attack, pursuit, and death; and nothing but military authority and discipline will defeat the bribery and corruption of a mere civil police by criminals.

If there had been a "Peace Marshal," with one hundred infantry, artillery, and dragoons each, in Kensington, on the day that St. Michael's church and the market houses were burned, he would have ordered a clearing of the streets, placed the whole district under strict military guard, and there would have been no riot, mob, conflagration, or murder.

The same course would have been adopted the next day, before noon, round St. Augustine's church. A similar proceeding would have been taken a day sooner in Southwark. A like measure would have been employed early on the day of the Astor Place riot, in New York; and the result would have been that the stores and dwellings of these locations would have been closed for a few hours or days; but no lives would have been sacrificed, no arsons perpetrated, and no encouragement would have been given for future rapine and murder.

The sacrifice of property and life, and the humiliating concessions of the impotence and indisposition of authorities for public constraint, by these awful and degrading catastrophes, are a blot on the country, which can never be wiped away. Ages must pass before their encouraging and stimulating influences will cease to excite and prick forward the outlaw and the murderer.

The value of the conflagrated property would have paid an armed police for either city for fifty years; and the shooting down of ten thousand murdering ruffians, much less the fine and imprisonment of half a dozen, could not atone for the loss of one innocent life.

At any cost-even if it be by the instant destruction of every rioter, as if he were a ferocious wild beast-the public peace, the persons, property, and lives of society should be sacredly preserved and protected; and all violence and rapine, the instant it rears its hydra head, should be crushed for ever into the earth, without delay, compunction, compassion, or remorse.

CHAPTER XVI.

POLITICS.

Delusion-Cabals - Factions-Examples-Venality-Primary meetingsPrinters-Politicians' ignorance-House of Representatives in 1849Benton and Foote, in the Senate-Primary meetings-Elections-Good men deterred, &c.-Extracts.

POLITICAL pursuits have fascinated, misled, and ruined. thousands.

Amor patriæ is the ostensible beginning of this captivating occupation; but it is soon lost amidst the mazes of faction.

The genuine spirit of patriotism is swallowed up in the excitements of party strife, and gives way to passion for victory.

These factions are led and ruled by hungry cormorants for spoils and plunder; and the loyal rank and file expend their time and money, and expose their health, characters, and lives, through all the boisterous violence, intrigue, and corruptions of successive campaigns, to witness the translation of their artful leaders into places of profit and power. This is the only harvest ever cut by the political reapers.

In front of this cordon of orators, torch-lights, and revolution, are found the indomitable and imperturbable candidates for office.

It is said of this heroic band, that no one of them was ever known to fight or sweat from heat, to shiver from cold, blush from shame, or look you in the eye.

They are impervious to heat, cold, insult, and shame.

The predominating trait in their character is a persevering, unflinching pursuit and cringing cowardice for office; they never despair, but scent up, and howl out for prey, like hungry wolves, till flesh is cast between their greedy jaws. Their tergiversation, treachery, and total disregard of all faith put them upon the footing of common blacklegs; and most of them are covertly or openly professed and practical gamblers.

They will spin yarn, weave tape, bribe, swear falsely, forge election returns, and buy and sell votes and offices; give

pledges to all sides, and for any purpose; swear to keep their promises, and afterwards repudiate them.

ARTS OF FACTION.

"They who enter into a faction do not properly reason weakly; but desert reason altogether, as one does who leaves his own to go into another country, whereof the laws, customs, and language are different. The design and centre of faction is to drive on such a project, and adhere to those who prosecute it. And therefore nothing must be allowed or argued but with respect to these. Hence it is, that in vain you reason with them; for one may transubstantiate as soon as convert them; all that their friends say is unanswerable, and they contemn and scorn what is said by their adversaries when they cannot answer it; there is no crime they dare not commit, for the guilt seems but small when divided amongst so many bearers; they warm themselves, by clubbing into a kind of belief, and they vote themselves into a shadow of infallibility; whilst they cry out against others as slaves to the government, they become really slaves to the faction, their liveries and chains being seen by all except themselves. But the great salary with which their bondage is to be rewarded is applause from their friends, or it may be the mob, to whom naturally their appeal lies; and the getting into the government, where they will be abhorred for practicing everything they formerly decried, and so have that reputation for which they toiled, blasted by their own old arguments."-SIR GEORGE MACKENZIE, Essay on Reason, p. 441.

