The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-08-29
Ohio County Union Ticket,

The Union State Convention meets
at PnrkSrShurg tomorrow mt 10 \. NJ.
to nominate candidates for Governor,
Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer,
Attorney General. and supreme Judge.
Besides these officers. it is expected that
candidates for Congress i'll each of the
districts, and for the vacant State Sena-
torshipS, will be nominated. Strange
TO say. there is no very active COMPETE
ton for the majority ofthe places above
named. Considering that n nomination
at the hands of the Union party is
equivalent to an election, this is an I'M
usual feature. Generally the rush for
mere empty nominations is much
greater. Perhaps the poor pay that is
attached To most OF our State offices
has had the effect 10 diminish COMPETE
ton. We think ii has, and yet we
doubt the healthfUluesS Of 4 diminution
for such Il cause. As n rule, public po-
sition in any of the States is very poor
ly paid, and men of capacity and enter
prise lind it an uniuviting field to en-
ter. In England, where memberships
in Parliament are wholly without pay,
there is great contest and great compe-
IItiOn TO secure seats. John Stuart
Mill estimates that vicious and Corrupt
legislation costs England much more
than liberal salaries. And yet the theory
over there has been that unsalaried
places would attract only gentlemen of
fortune who were ambitious OF place
for its honors, and not for its cmolu-
ments. The recent exposures, however,
as To Nepotism, fraud and malfeasance.
have not tended to popularize that idea.
And what is true i'll England is true the
world over in these respects. Human
nature, alas! that it should be said, is
most vulnerable in an unfed condition.
We frequently think of the remark of n
friend of ours who says that You can
not buy all the virtues for five hundred
ayeur. And hence, after many exper-
imentS in the older States. it has been
found necessary. in order to secure the
services of the hest men in the State. to
pay them at least rcmunerative sala-
ries. Generally a high sense of charac-
ter goes hand in hand with the absence
OF Temptation. and especially of that
temptation which proceeds from sense
OF unpaid service. In all probability
our scale of prices in this State is we'll
enough for the present, and certainly i'll
these days of high taxes and burdens
grievous TO be borne by the people, we
would not advocate n change. Let ev-
erything be ut its minimum for the
present, however defective the princi-
pie. But still the effect will be no doubt
as we see it, that mere position unac-
companied by profit, will not be greatly
sought after by desirable candidates.
AS WE do not belong to that class of
political editors who believe that no
candidate can he elevated in the csti-
NATION of the people, but nj the expense
of the individual reputation of his op-
nent, we do not propose to conduct the
opening canvass, as far as we are con-
C"rned, upon that principle. OF the
public acts of public men all of us have
a right to speak, and to form our opin-
ions of the men according as those acts
shall warrant. Withprivate character,
except where men have been guilty of
crime, we do not believe it our right or
duty to intermeddle.-Idrk Ga
Iette.
We congratulate orr contemporary on
the progress he has made, and are glad
TO give him our hand in appreciation of
what he says. y few days ago we had
occasion to point out his wholesale per-
sOnal arraignment of the editors
throughout the State, whom he termed
"Radicals." We are glad to hope that
subsequent reflection has determined
him 10 adopt n better method for adj
vancing his political views. Indiscrim-
mate personal abuse Of candidates,
simply because they are candidates,
is not only foolish practice in poll
tics, but it is low and vulgar in the last
degree, considered in any light what
ever. Besides, it is utterly unproduc-
tive of benefits to those who conduct
canvass in that way. The more sensi-
bic portion of the community, be their
affiliations what they may, become dis
gusted, and turn a satiated and incred-
nlous ear to whatever emanates from
such sources.
Men aspiring to public positions are
proper subjects for newspaper criticism,
provided the criticisms are gcrmane to
the candidacy Of the aspirants. Mere
personal abuse is not criticism, and
convinces nobody, but on the contrary
ottends everybody more or less. Often
times it is impossible to separate n
nn'sprivatc from his public character.
Generally speaking, a'man,who has not
good private character has not Il de-
Hirable public reputation, and rice
DerSn. Personal vices unfit a man for
public trusts, and he who has not tho |
respect of those who know him best. 10 |
rarely worthy of anything beyond in
an official way. There are exceptions. |
however, and unfortunately it is one of |
the necessities of our generation that
men have to be averaged both rs re-
CARDS their capacities and their vices, !
and not judged by an abstract standard. |
Hence the very indifferent character of |
political cnndidatcship the country !
over. Aud hence the reluctance which |
the best class of men in almost every |
community feel to becoming candidates |
for any office whatsoever.
But bad rs is the general comDloxion |
of the oficc-sceking throug, it is modo
to appear to double disadvantage NV
the efforts of the strictly partisan press.
Shortcomings in an individual, not .
more than noticeable in his private life |
are at once magniiied into very large
and very dark blemishcs in his charac-
ter when he becomes n candidate. A
man has need, indeed, to have the
whole urInor of the gospel " on him,
who expects TO run Il very long political
race and come out unscathed at the
nd