The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-09-15
ACQUIRING WEALTH,
Ruinous Methods of Money Getting
Resorted to by Many.
Men, In the Mad Pursuit. OF Wealth, Forget
That Others Besides Themselves
Have Rlghts-The Evils of
Bribery In Politics.

In the following sermon T. Dewitt
Talmage lays bare some Of the methods
OF money getting that are sapping the
morals of the nation. The text is:
They that will be rich fall into temptation
and snare, and int many foolish and hurtfui
lusts, which drown men in destruction and per
dition.-I. Timothy. VII.
That is the Niagara Falls over which
rush multitude of souls, namely the
determination to have the money any
how, right or wrong. Tell me how
man gets his money and what he does
with it, and will tell you his char
acter and what will be his destiny in
this world and the next. Ipropose to
speak to-day about the ruinous modes
of getting money.
In all our city, state and national
elections large sums of money are used
in bribery. Politics, from being the
science of good government, has often
been bedraggled into the synonym for
truculency and turpitude A monster
sin. plausible, potent, pestiferous, has
gone forth to do its dreadful work in
all ages. Its two hands are rotten
with leprosy. 1t keeps its right hand
hidden in deep pocket. The left
hand is clenched, and with it's ichorous
knuckle it taps at the door of the court
room, the Legislative hall, the congress
and the parliament. The door swings
open and the monster enters and giides
through the isle of the council cham
Der rs softly as sllppered page, and
i IN IL ri, &c
deep pocket and offers it in salutation
to juge or legislator. IT that hand be
taken, and the palm of the intruder
cross the palm of the official, the lep-
rosy crosses from palm to palm in
round blotch, round as Il gold eagle,
and the virus spreads, and the doom is
fixed, and victim perishes. Let brib-
cry, accurscd Of God and man, stand up
for trial.
The Bible arraigns it again and
again. Samuel says Of his two sons,
who became Judges: They took bribes
and perverted Judgment" David says
of some of his pursuers: Their right
hand is full Of bribes." Amos says of
some men in his day: They take
bribe and turn aside the poor in the
gate" Eiiphaz foretells the crush
ing blows of Gods Indignation,
declaring: Fire shall consume the
tabernacles of bribery
1t is no light temptation. The
mightiest have fallen under it. Lord
Bacon, lord chancellor of England,
founder of our modern science, author
of "Novum Organum," and whole
library of books, the leading thinker
of his century, SO prccocious that when
asked by Queen Elizabeth, "iIow old
are you?' he respondel: IL am two
years younger than your nlajesty's
happy reign" of whose oratory Ben
Jonson wrote: 1.-The fear of every man
that heard him was lest he should
make an end;' having an income which
you would suppose would have put
him beyond the temptation of bribery
$4,000 n year, and Twickenham
Observation-Disclosures under this telnpta-
tion to bribery, falling nat into ruin,
and on his confession of taking bribes
giving as excuse that all his predeccs-
sors took them: he was fined 500, 600
or what correspond, with our 500, 900
and imprisoned in London tower
The black chapter in English, Irish,
French and American politics is the
chapter of bribery. Some of you re-
member the Pacific Mail subsidies
Most Of you remember the awful
tragedy of the Credit Mobilier. Under
the temptation to bribery Benedict
Arnold sold the fort in the highlands
for S3l,575. For this sin Gorgey be-
trayed Hungary. Ahithopel forsook
see SO many Of the illustrious going
down under this temptation, it makes
Inc think of the red dragon spok ,n o
in revelation, with seven heads and
ten horns and seven crowns, drawing
third part Of the stars of Heaven
down after him.
The lobbies of the legislatures of this !
country control the country. The land
is drunk with bribery! oh" says
some one, there's no need of talking
against bribery by promise or by dol
lars, because every man has his price"
l do not believe it. Ever. heathenism
and the Dark Ages have furnished |
specimens Of incorruptibility. A cadi |
of Smyrna had case brought before |
him on trial. A man gave him 500 !
ducats in bribery. The case came on.
The brlber had many witnesses The |
poor man on the other side had no wit |
nesses. At the close of the case the |
cadi said: This poor man has no wit
nesses. he thinks | shall produce in
his behalf 500 witnesses against the |
other side" Then pulling out the bag
OF duo ats from under the ottoman, he |
dashed it down at the feet of the |
orlber, saying: Il give my decision |
against you" Epamnondas, offered
bribe, said: II will do this thing if it
be right, and if it be wrong all your
goods can not persuade me.
The president of the American con-
Rress during the American revolution.
uen. Reed, was offered 10000 guineas !
ov foreign commissioners if he would |
oetray this country. He replied: Gen
s'emen, am very poor man, but tell