At every important election in the United States, all these crimes are openly and publicly perpetrated, and never prose

cuted.

At every legislative session, bribery and corruption stalk at noonday. Presidents, governors, senators, and members logroll, are dined, supped, complimented with watches, and pretended presents, and loans by each other and by candidates; and participate in the most degrading reciprocations of sycophantic servility, intrigue, and fraud.

No measure can be carried without in-door and out-door secret and sordid stimulations. Members are hired and paid like brokers, to bargain and intrigue for the passage and defeat of laws. The respectable members are always in the minority;

they have no influence; and their speeches and protests are rudely and brutally gagged down.

High-minded men have resigned, and refused to re-serve, from disgust at these revolting scenes of iniquity and treason. Indeed, no gentleman of purity and independence can demean himself by feasting and social interchanges with gamesters, drunkards, defaulters, embezzlers, and political vagabonds, as is practiced at the seats of legislation; and those who make pretensions of respectability, and from sinister motives secretly participate in these humiliations, are sordid hypocrites.

Committees have repeatedly reported these abuses. No instance has occurred of a legislative or judicial prosecution, out of the numerous flagrant instances of uncontradicted corruption and villainy, which have been reported. On the contrary, they laugh off the most infamous perpetration; make a joke of ostensible reasons; and conceal the sinister and secret motives for all legislative action.

Curious instances of infatuation and treachery occur with politicians, that find no parallel in the other spheres of life, not even amongst thieves.

An accomplished and faithful deputy, upon the death of his principal, applied for the vacant post; obtained honorable introduction, and abundant recommendations to the nominating power; and amongst these documents he found one of them sealed. This was from a pretended patron, high in office. His restless curiosity and strong suspicions forced out from its envelope the missile of treacherous duplicity; he found an unsheathed poniard to his hopes.

"SIR-The bearer is an aspirant for the office of

;

he has desired me to recommend him; and of course I have said I would. A more presumptuous or impertinent solicitation was never made. He must not be appointed; nor must he know why."

Upon the success of a party candidate for governor, some years since, a certain clique was supposed to have control over the appointing power. An eager aspirant for an inspectorship, worth some five thousand dollars per annum, obtained the required recommendations, and handed them to one of these distinguished and trusty leaders, who, by pretended arrangement, was to obtain the commission. Disappointment followed; another got the office.

This failure seemed mysterious; the leader was pressed and pushed for explanation; he expressed apparent displeasure at the governor, and charged him with direct infidelity. The defeated inspector writhed in doubt. Some months afterwards, he obtained a private interview with the governor, and requested to know the reason for this oversight. The governor did not comprehend, and invited him to make a free and frank disclosure. This request was fully complied with; and the governor's reply was, a total ignorance of the whole affair. "Well, sir," said the applicant, "now it is too late; but pray, sir, there was time then; why not intimate to my friend that there was not enough, or hand him back my packet? You did not return it; nor did you answer my friend." "What do you mean, sir? Who was your friend?" "It was Mr. Well, go to him, and tell him he never gave me your letter, nor mentioned your name to me."

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The parting was mutually abrupt. The leader was sought, arraigned, accused, reproached, and in silence quietly bore the storm. Why don't you speak? What can you say? Is it so that you did not give him the letters? Is it true that you did not mention my name? Say, sir, what did you do with my packet? where is it? Will you speak?" "Well, when you will let me, I will speak. You certainly were not such a fool as to suppose we were in earnest? Your bundle was burned !" "Burned! why there was“Oh, yes; I know that; I took that out before I burned it. I found several others in the same way; your bonus was pitifully small; you ought to be ashamed of such meanness." "You villain! you infernal thief!" said the assailant; "give me my hundred dollars give it back, or I'll prosecute you for stealing !" "Very well; then I'll indict you for an attempt at bribery." sue you for the money. I will assign the claim, and swear I lent you the hundred dollars." "You can't do it." "Yes, I can; there is Steel and the Phoenix Insurance Company, that ruled that a party may sell his claim, and be a witness; you seem as cold and indifferent as a rock." "Yes, and I intend to remain so; do your best, my lad! Steel and the Insurance Company was overruled by Patterson against Reed! Ha!! ha!! ha!! ha!!"

"I'li

The primary meetings of all politicians are scenes of fraud, corruption, and violence. A discontented faction of a party decided upon a certain set of men for delegates; and their re