St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-09-10

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. It keeps its right hand
hidden in n deep pocket. The left
hand is clenchcd. and with its 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 glides
through the isle of the council cham
Der as softly as n slippered page, and
then it takes its right hand from its
deep pocket and offers il in salutation
to juge or legislator. II that hand be
taken. and the palm of the intruder
cross the palm of the official, the lcp-
rosy crosses from palm to palm in q
round blotch, round as a gold eagle,
and the virus spreads. and the doom is
fixed, and victim perishes. Let brib-
cry, accursed 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 brides
and perverted Judgment" David says
of some Of his pursuers: "The'r right
hand is full Of bribcs." Amos nys of
some men in his day: ''They take q
bribe and turn aside the poor in the
gate.n Eliphaz foretells the crush
ing blows of Gods Indignation,
declaring: Fire shall consume the
tabernacles of bribery"
IA = ~ - Tho
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 precocious that when
asked by Queen Elizabeth, "How old
are your" he responded: II am two
years younger than your majesty $
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
$50. 900 year, and Twickenham
court. gift, and princely estates in
Observation-Disclosures under this tempta-
ton to bribery. falling fat into ruin,
and on his confession OF taking bribes
giving as excuse that all his predeccs-
eors took them; he was fined $2OO, ,0O0-
or what corresponds with our sos, 600
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 S3I,575. For this sin Gorgey be-
trayed Hungary. Ahithopel forsook
David, and Judas kissed Christ. When
see SO many Of the illustrions goiDx
down under this temptation, it makes
me think of the red dragon spoken CT
in revelation, with seven heads and
ten horns and seven crowns, drawing
q third part OF the stars OF Heaven
down after him.
The lobbics of the legislatures of this
country control the country. The land
is drunk with bribery! "Oh," says
some one. there's no need of Walking
against bribery by promise or by dol
lars, because every man has his price. :"
do not believe it Even heathenism
and the Dark Ages have furnished
specimens of incorruptibiiity. A cadi
OF Smyrna had case brought before
him on trial. A man gave him 500
ducats in bribery. The case came on.
The briber 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 ducats from under the ottoman, he
dashed it down ut the feet OF the
briber, saying: II give my decision
against you" Epaminondas, offered q
bribe, said: Il will do this thing il it
be right, and if it be wrong all your
goods can not persuade me"
The president of the American con.
gress during the American revolution,
Gen. Reed, was offered 10000 guineas
by foreign commissioners If he would
betray this country. He replied: Seen
tlemen, l am very poor man, but tell
your king he is not rich enough to buy
me-" But why go 50 far, when you
and I, IL we move in honorable society,
know men and women who by oil the
forces OF earth and hell could not be
bribed. They would no more be bribcd
than you would think OF tempting an
angel Of light to exchange Heaven for
the pit. To offer a bribe is villainy,
but it is a very poor compliment to the
man to whom it is offered
have not much faith in those people
who go about Dragging how much thev
could get il they would only sell ont.
Those women who complain that they
are very often insulted need to under.
stand that there is something in their
carriage to invite insult There are
men ut Albany, and at Harrisburg, and
at Washington, who would no more BE-
approached by q bribe than = pirate
boat with few cutlasses woald dare
to attack British mAn-of-war with
two banks Of guns on each side loaded
TO the touch-holc. They are incor
ruptible men, and they are the few
meu who are to save the city and saw
the land.
Meanwhile, my advice il. keep ont o
po.lsics unless you sre iuvalnersble r
| this style of temptasion- Indeed, u
| even you are naturally strong, you
aoed religious buttressing. Nothing