It Acts
As An Incubus On Public Improvement, And Vitiates Public Morals; And It
Proves A Very Formidable Obstacle To
Religion, advancement, and national
unity; and so long as it shall remain a part of the American constitution,
it gives
A living lie to the imposing declaration, "All men are free and
equal."
Where the whole machinery of government is capable of being changed or
modified by the will of the people while the written constitution remains,
and where hereditary and territorial differences of opinion exist on very
important subjects, it is not surprising that party spirit should run very
high. Where the highest offices in the State are neither lucrative enough
nor permanent enough to tempt ambition - where, in addition, their
occupants are appointed by the President merely for a short term - and
where the highest dignity frequently precedes a lifelong obscurity, the
notoriety of party leadership offers a great inducement to the aspiring.
Party spirit pervades the middle and lower ranks; every man, almost every
woman, belongs to some party or other, and aspires to some political
influence.
Any person who takes a prominent part either in local or general politics
is attacked on the platform and by the press, with a fierceness, a
scurrility, and a vulgarity which spare not even the sanctity of private
life. The men of wealth, education, and talent, who have little either to
gain or lose, and who would not yield up any carefully adopted principle
to the insensate clamour of an unbridled populace, stand aloof from public
affairs, with very few exceptions.
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