The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-11-14
100 Many ELECTIONS.

700 MANY ELECTIONS.
! IL would, perhaps, not be extravlgont 10
/ say that q chief evil Of our political system
has been the frequent recurrence Of elections.
/ They are various In kind, and succeed each
other at very short intervals. The reprcsan-
! tativo principle extends throughout the whole
scheme ofpublic service, with but few eXcop-
tious We have town elections, State cleo
tions, and national elections, AMI wo put
| almost every civil officer in his place by
popular vote, from the President down TO
village constable. OF late years our love Of
the elective franchise has even invaded the
| forum Of justice and regardless Of allowing
party passions and influences to disturb the
sobrety and impartiality of the Courts, we
have actually committed the folly Of making
the tenure OF the Judicial station depend on
the ballot
The bad consequences Of oil this are shown
in several conspicuous forms. In the first
place we are pcrpetualy putting men in Office
| and turning them out. Aud this process is
| pursued without any reference TO the Charac-
ter of the officer or The interest of tho public.
The elections come round IN the order of
| bAiNh ApI'AhtAhphNt anu " hNNhNA LAloiN - VI -
not any real necessity or reason for change,
the business Of voting must be gone on WITH
and change is generally made. One result
is, that an uneXceptionable man is often dis
placed to make room for one WEO is compare
| lively incompetent and unworthy. Thus it
happens that we have but few persons in any
public office who are either familiar with their
duties, OF are encouraged TO perform them
faithfully or honestly by any just hope OF
being continued in their places on the ground
OF their merit. Hence the welfare of the COM
munity, and the morals OF its public servants,
are made 10 suffer together
A second notable effect Of frequent cleo
tions is the creation of q class Of men who
make politics a trade; and The country is filed
with them-their name is legion. They are
always either seeking to get into some COM
Portable situation, where they do little work
and draw large wages; or, being in, they are
ever striving by hook or by crook, to escape
being thrown ou' They rank in a certain
graduation, from the highest to the lowest
style of politcian-from a "tidewaiter" to a
> cabinet minister. They constitute q numerous
y and powerful body in the State, and practi-
= cally engineer the whole machinery of cleo
y tions. They determine the composition of all
" nominating conventions, designate the caudi-
y dates to be voied for, and so arrange matters
=, as to have themselves specially taken care OF
y in the distribution Of political patronage and
the like.
;, As Hamlet" said OF the players, that a man
had better have bad epltaph than their i'll
will, so may every citizen, who Is able and
30 ambitious to serve the country in any civil
- position, better remain in retirement than
o. attempt to gain his wish for public place with
n, out the favor OF the potential gentlemen who
~ settle all the prelminaries.
A third, and probably the worst mischief o
=. our many elections, is the almost inces5an
~ agitation concerning politics to which they
- expose the public mind. They return SO Otter
~, that there is no interval for a healthy repose
aJ AS fast as we get over one disturbance Of th
40 kind, we arc excited and harasled by another
- We are carried forward in an endless rount
-, Of contention.
-, We are hardly done with one heated politi
-, cal canvass before we ure preparing the plan
ho and engaging in the ntrigues for another
i1 This state OF things is most pornicious il
81 several respects Ii keeps the whole busnes
10. economy OF the country IN au unsettled con
.ho dition. With the eyer-wesent apprehension
Of sudden and radical changes in the admin
nr istratiye policy Of Government the entir,
no system Of our industry and commerce Is ren
,r5 dered unstable and insecure.
.or This fact has been remarkably illustrated il
IN, past years by the disastrous financial orise
that have followed violent or Fundamental
rl,, changes ia the revenue laws Of the nation
ns Thousands OF manufacturers, mercbauts, an
80 capitalists, who based their operations o.
; either q high or low tariff, on the policy c
no protection or OF free trade, have been RUNE
-os by an election which decidedly altered tn
INF composition Of Congress as 10 those question
no and thereby caused a disturbance OF the polJ
,st cal measures on which the general commerc
NJ, and labor Of the country were dependent. IN
ots basis not being permanent, all that Is bul5 0
IL must suffer Huctuutiou, and any one know
ith that such q condition Is unlayorable 20 indu,
red trial and commercial pro3peri.y oycryghare
.be 1t is moreover TO be remarked tha
ned the necessity which requires the publ
hat attention to be given without inlaunission {
md political cares-to the contests Of parties
our changes Of administration, and probable mod
an flcations Of policy in municipal, State, an
tbo National GoYernnent-turns the thoughts
individuals too much from their private affair
This is bad enough In is injurious n1uen,
en- the general welfare, Co say nothing OF O.
] Of demoIalizing tendency Of embitterel par
ub contests, which set neighbor against neigabo
the and friend against friend and disturb q
ea- peace and harmony, not alone Of society
for large, but even of the domestic circle
our For these, and a great many other lil
hat reasons, it would be well if the terms OF Sc
ier vice in all public trusts were greatly eStende
a and the number and frequency Of election
nts proportonably diminished. There are mar
3ns officials now chosen from year 10 year wi
mightbe elected tohold theirplaces during goo
ID, behavior; and there are others who, inote'
N. Of being elected every two, three, or fol
re- years. as now, might be given a much ie
ia limited term, subjcc. 90 Impeachment for hi4
...f a r.a. H. .rIl.