Year: 1861

Never, never in the history of this peo-
pie, was the danger Of national corrup-
ton and consequent destruction, so immi-
nent as at this moment. We hear it said
on all hands. that higher and purer
public morality, profounder reverence
Tor law, and sterner sense of political
virtue are to spring from the disturbed
ocean Of trouble on which our ship OF
state is now tossing. 1t would be worth
all it costs in money and lives, if the cor
ruptions of party politics could be cured
and moral health restored if we could
see the days brought back when honest
and capable men would he put into offices
of trust and power by the intelligent voice
OF enlightened constituent and venal and
ambitious demagogus would be hurled
from public confidence.


But the prospect before us is not bright
with such promise. Already the progress
Of the present conflict has been marked by
facts that fill the moralist and patriot with
the profoundest anxiety and alarm
Some of these we will frankly state.


l. Dishonesty in fulfllment of con-
tracts for the supply of the army with food
and clothing. One would suppose tn 1T
the very last OF all wickedness that
men could perpetrate would be making
money by inhicting suffering upon the
soldiers who have gone to fight the bat
ties of the country. But there are men
who will seize this as a golden opportu-
nifty to filth pockets by cheating the
government and robbing the army, and
endangering the very life of the great
cause. Humanity bushes to make the
shameless record but the men who are
base enough to do it, are among us and
claim to be respectable. The war will
bring out scores of them, who will grow
rich by the wrongs they inaict, and the
longer the war lasts, the richer they will
grow.


2. The appointment of politicians to
military offices, without regard to qualif,
cation. In the regular army of the Unit
ed States, and in civil life, there are men
who have had military education, and are
willing and anxious to take positions OF
responsibility in this war. But civilians
who have not the knowledge necessary to
command an army on holiday parade,
are ntrusted with the awful destines OF
this war. Thus far all that has been well
done in action has been done under the
lead of regular army officers, the blunders
and disasters have been the result Of igno-
rance and incompetence.


3. The most alarming among all the
signs of the times is the disregard shown
by many of the leading political journals
to the spirit and letter of the Constitution
of the United States. 1t is no longer
concealed, it is boldly avowed day after
day, that the Constitution must be inva-
ded, oversteppod in other words, tram,
pied upon, in order to carry on and carry
out this war. This is corruption of the
rankest sort. This is the utter abandon
ment of political morality; and the coun-
try is in the last stages of desirable exist
ence. when good men on whom we have
relied as the supporters of national virtue
tell us that the Constitution is not to
stand in the way of the President, in the
management of our public affairs. Such
men should remember that the Constitu
tion is above the President. No man
swears allegiance to the Constitution
And when the doctrine becomes popular,
as it is to. day, that in times of great pub
lie danger and national exigencies, the
charter of all our pulitcal rights may bc
disregarded by those who are sworn tC
defend it, THEN our libe rites are already
gone, and they can be recovered only b.
such struggle as it takes to cast out dev
lis from one possessed.


TO be fcrewarned is to be forear,ned.-
1t is tho duty of religious patriotism tt
sound the alarm, to cry aloud and spare
not. We know that plenty may return
after famine has wasted the land. Peac


may smile when grim war has hid his iace


and harvests may wave again over field


that have been fattened with blood. Blu


when moral corruption eats into the hear


of a people. and law ceases to be respecte


by those who expound it, the days OF ma


tional purity and prosperity are numbere


and we no longer have government wort


any good mans regard.


FANNY FERN says that it is just 9