Political Terms and Expressions
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POLITICAL TERMS AND EXPRESSIONS.
The character of our political contests is clearly indicated by the terms which the public in general, and the politicians in particular, are accustomed to adopt in speaking or writing respecting them.
In the first place we have an indication of the low standard of our general political morality, in the use of such terms as "spoils," as applied to the salaries and perquisites of public positions; and in the designation of offices by such adjectives as "fat." The employment of such terms as these clearly implies that honesty is not the usual policy of office-holders, nor a part of the creed of office-seekers; but that they regard official position, not as placing in their hands a solemn trust—not as investing them with a high and honorable responsibility—but solely, or mainly, as a means of recruiting their depleted purses by extracting from the public treasury as much as they can safely appropriate without rendering themselves liable to an indictment for larceny.
Another feature of our politics is disclosed by the harshness of the words employed to designate opponents. In the resolutions and speeches addressed to party gatherings, the members of opposite political organizations are termed "our enemies," "our foes," &c., and the contest is called a "campaign," "a battle," and other terms of like signification. In the use of this class of expressions we discover signs of the fierce and bitter personal animosity which political differences often engender. Surely independent citizens should be able to conscientiously differ from each other in opinion, and enrolenrol themselves in different political organizations without being regarded or described by each other as "enemies" and "foes."
Another class of expressions frequently made use of in politics is such terms as "traitors," "malcontents," "renegades," &c., as applied to men who have, in the exercise of their indubitable right, and probably from conscientious motives, separated themselves from a political organisation to which they were formerly attached. Of all objectionable terms employed in our party differences, these are the most to be deprecated. Their use indicates a domineering, despotic tendency on the part of the leaders of parties, which is opposed to the genius of our free institutions, and the adoption of them into our political vocabulary is fraught with danger to our republican form of government.
Straws show in what direction the wind is blowing; and a consideration of these expressions, trivial though the employment of them may seem, will serve to point out to the reflective observer the worst tendencies of our political contests. The class of terms we have cited exhibits a tendency to acerbity in our political struggles, a mean and groveling idea of political morality, and a tendency to unsupportable party tyranny and dictation. These, it cannot be denied, are the three most odious and most mischievous features in our politics; and we are satisfied that the constant iteration and repetition of the terms themselves is mischievous, inasmuch as it tends to familiarize the public with the ideas suggested by them. If we could get rid of these objectionable phrases, we should not despair of checking the prevalance of the ideas they represent. But as long as official emoluments are invariably described as "spoils," there will assuredly be a general conviction of the absolute right of politicians to regard them as matters of trade, bargain and sale. As long as an honest difference of opinion is suffered to be stigmatised as "treachery," we cannot be surprised to find ourselves subject to a party tyranny which is ten-fold more repulsive than governmental rigor, because carried on under a republican form of government and under cover of an alleged political freedom. Let us all endeavor, then, to renounce and discountenance the use of such terms as these, which convey ideas repulsive in themselves, and derogatory to our freedom and equality of citizenship.