Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-09-01
From the New York Evening postl
AS A PROFESSION IN THE
UNITED TATES

not to accept Il denomination to the Office of
Governor of Massachusetts, His chief reason for
withdrawing from a position which was rarely,
if ever, so satisfactory filled before, and to which
he would be recalled almost by reclamation, is,
we believe, the primary duty Of makinng more
satisfactory provision for his family than a pol
iticial career, with his notions of official pro-
priety, will admit of. With these views he has
accepted the position of Resident Director of
the illinois Central Railroad, and henceforth, at
least for a period of years, his home will be in
the State of Illinois. Of course this involves
his entire withdrawal from political life, for the
post to which he is invited is one which could
neither be conferred nor accepted upon any
other condition.
The step which Mr.. Banks has taken is sug-
gestive of profitable mcditations to the young
men of his generation. Here is n gentleman,
in the very prime of his manhood, who has
won more popular distinctions, ard, at the same
time, has more of them now within the lcgiti-
mate range of his aspirations, than any Amcri-
can of his ogc, living or dead. Though but
forty-thrcc years old, and the graduate of a
New England factory, Mr.. Banks's life has been,
politically speaking, an uninterrupted series of
triumphs, without one single reverse. lie was
repeatedly chosen to the Massachusetts Legisla-
ture, and twice the Speakers he was "A delegate
to the convention for revising the State Con
s%titulion, and was also called with great unan-
unity to preside over its deliberations. Three
times in succession be was chosen TO the House
of Representatives, and once it's Speaker, when
the Republican party achieved, under his lead,
It's first memorable victory in the lcdcr9l arena
he has since been thrice elected to the office of
Governor, which he now holds; there is no po-
sition, however exalted, und r the next ad-
ministration, il Republican-and there is little
doubt, we believe, that it will be-to which he
would not be esteemed an acquisition and
YESTERDAY there was no man in the country. eX-
ccpt Mr.. Lincoln, who would not gladly ex-
change with him their chances for the highest
office in the gift of the American people.
After such a career of uninterrupted and
honorable success, with everything behind to
fattcr and encourage him, and all that is most
dazzling and seductive in front to tempt his am
bition lust as he seems to have reached the
foot of the bow Of promise towards which he
has been so rapidly travelling, and where the
treasure which politicians most covet is sup
posed TO be buried, he deliberately drops his
mattock, turns his back upon it all, and prefers
to any distinction which political life can afford,
an honorable alliance with the great industrial
interests Of his country.
Such q phenomcnon-io feebler term would
!, properly characterize tin the horizon Of
, American politics is full of instruction to those
who know how to turn it to proper account.
1t is the most exalted testimony we have ever
been able to quote in confirmation of the doc
trincs we have frequently protested in these
columns, that popular goyergments, that is,
!, governments resting upon a broad suffrage ba-
sis and Il free press, cannot permanently retain
: in their service the best men OF the country.
f As the stream will not rise higher than its
fountain, so a representative government, in the
proper acceptation of that term, will only at
d, tract to its service the average talent and NOR
u atty of the people represented. We have been
feeling for years the silent operation of this law
9 upon every department Of our government,
y State and National. Every one who has made
the effort knows how hard a thing it is to get
our more worthy and capable citizens to accept
c political trusts of any description. To find
Americas great men We must seek the shades
n Of professional life. or the great centres of ma
10 ,erial industry. We take little risk in saying
II that there are more of the higher qualities OF
manhood employed in directing the productive
industry of this country than in all the execu.
tive departments of the federal government,
combined.
Of course we must not be understood to in.
innate that first class men are never to be found
N in political life among us, for the very states
man who has awakened these reflections would
u. - ming anu conclusive testimony against us
1t cannot he disguised that many of the clever.
est men this country has produced have devoted
the best energies of their lives to political EN-.
ployments. So we often see men in other pro.
Ic fessioms who waste a large portion Of their abil-
c tiles from never discovering until it is too late
'r that they were out of place. We only speak
of the tendency of our institutions to attract
the average virtue and intelligence into the
10 public service, and when it does attract a high.
er grade OF men, IT is, rs a general thing, their
misfortune il conduces neither to their happi-
ness nor to their usefulness, and in nine cases
out Of ten, discharges them from its service
disappointed if not broken-heartcd
The reasons why the best order of men arc
Y rarely found in the public service lie upon the
+ surface. There is no principle of political econ
omy more universal in It's application than that
the supply of everything will be proportional
to the demand. This Is as true of statesmen
Il as it is OF seamen or soldiers, or wheat or cot
ton. 1t is the tendency Of the representative
Of system constantly to circumscribe the sphere OF
: government, and to limit its function to the
il simple duty of keeping one mans hand off of
another and off from his property. This duty
does not require the first order of men it is a
!" sort of upper corstable's work at the best, for
which certain qualities that are not rare are
most important. Of course the supply will
Il correspond TO the demand. The public will not
y pay for Il better grade of ability than the SER
vice requires, and if il does the conception with
the multitudes who are supposed competent for
Il it is such that the chances of success are not
v sufficient to induce those who are good for any
thing else to incur its risks.
, If republican inst, utions did not have this
b, tendency, they would not deserve the encom-
iums which have been passed upon them.
= Hence it is that, with honors literally raining
upon him from ever quarter, Mr.. Banks has not
seen the day since he entered political life when
: he would not gladly have exchanged the pleas
ure which any of them conferred, for an as
y surance that the very moderate expenses of his