nine-tenths of the so-called big men who fill public offices, are traitors to conscience.  To be a successful politician, conscience must be stifled.  A man must pretend to be any and everything that his constituents are.  With him policy is everything and conscience nothing.

as a guide to your actions–conscience has nothing to do with right nor wrong–it simply says you must execute the verdict of the faculties, sitting as jurors.  An Indian sincerely believed it his duty to kill the white man who invaded his domain, but that did not make it right.  For a thousand years the church believed it was right to burn, and kill heretics, and others who did not believe its creed–but that did not make it right.