Washington telegraph., 1843-09-06
QUALIFICATION FOR OFFICE.

QUALIFICATION FOR OFFICE.
There is widespread error in relation to
this subj CT, which oa accoun; Of lis importance
and its dircc, bearing aTon the desiinI's oi our
cGuniry, should be speedily corrected By The
people. In the time Of the Revolution, merit
alone was looked 10. ior the time was periious
and si9fmy one, snd self preservation, and ce
preservation Of every thing estifnabie III me-
required that all Offices shoIid be filed BY the
must meritorous. To appoint an imbeche OF
dishonest man to Office was to endanser eve
ry thing for which they were contending, anu
such thing was never thought OF. For years
after Victory had crowned our banners, and we
had become free people, this rule of promo
ton was rigdly adhered to, and Sir. jeiis rson S
| inquiries of the caGdidate-"ls he honest! Is
he capablel'' were all that was deemed ne
cessarv should be asked him. Whilst this
state of things continued. offices were always
| Gllel bg the best men, and the great interests
OF the country were thereby cherished anI
promoted.
| How stands the matter now! When n can
didaie asp'res to office, are the only questions
qsked-"Is he honest Is he pab.e ?" Does
he stand or fall upon his own intrinsic quail
tlesl Far otherwise; for the spirit OF Dema-
gogugisrn has frownsd the old Jefirrsonian test
INTO iisiavor, nnd the shrewdest underplotter
and iicrcest ranter in the political arena is
usually considered the must woFihy-and capa-
bic.
And how has this state ofihings been brough,
about! Are the people less inclined to reward
merit than formerly We think not !; for this
would imply decline Of moral virtue amongst
themselves, md We are far from believing that
aud intelligent ever they were. It has been
brought about by the deceptious blarneyings
Of brawling demagogues, who, conscious that
they could not stand the scrutiny OF the Jeiier-
sonian test. have eHdeavored to bring public
opinion aud feeling down tothoir silia:ed stan
dard. and thereby make the people the instEu
ments Of their own deterioration IN morality
aud Intelligence. From the birth of Locofoco-
ism, may this ruinous Substitution Of noisy ig-
norance and far'izan vocitcrsticn for intelli-
gence and true worth, be dated. All that Is
greai-all that is noble all that is elevated in
conception and benevolent in praciice-all the
purer qaaliti.s of the heart. nd.hgher caPaci'
ties of the mind-all, all are superseded by pSr-
tizan emptiness, and tie pitful ability to shout
"iurrs Tor Jackson."
We say it is high time that the people were
rectifying this dangerous error, and that they |
should elect those men TO the high Offices OF
our government, whose promotion would ele-
vate and not disgrace those who placed them
thcrc.lsa i less necessary now 10 heve,compeient
men at the helm of affairs than when We s,rug- !
gled for ex .stence amidst the wild terrors OF /
the Revolution Are the people less careful
now, in This particular. because they think no
real danger threetens us7 Let them beware
dangers always threaten government when
imbecilty or knayery have the h. lin, aud IT
true merit was the only Qualification for Office
in "times which tried mems souls" the people |
should require nothing less in times which are /
TO try the strength of their patriotism, and the /
of their political principles.