, 1865-03-31

Poverty STRICKEN PoLITIcIANs.-There is al
ways class of politicians in every community
who put themselves forward and urge their
claims for official positions upon the ground of
necessity poverty We are by no
means unfavorable to a mans holding Office for
the simple reason that he is needy. On the con-
trary, we know that men of little means are as
apt to be as honest, and as capable of filling
office in creditable manner as those who
have plenty of means. But the class we allude
to particularly, are those who make the plea of
poverty a stepping stone to office. We recog-
nize the fact that many men are 'poOr, but hon
est but it is no less true that poor men are fire.
quently dishonest, and it sometimes happens
that the latter class set themselves up for i'm
portant official positions, and urge their claims
with such persstency and with such affecting
illusions to their poverty as at once to gain the
sympathy and the votes of community Per-
haps we are little hard-hearted in making the
assertion: that honest poverty should be
clothed with less assurance and found under a
more modest and unassuming garb. But when
a makes false plea of poverty in order to
ride into office, he not only shows himself to
be without moGesty but also shows himself to be
without honesty The "poverty dodge" per-
vades all parties and all communities, and is
practiced more than any other dodge by petty
politicians because it is more successful, as it
appeals directly to the sympathy of a. a.communi-
~ for support The better the poverty dodge is
played by the aspirant-the more helpless and
dependent he can make himself out to be, the
more public sympathy is by this means enlisted
in behalf of his deplorable situation, and he is
thus enabled to command more votes than he
could get under any other circumstances. A
melancholy and woe-begone expression of coun-
tenance, worn with becoming solemnity by the
aspirant, helps his chances amazingly; and if he
is little weak-backed and suffers more or less
from physical disabilities, so much the better.
Well assumed poverty, together with real or i'm
aginary physical infrmities, will secure poll
tician office without the aid of any positive quail
iications. We have frequently watched the op-
erations of this popular poverty dodge, in all its
peculiar phases, and never knew it to fail yet
when the part was well played. Now that there
number of Offices soon to be filed in this
county by the popular vote, we recommend this
plan to the various aspirants The beauty of
this system is, that man need not depend up
on the entire support of any political party
for election, as he can get the unsuspecting SYM
pathizers of all parties to vote him in. The as
pirant should not adhere strictly to any polti-
cal party bfore election, as his chances of sue
cess would be greatly diminished thereby; but
after he is in Office he can advocate the most ex-
treme partzan views with impunity, and until
near the expiration of his official term, when he
must soften down and straddIe the issues of the
day, preparatory to reelection. These hints
are thrown out for the benefit particularly of
those who have not yet become profcients in
the politicians code of "artful lodges and
they may.take their cue therefrom and profit
themselves accordingly.
In the meantime there is a project on foot
among some parties, it is said designed to over
throw the ''poverty dodge" The way this is
to be done is very simple, and the project looks
quite feasible. The agitators propose to watch
closely the maneuvers of all the aspiring office
seekers and whenever one is heard to make
his poverty plea for seeking Office, subscrip-
ton is to be raised for his benefit and the aspi-
rant set aside The only difficulty in the way
of this project is the probability of having to
levy too many contributions, as some inveterate
bummers may announce themselves as candi-
dates for Office simply to get the subscription
fee However, this difficulty might be got over
by a system of gradation-giving the candi-
dates small or smaller sums according to their
merits of 'iartful dodging." 1t is proposed to
let every aspirant have fair race for Office, rich
and poor alike, but woe unto the political man
ipulator who is caught springing the ''poverty
dodge" for this is to be considered the offense,
and as the President says, ''wOe unto him by
whom offense cometh" Every one is to be
treated according to his merits, and each must
run upon his merits alone, for otherwise he is
to fall beneath the potent ban of the "Anti-Pov-
erty Dodge Society"-for that is the name of the
association The Society has for its motto:-
Poverty of ITSELF is no recommendation to Of
Gee"
Politics ALL TIE RAGE.-Politics is all the
rage in this locality with the resident popula-