The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-03

world ever were, to snap their fingers
at conventional righteousness. They
had been able TO ride rough shOd over
law and conscience. They believed that
everything and everybody had a price
and that they had the price in their
pockets. But now they are fleeing like
frightened hounds over the face of the
earth. or taking the disgrace and pun
ishment Of common criminals. Judg-
ment has fallen upon them, as it must
| sooner or later upon all. There is no
peace for them.
Let us not be frightened by the
seeming popularity of wrong. Political
campaigns are often characterized by
| catering to the lowest passions and an
appeal to all that is base in the voters:
hut it is not always so. Deceney and
| righteousness have standing ground in
the politics of most cities in these days,
although it may not be the ruling ele-
ment in all of them. Occasionally we
have splendid example of what in
| tegrity can do; and these examples
ought to be an inspiration of all right
| minded men to stand for clean politics,
and to work for high-minded officials as
faithfully as hired henchmen work for
the other kind. Not only is this the
only way to sure peace of mind and
| freedom from the shame which accom-
panies every wrong course of action,
but we shall save our communities from
the fatal misrepresentation which has
befallen st. Louis.
Because bribery and political vice
was common there, it was supposed
that 1t had come to be taken as a mat
ter of course; that no one dared to re-
| buke it; that nothing else was to be
| looked for or expected; that even just
men acquiesced in it. And yet the av-
erage OF character is probably as good
there as elsewhere. If the really good
men had made their presence known
and their voices heard there would have
been enough found to stand with them
TO keep back the tide of shameless dis
honesty. 1t really takes but few
righteous men with God and love for
the right to save city. But they must
| love God and the city, they must love
truth and right enough to speak and
work and sometimes to fight for them.
An active minority of loyal men may
not seem to be ruling or holding offices.
but they may be doing what is just as
good, they may compel others to rule
justly, and so save the city from ruin
and disgrace.
While we have given this case a
political application it has also an ap-
plication to moral and religious mat
tiers in general. Wrong doing is ram
pant and noisy, and would have US
thing 1t is popular and triumphant.
When there is no one to speak for
righteousness, it is hard to think that
it is not so. Elijah stood on Mt. Car
mel alone while the priests of Baal
| filled the air with their ceaseless noise.
A less courageous man might we'll
have been frightened, but he stood his
ground, and God forsook him not At
the proper time his quiet word with
| the help Of God was conclusive, and
the noise of his enemies was silenced.
Whatever be your position, whatever
the overbearing rudeness of the enc
mics of righteousness. you can stand
against 1t If you will in righteousness
and finally in peace, while confusion of
face comes to those who seem strong
| in their insolence and unshamed vii
| lainy."