Omaha daily bee., 1895-05-11
THE FATHERS SET THE PACE
Political Laxity Not Plant Of Recent
Development
CROOKED DEALS AND FALlAcloUs ISMS
Men and Methods OF tho Past Comn--sd
with Those of Today-The Fathers
CLOSED by Excessive Praise and
Patriotic Superstition.


| Il is the habit Of a certain class OF political
| critics to insist that the men and methods
of the past represented the highest order OF
| excellence, while those of the present stand
| for low aims and loose views of duty and
| proprety There is a general belief, in fact,
| that the fathers were thoroughly scrupulous
| in all Of their proceedings, and that marked
| degeneration has ensued with the wonderful
| development Of the country. The good old
| times" are constantly cited by way Of re-
| proach and admonition to the present gener-
| alton. We are assured in solemn and rev.
| erent terms that the public men Of the early
days of the republic were guided entirely by
that fine sense of honor which feels a stain
| like a wound, and were never found stopping
| to any sort of trickery. But the fact is,
writes Henry King in the Globe-Democrat,
that distance lends enchantment in this re-
spect. Those former statesmen have been
transfgured by excessive praise and patri-
otic superstition. They are remembered for
| their virtues in such a degree as to hide
their faults and make them seem paragons
of probty and nobility; for they had faults
and were human like other men. When his
tory is closely read it shows that they were
animated by the same motives and addicted
to the same practices that characterize the
public men of our period; and it is well now
| and then to recall some of the leading Incl
| dents which justify this statement and dis
| prove the familiar assertion that political
laxity is thing Of comparatively recent
| growth.
There is abundant testimony to the effect
| that the standards of political recttude and
responsibility during the revolution, when
| the land was aflame with the spirit of lib
| erty, were at least no higher than they are
nt thn tfffNn rhn hng fgt han
and intrigue was common and there was
plenty of corruption. Washington said that
the forestallers and spectators who gathered
about congress ought to be hanged for their
schemes Of fraud and bribery; and a mem
Der of that ilustrious body was fercely de-
nounced by Hamilton for having used his
secret official knowledge to buy up the -four
| which the government Intended to purchase
for its hungry soldiers. Jealousies and dis
sensions prevailed to an extent that Grip
pied the army and impaired the efficiency
Of every branch of the public service Party
feuds and the antagonsms Of leaders caused
| infinite trouble and invited grave dangers.
Some of the most capable members of con-
gress absented themselves for various per-
sonal reasons, and frequently entire states
were unrepresented because of violent dis
putes. Washington declared that each state
should absolutely compel its ablest men to
attend congress for the purpose of correcting
public abuses and averting the general wreck
that would surely follow the policy that was
being pursued.
| PRACTICAL POLITICIANS.
We are taught that the public men of
that momentous time were unselishly de-
voted to the cause of independence, and
bound heart to heart with hooks OF
steel in the one supreme and absorbing
desire to establish new nation; but the
records demonstrate that they were not
above the business OF looking out for in
dividual advantages. They had their am
bitions, their egotisms, their calculations OF
profit and power. All Of the resources OF
strategy, conspiracy and malevolence were
employed to promote their personal fortunes
They were practical politicians in the full
meaning Of the words. The intensity OF
party spirit, Of factional hostility, was even
greater then than it is now. There was the
same camor for Offices that we hear in our
day. Men were just as anxious then to
exercise public authority they have been
at any later time. The newspapers were
more virulent in their attacks upon candi-
dates than those that are now printed, and
the criticisms of prominent officials far ex-
ceeded in severity any that are now made
There was unceasing political turmoil
throughout the revolution, and every de
vice for catching votes and carrying elec-
tons was well known to the people OF
that time they to u.s. 1t is true that
there were giants in those days; but 1t IL
equally true that they resorted to ordinary
means Of success, and did not stop to con-
slider the question of strict morality and
propriety.
The art of flibustering to prevent legis-
lative action was understood by the fathers
as the historian McMaster shows by de-
scribing the manner in which the Pennsyl-
vania legislature dealt with the question oi
calling a convention to ratify the fedora
constitution. majority Of the members
of the body, which then consisted Of only
one house, were in favor of the constitution
but without the presence of at least three
Of the minority there would be no quorum
and the motion to call a convention and fix 9
time for electing delegates could not be
passed. Accordingly, all of the opponents
Of the constitution resolved to stay away
The sergeant-a arms was sent after them
but they refused to obey the summons. One
of the reasons they gave for their course
was that congress had not yet submitted
the constitution to the states, and that t
act in advance of such submission would bt
irregular and disrespectful; but when a
courier came the next day with news tha
congress had passed a resolution removing
this objection, they still declined to attend
! Their conduct caused much excitement, ant
/ crowd OF indignant citizens went to the
tavern, seized two of the absentees dragged
them to the state house, thrust them into
! the assembly chamber. and blocked the
doors. Thus quorum was secured, and thu
convention was called.
REPORTS SUPPRESSED
When the convention met McMaster goe!
on to relate, there was no money to pay al
official stenographer, and the labor Of report
ing the proceedings was undertaken by tive
young men, one in the interest Of a newspaper
and the other with a view to publish
, ing the matter in book form. But as the de
bate progressed, the speeches OF the oppo
nents of the constitution attracted so mucl
attention and furnished so much material fo
, use in other states that the federalists sup
pressed the reports by brbng the newspape
In which they were being published, and no
a line Of explanation appeared. By similar
means the other reporter was silencsd, anC
; when his promised book was issued 1t con
tained only two Of the speeches, both b!
ardent supporters Of the constitution. LAS
consequence" says McMaster, there doei
not exist today anything more than a frag