The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-05-24
A PESSIMIsT,S VIEW.

- have received from Mr. j. Il. Corey
Of Pittsburg. Pa. some extracts from
/ letter which he has recently sent TO the
Hon. j. Sterling Morton on the subject of
the formation of new party for the pur-
pose Of reforming abuses that have crop
ped into the administration of municipal,
state ana national governments. Nj.
Corey declares I'm general terms that the
American people have demonstrated their
/ incapacity for self-government In the
course Of his argument he declares that
the public schools and the public press
are intoxicating the sentiment that gov
eminent should support the people and
not the people support the government and
| that this sort of education has resulted
! in producing two prominent traits of
character among the American people
either of which is at variance with good
| government or true Democracy. The
first. he says is that fl does not matter
what the government pays for its service
since it costs the people nothing. This
he declares. has resulted IN filling all our
| public Offices from the lowest county of
lice to the President of the United States
with notorious incompetcnis. men who
| have been noted failures IN every business
which they have undertaken so that it
| has come 20 pass that If man fails in
any legitimate business I'm competition
with other men he Immediately be;akes
HIMSELF 20 the public offices.
he thinks that another lnsuper4ble bar
10 self-goyernmen, IS ihe hero worship
of the American people. "the disposition
TO make heroes out Of the political DEM
asosues that fasten upon our various
civil governments NE declares that pole
ucl platforms are meaningless, and that
those who direct the affairs OF the politi-
cal parties are insincere. BY way OF lie
lustration ne relates the following, which
is particularly interesting ia view Of what
me Massachusetts people have recently
been saving about the negro in the South.
We quote.
Having helped usher this party into
pover the writer being i'm the convention
held in old Lafayette hail. Pittsburg IN
1Sj6 that crystauized IT'S first party pat-
form. tolng young man and novice
I'm political methods, ! was very sreatiy
SURPRISED al the evidences OF the lack OF
real integrity / saw manifested In lh@t
convention on the part of some of the
men who had done the most TO create the
abolition sentiment Horace Greenley'
who. perhaps more than amy Othcr one
man i'm lhe United States, had helped 10
fire the heart OF the Northern people.
used all his influence 10 try to prevent the
convention from organizing party on
the platform OF freedom TO the slaves al
that time. / WAS the more deeply inn
dressed from the fact that the reasons
he assigned for not organizing party
were almost the opposite from the teach
mes OF his newspaper-that slavery was
the sum OF all villainies. Mr. Greeleys
course Impressed me In that convention
that Horace Ggeeleys political ambition
ana nor Il hlgh-tOne1 patriotic desire 10
place the government of The American
republic upon the lofty plane OF the De-
clarotion OF independence, that all men
have the inaliensble right Of life. liberty
and haupiress" actuatcd the man; and
not only Mr. Greeley, but also with many
ofl,er politicians this the leading
motive.
lie says. moreover. that he became
more firmly convinced Of this fact when