Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-05-28

amount Of harm but when IT becomes
the open and agowed practice of party
leaders, who claim TO be respectable,
and even religious, then indeed is our
danger Immediate and terrible. The
man who cannot see how this evil has
grown In the last few years must be
afflicted with the hopeless blindness
of those who will not see. The pur-
chase OF power was probably inevitable
as result of increasing wealth. hut
IL was not anticipated by the fathers OF |
the Republic. With all the keen fore
sight OF the statesmen who framed our
government, whose masterly State
papers embodied the wisdom and OK
perience Of all ages, there was one
danger against which they did not pro-
vide. They mover anticipated the time
when the attemnt would be made to
bride Legislatures, to buy seat in the
Senate chamber, and by the aecumula-
ton and shrewd distribution Of great
sums TO determine even the choice OF
the Chief Executive. ThaS could not
anticipate the power Of wealth in con
trolling elections because there were
thon no such collosal fortunes in the
country, or anywhere in the world, as
has been accumulated in our day. The
sudden acquisition of immense private
fortunes has given men who are minded
TO do evil tremendous power for
wrong doing. With this wealth some
good things have c0me--the lifting OF
colleges to universities tue creation
OF libraries, the erection Of museums,
the endowment Of charities, the extern
sion OF the church; but il has brought
serious evils also. The most conspicu
Gus after growth of evil interest and
destructive influence is the millionaire
boss who is making business Of
corruption and who is powerful because
good men are negligent or blind. We
have men of great wealth without
conscience enough to guide them to ita
proper USE We have selfish, ambitious
men. who allow no scrupes 10 stand in
their way. Such a man makes god
of his former servant. He judges
everything from thn coarse financial
standard. He expects to buy whatever
he wants, from an edible to an editor,
from watch guard to a gas plant,
from library to Legislature, from o
pair Of shoes to a seat in what he con-
siders the most exclusive club in the
country. and the best vantage ground
from which to increase his wealth. He
cannot see that tho most precious things
in life cannot be bought. He cannot
understand that it takes something
besides wealth to make civilization.
He will not see--neither he nor his
henchmen, the plant tools he uses to
effect his selfish purpose-they will moi
see that money given to bribe voters
threatens the stability of the social
order which makes life safe, and
property secure. And SO we are face tc
face to-day with condition of which
the founders never dreamed. We art
threatened with depth of dishonor be
You'd which 1t is impossible to descend
"a height of public villainy beyond
which men cannot climb, a triumph
Of debauchery which staggcrs thu
imagination.
81 am not an alarmist--I have un
bounded faith in the future-but thu
unfinished battle Of freedom is upoI
us, and that man enslaves his chill
dren's children who makes compromise
with this sin of bribery. Its evil re
suits are numerous and varied 1t pre-
cedes the loss of confidence in elected
officials. II will soon be seen that TIL
man who, directly or indirectly, give
bride is prima facie scoundrel, a
we'll as the man who takes bride
Men will find out that he who will bu.
, a constituency will sell Il constituenc.
, when it will ease his pocketbook to d.
80. 1tt 500
!, bribery iustifles loss of confdenc
in our rulers. l have noticed the fac
that poor men are practically debarre'
by the cost Of elections, from man
/ positions of trust and honor. But
; one must be rich 10 hold Office ou
} government will soon become plutoo
} racy, and of all ocracies plutocracy |
! perhaps the worst. Nothing is Of NOR
credit to us than our boast that Lin
/ coin was rail splitter, johnson tail
r or, and Garfield canal boy; thin
/ amongst us tho poor lad may hope
, attain the highest honors. IL cRnno
D be good for us to teach our sons tina
: they must first become rich befor
Q they can be honored; that the indit
s pensablo qualification for high publ
Q position is the ability to pay thousand
s of dollars for election expenses.
: wealth is 10 hold the key to politics
b preferment, il honest and intelligel
4 poor men are ineligible to Office, the
: one of our proudest boasts is obsolete
i and we must leave our chairs, exect
llNt anu ltH lhlallNty 10 IL Gldbb vi IiS
in whom the gift of money making ht
3 smothered the genius which MAXI
is statesmen.
d Then bribery debauchos tho ind
- vidual with whom il is successful
If What is politics in theory, and as thu
80 should be IN practice? John O. Viii
m tier overheard tho poor voters on Gle
" ton day, uttering the soliloquy:
e The proudest now is but my peer,
IN The highest not more high.
q To-day, of all the weary year,
ID A king OF men am l.
!" While there's right to need my vote,
10 wrong to sweep away
lg EpclOutcd knee, and ragged coat!
vi A mans a man to-day.
"a "But what IL man ia not ma
q and takes briheI They are not IL
= in number, and they are not decrea
o. ing in number, who are no longer M
o. because they have taken the price, al
ut if you 60 TO reason with them they "
,ts toll you that you are dude with
10 clean collar, and you are trying to pI
w vent honest men from getting 90
On living. And yet what can he mean
10 than the sale OF a mans sovereign
20 irf the State and over himself VII
lfs can be more degrading than that M
", should huckster himself to the high,
Tor bidder? Before he can do that he Il
ne ceased TO be a man. He has become
'ui base thing with nothing but v
od appetite for gain; thing that
a disgrace to himself and menace
rse the State.
-. Worst of all, bribery means ultiml
lts chaos and anarchy, the destruction
!nagg free government, the end Of peace a
I'm eafety--