any odds, will acquire that wisdom
which consists In knowing how to get the
right thugs done.
But dropping this argument of faith
from the measurableness of the bad and
the immeasurableness of the right, let me
call your attention to the further fact that
our present moral task In looking after
The units of our civic life is the task which |
10 fixing upon itself public |
attention and arousing . new moral en-
thusiasm at the present time. It is not an
to affirm that we are In the |
beginning of providential civic move
ment, and that We are witnessing the first |
signs at least of Q great revival of the sense |
# civic responsibility throughout our