The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-12-03


"a AND VALUE o. TIE BALLOT.'
If the ballot is worth anything to the
workingman, it is only because be can so
apply it as to secure honest laborers an hon
est discharge Of all public trusts. Good
laws, Affecting eatn and al II alike, qz z
no especial privileges to any person or class
of persons, comforting no peculiar franchise,
jUdiclOusly comforting the powers of official
to a strict Interpretation Of fred laws, IN
movable, except at the option Of a good
majority Of the people are essential to the
well being Of the wOrkingman, upon whom
the whole people are dependent for support;
and in order that be may enforce their en-
actment, be is possessed Of the privilege Of
the ballot, and bis vote IS made to count
equally as much as that of the most pre-
tentious grandee in the land A free bal
lot is the corner stone Of Democratic gov
eminent, but indifference as well as venali
| ty, may make it the foundation Of one com
lining the evils Of all governmental sys
TENS with the beauties Of none. SO gener
ally is this indifference displayed, that ]
have often seriously thought il would be
well if politics were taught in our public
schools, fraught with as many dangers az
such course would, as politics are to-day
conducted, necessarily be. Not one Of The
evils however, which now attend the pursuit
of politics are necessarily incident to it, and
the calling of politician may easily be ren.
dered as estimable a one as that of any other
professional mtn. Though a mechanics Of
laboring mans employment is not in any
sense a degrading one, it is SO considered BY
many, but certainly il not paying one. Or
the other hand, though We all know thai
with rare exceptional instances, wherein
personal merit, or the crying needs of some
particular locality, wise superior to knavery
and cunning, a successful politician is but
another name for a successful rogue We
show politicians degree of Difference that
we fail to consider due to a Workingman, o.
any other man in the lower walks Of life
4 Beside, the successful politician almost in
7ariably returns from the field of bis labOrs
a wealthy man-not that the salary attach
ing, or the Legitimate perquistes belonging
I to any Office are sufficient to make an hon
est man wealthy one, but because as the
result Of insufficient safeguards, official
position affords opportunities for peeulation
which the lucky ones are seldom slow to take
advantage Of In my estimation a public
officer should Be paid as well, but no better
than a workingman. A few very respons
bic offices need 70 be filled by persons Of
unusual abilities To these it is right we
should pay unusual salaries, but we fail to
see the justice Of lowing an officer to make
so much out Of two or three years public
service, that be deems it safe risk to ex
pend thousands Of dollars in securing mere
" nomination. In our own city, be-
lieve, close upon hur 1red thousand dol
lars was expended, this fall, by three con
testants for the honor of nomination to an
ONCE which, though comparatively 70
sponsible one, ought not to pay its occupant
more than two or three thousand dollars a
year, at CuC -Jst. There are Offices in our
city n which can be made more money than
We pay the President Of the United States.
Even the most insignificant of offices which
can be ereditably flied by the most ordina-
ny men pay much greater salaries or divi.
dens than an honest workingman can posi-
bly, make. For these reasons, do not
wonder that the plums Of office are 40 Gag
erly sought after or that cautious parents
advise their sons to shun politics as a some
thing unclean aud communicating to the
touch, or that trades unions and other asso
Citations deem it such a prolific source Of
rascaity and discord that they prohibit it,
entrance into their deliberations
have mentioned my disposition 10 advo-
cate. including among other things taught
at orr public schools Of the SCIENCE ot pol
islcs. or perhaps | shall b. better under
stood if | say the scIon'r Of government, 10
several, but most men Object that the plan
will not work, or that It Will cvcuiaie IN al
tercations between the pupils To tins |
reply that it il not proposed to leach party
tactics, Or 70 advocate party measures, but
n tAp.dn thu -ou--lLt.uu, tui ,s"- That
nave been enacted under It, and to have
prepared and taught as impartialy As may
be, the political history of cur own and oil her
governments. The primary object of this