The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-25

upon the subject, to avoid those ever
lasting iealousies by which ] have been
so much annoyed Il would not for the
world that you should for moment
harbor the, thought that my confidence
in or regard for you, which have cherished
with SO much sincerity and disinterestedness,
had slackened in the slightest degree" Here
are butter and sugar combined The reader ex-
poets to find such letter signed Your tendery
attached Van Blatherskite." But the comedy
is that, before the end of. the letter. Mr.. Van
Burcn incidentally mentions that he had said
something to friend in Albany, who told II in
confidence to the Legislature! Mr.. Hamilton
disposes of the matter by saying that Mr.. van
Buren, concealed from him his intention to re-
sign because the Secretary knew ''the Chlets
promise, and feared that Mr. Hamilton would
remind him of it if he knew of the Intended
resignation. Mr.. Hamilton had the right TO take
this view, because in the beginning OF General
Jacksons administration, when he appointed
Mr.. Hamilton District Attorney of Southern
New York. Mr.. Hamilton's affectionate friend,
Mr.. Van Buren,, the Secretary of State, was
opposed, because he fanced that as the friend
ship was known the appointment might be
attributed to him, and injure his prospects OF
advancement with the Democratic party, as his
friend was the son of the great Federal leader.
It's ludicrous and pitiful, but it is the way of
apOlitiCan. II would have been interesting to
ask the venerable loterer in the Fulton Market
whether high office obtained by such means, ny
such inccssant sacrifice of generous impulse and
careful cultivation of selfshncss was satislac-
tory. Were those huZZas of u city that equally
saluted the japanese Embassy any reward Tor
the long long years of plotting: Was there
never an obtrusiVc thought in the mind OF the
blandly bowing President that he was in no
other sense the choice of the people than
forced card is the choice of the player! Il
shall stan1i my game, wrote Mr.. Van Buren,
after he had been 0ppoi%:gu secretary oL @'''e
IL was the motto of his life.
When an American is called a politician, we
say. this is meant-that his aims are wholly per-
sonal, and that he subordinates politics or the
public policy to his private advantage. few
such men, of course, closely observing the gene
raj indifference or ignorance quietly force
their game They make lis all vote for the
candidates whom they prefer, and with whose
success their own individual advantage is allied
The machinery of party is so skilfully contrived
that ii Is very difficult to resist il by organized
effort and the practical remedies are chiefly
tWo--CODstant discussion of public measures and
the sharpCst criticism Of public men in the press
and the most rigorous nciyidual scratching of
the ticket. In this way the military discipline
of parties may be broken. If party managers
learn by the awful experience of defeat that the
intelligent and conscientious citizens who do not
come to the primary meetings will not be absO-
lutely controlled by those who do, they will take
care that some kind of respect he paid to
decency intelligence, and the general welfare.
If, for instance. in the city of New York, the
really publlc-Spirited and wCll-meaninG citizens
OF every party should resolve that at the next
municipal election they would scratch Oft their
tickets the names that ought not to be on them
the results would be most impressive and bcne-
fetal. If anywhere corrupt and ignorant and
unfit persons are the managers of parties the
procurcrs of nominations. and, therefore the
real dictatOrs of Governors, Senators, and Prcsi-
dents, it is because the vast mass of the party
adopts without serious question the action of a
few interested individuals whom those persons
control. We ought all of us, indeed, to go to
the primary meetings; but we do not and, if we
did, it is uncertain whether the bullies would
not prevail. The individual remedy. then, re-
mains, and pens and pencils, with all their great
services to mankind arc never more scrviceablc
than in scratching the names Of unworthy cam
didatcS for Office,