Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-08-18

They that will be rich fall into temptation
Aad snare and into many foolish and hurtful
lusts, which drown men in destruction and per
eitton-L Timothy, vi, g.
That Is the Niagara Falls over which
rush a multitude of souls, namely the
determination to have the money any.
how, right or wrong. Tell me how n
man gets his money and what he does
with it, and l will tell you his char
acter and what will be his destiny in
!, this world and the next. propose to
speak to day about the ruiuous modes
OF getting money
IN all our city state and national
sIections large sums of money are used
III bribery. Politics, from being the
science of good government, has often
been bedraggled into the synonym for
truculcncy and turpitu lie. A monster
sin, plausible, potent, pestifcrous has
gone forth to do its dreadful work in
all ages. Its two hands are rotten
with leprosy, 1t keeps it's right haAd
hidden in deep pocket. The left
hand is clcnched, and with its ichorous
knuclile 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 a shppered page, and
then it takes its right hand from its
deep pocket and offers il in salutation
to Jug or legislator. If 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 u
round blotch, round as gold eagle,
and the virus spreads, and the doom is
nXed and victim p1rishes Let brib.
cry, accurSed of God and man, stand up
for trial.
The Bible arraigns 1t 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: Their right
hand is full of bribes." Amos says of
some men in his day: They take a
bride 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 Eng and,
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, "liow old
are you?' he responded: ~ am two
years younger than your majesty's
happy reign of whose oratory Ben
Jonson wrote: "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
$50 600 a year, and TwickVnham
court gift, and princely estates in
Hertiordshire-yet under this tempta-
ton to bribery, falling fat into ruin,
and on his confession of taking bri hes
giving as excuse that ali his predeces-
sors took them he was fined $500, 900
or what corresponds with our 500, 900
and imprisoned i'll 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 ,575. For this sin Gorgey be-
trayed Hungary. Ahithopel forsoolt
David, and Judas kissed Christ. When
see so many of the illustrious going
down under this temptation. it makes
me think of the red dragon spoken of
in revelation, with seven heads and
ten horns and seven crowns, drawing
third part of the stars of Heaven
down after him.
The Hobbies 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.
do not believe it. Even heathcnism
and the Dark Ages have furnished
specimens Of incorruptibiiity. cadi
of SMYRNA had a case brought before
him on trial. A man gave him 500
ducats in bribery. The case came Oh.
The briber had many witnesses. The
poor man on the other side had no wit
neSscs. At the close of the ease the
cadi said: This poor man has no wit
nesscs, he thinks. | shall pro lace in
lis behalf 500 witnesses against the
other SIDE" Then pulling out the bag
of ducats from under the ottoman, he
dashed it down at the feet of the
briber, saying: II give my decision
against you" Epaminondas, offered i
bride, said Il viii 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.
gress during the American revolution,
Gen. Reed. was offered 10000 guiueas
by foreign commissioners If he wonld
brtray this country. He replied: Gen
tIemen. am very poor man, but tell
your king he is not rich enough to buy
me- But why go 50 far, when you
and |, II we move in honorable society,
know men and women who by all the
forces OF earth and hell could not be
bribed. They would no more be bribed
than you would think Of tempting an