Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-06-01

The immediate present has been re.
narkablc for The number q expos
res of grating and various forms ~
,ubiic corruption. and II Il easy 70 Al
one 1 SELF 10 think that the pres
mi tendency iii our national life y
downward. The following picture
irawn by Senator Hoar Of the extent
Is which corruption perneated the
national iife i generation ago. viii
tend To give q d more hopeful View
ii The present and future. He says
when / came into public life IN
Washington, Iii 1869, the corridors q
he capital were haunted BY lobbyists
Interested III Ill sorta of schemes for
plnnaering the public treasury There
we're quite d number Of senators and
representatiyes Who we're suspected
IN their a~ssociates Of being xenal.
when / think Oh me conditions which
prevailed then and FOR the few years
folowingrTwced ~intrenched N power
III New York. I'VE Judges Of the Uni.
ted states courts fleeing from office
under threats. of impeachment for 3
rnption; the Credit Mobilier seandals
lie scandals attending tlie Austfiaf
exposition The lobbying the whole
ciyil service treated al patronage ~
powerful political leaders the report
Iii The committee on military affairs
iii The house recommending the exp,iit
sion ID four M its members for making
sale sof their privilege q selecting
youthf 10 Be educated at our great
military SCHOOL the impeachment for
corruption 81 fonr judges ~ New
York Inc Whiskey Frauds, ~ which
the private secretary of the President
was compromised the Belknap i'm
llpeachment; one eminent member q
Tho scantc saying 70 another, when g
lhad declared that be could ind ~
steal In 4 pending measure, that 4 tnf
senator could find nh steal ~ #, \
was not likely to be there; eight &C
Tive Republicnn leaders n Massachl
settes detected 10 state prison offences
three convicted, two escaping on tech
IntcalIties. two others fleeing from tn
commonwealth--it seems 70 me as !
we're living not only II another age
SIbut in another planet. We are won
fto consider the frst sixteen years IN
dor the constItutionr~the time Q
Washington. John Adams, and Jeffer
sons ilrat administration q simpl
and honest s But some sad storie
can BID told Of those days
After commenting on the intempei
Ar,ce Or the past generation as compaI
I'D to the present, the senator says
III do not know today d man In eithe
branch in congress whose countenancv
bears The indication that he Is 4 hal
ituai drinker Of whiskey coul,
'fhave counted d good many IN bot
houses Of congress tblrty-ave year
ago. While. then public and priyat
morals have grown better 70 thes
great matters, and our generation an
country compare favorably with an
other In the great matters BY whicI
these things are ested-integrity sol
f5riety In men. purity ii womeil~-the
have improved greatly hi other thing
Literally. charity public spirit, pit
for the poor and unfortunate. pcrvad
our public and Social life to q degre
unknown III former days
In conclusion he discusses the tei
dency 10 substitute public opinion e
private conviction d. The standard {
Individual conduct
III ii unquesifonably tr,le that thei
Ii i tendency IL every republic, Mher
, IN tho end, public opinion must rult
both iii government and ii the cundus
! OF daily life, u substitute public q
!. inlon as 4 tsandard Of morals for y
!, sensc % personal duty. The tenael
NV Is III oblitcrate what Matthew A
! mold calls distinction from indiyi
nai character. Individuality y mt
!, be lost. whether In opinion IN ordinal
behavior which depends upon tasi
of IN that part ~ behavior which Y
}. call morals, That tendency i
creased by everything which brin
mon together In different parts Of 4
country. In different places Or ran
of life. IN different social condition
n and mingles them In u mass. Eve
4 newspaper, every library. every ny
nc meeting, very iasge sossgss satie
every popular preacher, every famc
! thinker and Writer helps nevada
n to obliteratc The individual araIity 4
Il 10 make men md women more d
i mure like each other. whether q