The Shasta courier., 1867-08-10
Chronic O.iice-Seekfne.

Chronic Olice-Seekins.
One Of the most aggravating disorders of
California politics u-t now. is the rapid in
crease of the vast crowd IF offite seekers,
always tolerably respectable in point of
numbers. Whether the country is or .wn so
poor that men are driven into Office bunting
as an industrial pursuit, or that office hold.
ing has become peculiarly profitable, does
not appear. But certain il is that there
never was timeN when the country was so
cursed with pertinacious, impudent, button
holing, boring candidates for office as now
During the late Convention in this CITY for
nominating city and county officers and leg.
islatlve candldates. it was IA much as one 5
life WIS worth to be n member of the Con.
ventlon, or an acquaintance of member ;
Tor no man who was supposed to have any
influence in determining the nominations
could appear on the street without being a s.
saulted by some man, or half dozen men, who
had a = claim for the nomination. and who
desired to bore the unlucky nearer with n
recital of services, claims aud endorsements
There were more candidates for positions
than there were leaves in Valiambrosa, or
any other poetic locality. and each and every
candidate was sure that unless he was nom
mated, the people, that mystical, underlined
body, would rise up and repudiate the ticket
OF course, as it was morally certain that
some eleven Of every dozen candidates for a
single Office mut fail to secure the prize, il
is nls1 morally certain that there would be
eleven sorehead2, confident that they had
been wronsed, and that " the people were
euraged ut the wrong.
Allowing that there are eleven iisappoint.
ell candidates for every one who is nominal.
ed. 1t will he seen that the material for II
surehead = INDEPENDENT party increases a,
n most alarming rate of arithmetical pro
gression. The hungry pack who beseged
the County Convention, and failed tn get "A
they wanted, will surely contain a large
number Of irritated persons, who are ripe
t, any scheme which promises another snaI
at the bone which has been denied them, and
the sweets OF revenge upon those Of their
competitors who were successful That is
what is the matter with Sacramento That
city had a candidate for nearly every nom
ination made by the Union State Conven-
ton. and as all Of the State ticket could not
be made up OF citizens of the State Capital.
able and virtuOus as they are. a plentiful
crop OF soreheads sprang up forthwith. and
the county s0rehead, reinforced by these and
a few from San Francisco. made up and run
the Bidwell Convention, which was facetious
ly declared to be an expression Of the popular
will.
The worst features in the whole case is that
these political adventurers, with whom Office
seeking has become chronic disease, spread
decentralization wherever they appear. They
90 into caucuses and primaries with the
solemn declaration that they will abide by
the action of their colleagues, or those to
whom their claims are submitted but their
promises nre writ in water, and no sooner
are they satisfied that they are not the choice
ot the Convention, than they draw out in
disgust with very sore head. and the next
we hear OF them il that they are engaged in
getting up an independent" ticket Par
ties are for the purpose Of advocating and
advancing certain political principles; sore
heads are men who prefer that they should
have personal advancements, and if the
principles cannot be advanced in their own
personal interests. af1resaid principles must
90 to the wall. This is sort Of ''heads |
win. tails you lose" tactics, which is very
fashionable about this time. The disappoint
ed ofice-seekers are banded together for lhe
purpose of making up an INDEPENDENT"
ticket, composed exclusively of soreheads. -
Of course. II stands 10 reason that thev will
not all obtain nominations. 50 we shall have
a second generation of . rule or RUM sore
heads. They don't pretend to fnd any fault
with the ticket, but that they are not on It.
Ihe chances are that we shall 90 on indefn.
ite'y, and that the curse Of otice.seekine
will be inflicted on us until every man is a
party by msplf-AHa.