Evening journal., 1901-12-19
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 10, 1901
.srrwED IN CoRRUPTioN'

.srEwED IN CORRUPTION"
There Is no lack of ingenuity dis
played in bolstering up political opin
ions. Specia. pleaders are ever ready
10 perform a service for those who
are willing to compensate them. His
tory. or that which is made TO pass
as such. is quoted in order TO give
support to factions or organizations
And meanwhile the real substance o
the matter in controversy may be un-
touched. To hold that politics is a
subject outside the pale OF the ordi
mary principles governing human con
duct, is at variance with ali ethical
teaching; it is repugnant TO morals, &c
conimonsense and to the fundamental
idea on which our Republic is founded
A party which justifes its existence
on the grounds that It is using with
new effectiveness the weapons of its
enemies, admits it's depraYlty. An or
ganization that admits guilt i'm the
matter of prostituting the ballot, but
seeks to avoid censure by declaring its
purpose of instituting reforms. has for
feited public respect A party is COM
posed Of individuals and these cannot
escape the responsibility for their acts.
There are men whose conduct is a
patchwork affair; they decide a ques-
tion of religion by a certain standard;
one of business by another and po-
lltical conduct by preconceived notions
of that subject Sudh a character is
apt to be fun of Inconsistencies, and
may not be Judged by any test save
those which take into consideration THE
particular relation Of the act Other
men are we'll grounded in principle,
and when their conduct in a certain re-
latiOn is known, one may judge with
somei certainty what VIII be it's ma
ture under other circumstances. A
character may be directed by inhu-
enees- without OF influences within.
A man may in a measure, be re-
sponsible for the conduct OF his church.
but he is primarily responsible for him
self The same ru3e holds good in
politics If one casts his vote for un-
fit men and improper methods, he can
not shift the blame upon the organiza-
tion as whole; it rests upon mis- own
shoulders, The individual, not the
party, is responsible for Addicksism,
and this cannot be evaded. Many per-
sons, who, in all ordinary relations in
life, we respect and admire, are guilty.
then, Of buying votes. guilty of buying
legislators elected by the people to
perform given service. They are
guilty of seducing men to betray sol
emn trust, and guilty OF endorsing
these acts by a subsequent vote of
confidence
II has become quite common to ex-
cuse party crime by urging party ne
cessity, and the charge of the worst
corruption is met with, we've got the
votes" 1t seems strange that in at
tempting 10 excuse and justify real
crime good men urge their necessity.
Ordinarily every man will admit an abb
stract wrong, but refuse to admit that
II applies to his party. But when an
organization depends for its very ex-
isterce on political crime, then even
abstract virtue is attacked, and the or
dinary rules OF human conduct are de-
MED.
We have in Delaware a political or
ganization which has been built ON
the rotten foundation Of avarice. HUI
man Ingenuity has been exhausted in
the endeavor to excuse its acts. From
the party standpoint it has been lille
climate from the start. II has lower
ed slae whole moral tone and made
votes its god Il has expressed the in
tenion Of winning, no matter how, and
in the eyes Of decent men it stands dis
credited and disgraced. Its case is sc
hopeless that in the face OF an aroused
and indignant public it does not hesi-
tate to ipcite its agents to pervert thf
truth, not occasionally, but day by
day. We think the high-water marx
was readhlsd last winter, and that th,
end is near.