The Political Corruption of Our Nation.
There is no surer precursor of ruin, than corruption. It is like the hectic flush on the cheek of the doomed consumptive. When moral principle is lost by the rulers of a people, when those in high places of responsibility and power, cease to regard justice, righteousness, and truth, the stability of that nation is gone. Anarchy and ruin will speedily make it their prey. All history attests this; and our own government may not expect to follow in the steps of past nations as they sunk into vice and corruption, without sharing their fate. According to the present aspect of affairs, we could not expect this nation much longer to remain peaceful and united, did not prophecy indicate that it will continue as a unit till the end. But this does not prove that the government can long continue; it only proves that the end is very near. The disgusting objects that occasionally come to the surface on the agitated sea of political strife, only reveal the corruption that exists in the foul depths below. The papers severely comment upon these abuses, and are supposed to be exaggerating; but the half is not told. Astonishing disclosures have been made since the resignation of Secretary Cox; on which the Nation says:— “The newspapers are generally believed to exaggerate most of the abuses they denounce; but we say, deliberately that no denunciation of the condition of the civil service of the United States which has ever appeared in print has come up, as a picture of selfishness, greed, fraud, corruption, falsehood, and cruelty, to the accounts which are given privately by those who have seen the real workings of the machine.” In connection with this, look at the following picture of the state of things in N. Y. City. A late New York daily says:— “The Rev. D. C. Crawford, D. D., preached last evening at the West Eighteenth street Methodist church on ‘Political Reform,’ from 1 Sam. 9:6, ‘And he said unto him, Behold now there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man.’” “This city is governed by a cabal called the ‘Ring,’ which is in turn controlled by all the thieves, murderers, rum-sellers, rum-drinkers, blacklegs, and keepers of houses of infamy, within the city limits. They say to this Ring, ‘Put in nomination for office such men as we want, or we won’t vote for them.’ The Ring obeys the commands of this ruffian rabble—this detestable ‘riff-raff’—and what is the result upon that most important branch of the government, the judiciary? It has become corrupt, and the ermine has fallen on the shoulders of men before whom it is impossible to secure the conviction of the most notorious criminal.” And these exhibitions of corruption are not the freaks of some individual political monster, but the organized workings of the different parties. For instance, it has come to be the practice of political managers, to make an assessment upon all those holding office under the party, of a certain rate per cent upon their salaries, in order to raise money to promote the interests of the party, and keep it in power. And this assessment is made, not on the legitimate amount of their salary, only, but on the amount, also, which it is calculated they will steal! Think of that! This fact comes to light in the correspondence given below. A person whose salary was $6,000, was called upon for $1,000 for party purposes, it being an assessment of 2 per cent upon $50,000; that is, upon the $6,000 legitimate salary, and $44,000 stealings! Thus they proclaim themselves an organized company of thieves, as verily as the lowest combination of villains, who make it their business to purloin goods from the shops of our cities. If history furnishes a parallel to such practices in any nation claiming a position in the social scale above semi-barbarism, we should be glad to learn it. “In the Nation for November, 17th, there is published what that paper very properly declares to be, one of the most singular bits of correspondence ever laid before a civilized public. It has long been usual for the party in power to procure funds to defray election expenses by assessment on the salaries of those in office. But the correspondence from which we give the extracts below presents the agents of the Republican party as levying this assessment, not only on the lawful salary of the incumbent, but on the supposed amount of his stealings. Thus, the salary of Gen. Francis Barlow, of New York, was $6,000. This was all that an honest man could make out of the place, though others have made out of it as much as $50,000; and in political circles, this was understood to be the value of the office. Last year, before the time of election, the General received the usual printed circular calling for money towards the party expenses, the blank space for the amount being filled with the words, ‘$1,000 for yourself and subordinates.’ The General, in his reply, says:— “I presume this amount was fixed upon, under the impression that this office was very lucrative to me and my deputies. My income from this office can by no possibility exceed $6,000. The general rate of assessment on salaries I understand to be two per cent, and I enclose my check for $120, being at that rate. Whether in or out of office, I am desirous of contributing whatever I can afford to the necessary and proper expenses of the party, and I regret that I can now only afford to give this amount. “As to my deputies, they must each contribute such amounts as they feel able to do. I cannot impose it upon them as a duty, and I cannot undertake to collect anything from them. I have submitted the communication to my subordinates, and you will no doubt hear from them.
Yours, etc., FRANCIS C. BARLOW.
United States Marshal.” “This check for $120, was returned to General Barlow, with the statement that the assessments made on government officials were not made on a basis of two per cent on their salaries, but on the ascertained income of their respective offices. General Barlow, in his reply, says:— “You speak of the “ascertained value of my office,” as distinguished from its salary, which is only $6,000. I do not know from where you ascertained its income; but I do know that whoever has received more from it than $6,000 per annum has not received it honestly. I should be sorry to believe that dishonest gains of public officers were so recognized and accepted as matters of course, that they are made the basis of expected contributions,” and adds, “The check for $120 is at the service of the committee if they feel that they can accept it.” This last letter was returned to the writer without observation, and the check never called for.” All honor to Francis C. Barlow, the man who stood up against such political rottenness, and refused to barter his honor for his office! But what a state of things does this reveal! Does not the prophet’s description apply here: “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores”? And what is the threatening against such a state of things? A country desolate, cities burned with fire, and for the evil doers, the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.