Evening star., 1902-03-04
Washington on His Own Times.

Have ~" fallen upon lo" ard venal times
in cur public affairs? Are our public SER
wants, rule, unworthy Of their places?
Those who assume much go upon the
idea that the falhers of The republic were
implacabie. and that at the beginning
everybody worked with will wisely and
unselflshly for the country's welfare.
Let see. Washington ought to be
good authority, snd his latest biographer
Norman fEapgood. quotes him as follows:
eff I was to be called upon to draw
picture of the times and of men from what
l have seen, and heard. and in part know,
l should in one word say that idleneSs dis
SipatlOn, and extravaganza seems to have
laid fast hold Of most of th6m. That spec
ulation, peculation-and an Unsuitable thirst
fer riches seems to have got the better of
every other consideration and almost of
every order of men. That party disputes
and personal quarrels are the great busi-
ness of the day, whilst the moment touS con-
Germs of an empire-a great and accumu-
lated dobt-ruined tinanceS-depreciate
money-and want of credit (Which in their
consequences is The want of everything) are
but secondary considerations and oStpOned
from day to day-trom week to week as if
our affairs wear the most promising aspect
after drawing this picture, which from my
soul l believe to be a true one. need not
| repeat to you that l am alarmed and wish
to see my countrymen aroused?"
ccmmerclalism has but recently begun to
poison the sources of our aspirations and
power. Had we never taken over the Phil
ippnes We might have remained something
more than mere ey-chansers. But now
we are simply dollar-chasers. without con-
science patriotism.
We hear some very severe things said
about Congress in this day. One might
suppose both houses of the law-making
body to be composed Of the most worthless
or unworthy material The statesmen are
| all dead. Only small fry politicians survive
| and they are bent upon ignoble ends. Listen
| to what Washington haC to say about Con-
greSs in his day:
1T Is fact too notorious to be concealed
that c. is rent by party-that much busi-
ness of trif1ing nature and personal con-
cernment withdraw their attention from
matters Of great national moment. .
When 1t is also known that idleness and dis
sipation take place of close attention and
application. q man who wishes we'll to the
liberties Of his country and desires to see
it's rights established cannot avoid crying
out, where are our men Of abilities? Why
do they not come forth to save their coun-
t"y? Let this voice. my dear sir, call upon
you-Jefferson and others-do not from a
mistaken opinion that We are about to set
down under our own fig tree let our hith-
erto noble struggle end in ignominy-be-
lieve me when 1 tell you there is danger
Of it,
And in support of this opinion expressed
by Washington, Mr.. Hapgood proceeds:
John Jay then president Of Congress,
| wrote to Washington. April 1879, that the
marine committee was guided in it's deci-
sicnS by commercial agent in Europe and
his connections. There is he said as
much intrigue in this state house as in the
Vatiea but as little secrecy as in board
! I'M col xI,1
oommander-in-chief, in April. 1879. the poll
tics of Congress are really alarming And,
about the same time, 1t Is said, days and
weeks together are spent upon the most
trlf1ing disputes In the world: and those
generally of personal nature"
Now, with these things before us-and
they are of indisputable authority-why
| Should anybody despair of the country or
of his fellow-citizens? Why not abandon
that foolish and misleading notion that the
age of the fathers was a golden age In our
affairs? Those fine old gentlemen accom-
plshed great things, but they wrought in
the midst of much bitterness and under
countless discOuragements. Many Of them
died without much hope of the permanence
OF their labOrs PartiSanship ran high
then, as it does now. Abuse Of public men
body, Washington included, was accused of
being in politics for what he could get out
OF 1t. Early smash seemed safe pre- die
ton. And yet We are over a hundred years
old and pretty strong today. Maybe those
people who insist that we are hurrying to
quick destruction are mistaken.