It has been said of past nations, that side by side have grown in their
midst the elements both of greatness and of ruin. There is one phase of
our society, as Americans, which is more to be dreaded than all others
known to the philosophic mind, that is the reckless licentiousness which
characterizes many politicians during political campaigns.
In ancient times a grand safeguard against this debasing practice was
found in the law that said, "Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of
my people." This evil, like all others, when it becomes a strong habit,
is well calculated to stir up anger, and wrath, and hatred; to stir up
the passions, and destroy confidence, which is always and only
disastrous to the social state. This growing evil needs to be checked
by some means, otherwise our country will experience tumults growing out
of maddened party ambition, and party interests, which will cause
disaster and grief. The ballot-box needs to be guarded with wise and
severe laws, because it is the pivotal wheel in our government. And next
to this, because of the relation it sustains to our government's
welfare, is the reputation of our public officials. I would not screen
them from their just deserts, but I do say that the leaders in political
affairs should be, in common with all others, too high-minded to indulge
in slandering each other, as many are in the habit of doing. It reminds
me in some of our political campaigns of the cursing-matches of the
Popes, in some of the councils that were held during the dark ages. It
is possible that we have in Indiana, and perhaps in some of the other
states, sufficient law upon the subjects of slander, but law that is
disregarded, being seldom enforced, amounts to nothing. Then, there is a
disposition growing out of the pride of character to disregard the
slanderer's tongue. Yet licentiousness tends to civil and social ruin
all the same. That is to say, it destroys confidence, breeds retaliation
and corruption, and inflames all the baser passions known in the dying
agonies of a civil government. As an American citizen I would warn our
people to manufacture all the public sentiment possible against this
low, vile, and debasing practice, by pleading with our countrymen
against it. And let us never hold our peace until we shall have thrown
such safeguard around our ballot-box as will put an end to all the
abominable corruptions that now threaten our existence as a free people.
Is it true of us, that we carry the seeds of our own destruction as a
nation in our own bosom? Are we to die as a nation, over the ballot-box?
Shall we be so foolish? Let statesmen and politicians look well to the
essential elements of the nation's life, by the advocacy of reform at
this point where reform is most needed. And let Christians of every name
plead for morality as an essential qualification for a place at the head
of so great affairs as belong of right to the people of counties, states
and nation. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any
people. It is time for us to look after the moral elements of every
man's life who proposes himself as a candidate for office in our midst,
but we can well afford to be satisfied with the truth. Shall we look to
this?
While we pray as Christians for such rulers and authorities as will look
to the permanent and lasting interests of our country, let us vote as we
pray. Do we pray one way and vote another? If so, let us repent. Do we
pray for righteous rulers and for a good government and then vote for
profane, wicked men; for men of intemperate habits, men who are
perfectly indifferent to the moral welfare of our country; men who will
disregard the welfare of the nation by neglecting the elements of
national greatness? If political parties triumph in this government
through slander, trickery, whisky and corruption, and continue to do so,
the time will inevitably come when we will realize the facts of national
ruin. We might as well think of a man having good health and living long
upon the earth who takes poison into his stomach continually, as to
think of future glory as a nation if we carry out our purposes by
dishonest, illegal measures and by railing, in a slanderous and
unjustifiable manner, against the best men of the nation. It has been
said that political parties are necessary as checks to corruption, but
when parties themselves indulge in all manner of corruption in order to
succeed as parties, they are no longer checks, but abettors of
corruption.
Let the preachers, whose business it is to reprove sin, and who have
been kept from taking the risk of being shut out of Paradise, by being
kept out of politics(?) open their mouths and be heard all over this
country against all these immoral, vile practices indulged as a means of
political success. The ignorant, fossilized partisan who looks no higher
than party will perhaps raise a yell of indignation against them, but at
the same time he will continue the use of the same old argument, viz:
the pool of politics is too filthy for preachers to meddle with. Is it a
filthy pool? Then let us bring all the purifying elements of the nation
to bear upon it and see if there is anything in it besides corruption.
If there is not, the sooner we find it out the better, and if there is,
the sooner we get it separated from its corruption the better.