New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-02-21

do, artists in government should not be honorable
exceptions, though We must confess that the
maxim ars celare artem' seems to be that which
is now the most assiduously cultivated. And if
there be architects, why may there not be also
| artists Of ruin' Look ut South Carolina Who
will not own that in all the mystery of pulling
down, of overthrowing. and Of tearing to pieces,
she is without peer! Great in ruin, who viii
say that in reconstruction she may not prove
| herself mistress
II we, too, might lapn into Mr. Quincy's
| train Of desponding reflection, we would appeal
| TO the young men Of the country, standing now
| in the morning Of life, strong cultured and I'M
selfish, hoping for public honors, but still aiming
at public uRefune,s. We would say: DO you
wish to be President Look at the old man
who dreamed in bis youth, and who has found
| in the sober certainty Of waking bliss only bitter
| ness Who, in securing the stool for which,
through 80 many long years be painted, sealed
| his own shame; and who has won at last only
| the contempt of his enemies, and the falsehOod
| of his friends! In these, the stormy times Of
| the Republic, he expires driveler, and Only
| not show, because nobody cares TO see him.
| Tried and wanting, trusted and faithless, sworn
and forsworp, old without veneraton, unfortunate
without pity his task unperiormed, his duty un-
done, bis ZANE by-word, bis existence a re-
pro,rh, and his reputation stencil, he counts
tho hours, and awaits tho day which will see
| him. TO the Joy Of the good for the last time
| totter down the steps of the White House. to
| crawl into night aud darkness, and there vain'y
to beg of the Muse Of History, which can i'll
spare such an example, immunity from being
remembered!
But in our work of discussion, we should not
| find Mr. Buchanan the sole pertinent example.
! Do you wish TO be Senator To be gggled
at in your robes, as you blccough maudin rhet-
oric after the manner of Wigfall the Witlcss
| Do you wish to be a Representative To
scream yourself into a bronchitis as you try TO
catch Mr.. Speakers car, or TO squirt yourself
into strabismus as you try to catch his eye'
| DO you wish to be a Cabinet Secretary To
steal the national money Ike Floyd, or to run
| away, when you are most wanted, Ike the
| Georgian Do you with TO be Chief Justice
Would you take the Office and with it Roger Il.
Tsney's name and famei Daniel Webster sleeps
well now; would you live the life be lived and
die the death he died Would you, for all the
sweet nattery which rottcd his originally sound
yirility, suffer tie heart-sickness which sent him
10 his grave, when hope grew weary Of telling
ner tale, and sycophants could no longer delude
hint DO you wish for minor Offices DO you
| then care 10 sbscond. like Fowler. and go spend
the remainder Of your life in exile, without a
character aud with little cash ? Do you hunger
to add word to the language, like swartwout
Queries like these, however discOuragng, and
however they may dampen IN ardor which viii
soon be blazing, should not be without whole
some influence. To be sure, we must, before
Government il impOrtuned by placehunters, be
sure that there will be q Government to impor-
tune. Perhaps the imminent peril of the Constt-
tuition may q little diminish the Oyerwecning
desire of holding Office under it. But there IL
ons Office which every man, whatever his station,
though great or small his estate, though uncon-
mon or commonplace his intellect, may hold-thc
Office of CITIZEN. We hope nobody will for.
get, humble as this may seem when compared
with Presidencies aud PostmnsIerships, that il is
not without IL hoDors and rewards II is for
the people OF the UDited States to show that
there il a bright side TO Mr.. Quincy's some
VIA! somber picture. Politicians 10 some eNton,
they must be. There are duties which
il would be- pcasanter 10 avoid; the canvass,
the caucus, and the poll, may not always be
agreeable 20 the selfrespectingj but it is because
the vote Of the intelligent man weighs no more
than that Of the stupid, that the former must not
BE- withheld; because the absence Of the first
lends a double weight TO The last. The honest
politicnn-we hope this collocation will not be
considered ridiculous-hclps to keep public affairs
sound aud sweet. Suppose all good men should
formally renounce all interest in public affairs
| Suppose q nomination for Governor or Congress
man should come to be regarded a mortal in
suit Suppose, in time, thieves should be SEN
fenced TO serve in our legislative halls instead Of
tho treadmill Suppose we should have no Pres
| idelt, no Courts, 10 CODgressl Mr. Garrison
might then be in all his glory, but would any
Other man DO particularly comfortaSei
No; we must take the world a. We find it. To
borrow the language Of profound but forgotten
writer: There is no convenience or advantage
$50 be proposed in human affairs. but what -,
some Inconvenience attending it. There can be
"no protection without hazarding oppression; no
"goiDg TO sea without some danger Of being
! drowned" And, to conclude these observations
with the most forcible illustration which occurs
10 us, We may say that while Dir. Buchanan has
been the worst possible President, yet he has
certainly been better than no President al all