Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-04-03

Strange to say, and 1t is not perhaps so
strange after all, the politicians are, a. a
class, tho most ignorant and stupid people In
the country. This criticism Is not Intended
to be applied exclusively to any party In par
tIculRr. It is true Of all parties, Republican
as we'll as Democratic, Reformers, Possums,
Passiyists, BOurbOns, and all the other diyi-
Eious and subdivisions into which our so-called
aud woud.be political leaders are split al
the present time. The hrst mistake which
the modern politician usually makss after he
Is elected 10 the comm on council or 10 Con-
gress Is to imagine that hencetorth and for
ever he Is absolutely necessary to the we'll
being, safety and temporal and spiritual hap
piness Of his constituents aud of the repub-
lie. The longer he remains In public life the
more exalted his own opinion Of himself be-
comes Every reelection puts him peg
higher In his own estimation; until finally ut
the end of ten or dozen years or so, he be-
gius To believe that he Is specially destined
and prcordalned To rule mankind and the
rest Of the world; to lay down laws, and to do
pretty much rs he pleases. He looks upon
hlnself as q great light set upon high
mountain, wIthOot whose rays all the rest Of
tue world would be In gloom and darkness.
There Is large number OF this class Of per
sons In Congress. There Is u still larger num-
Ter out Of Congress. The House 10 we'll sup
piled with them, but the Senate Is, TO use n
vulgar, but very expressive phrase, "chock
full" There are 4 dozen meu IN tho lower
branch Of Congress, aud there IL double that
number in the other who believe 10 thelr
heart Of hearts that the f1rty millions Of peo-
ple who lnhAbit this heAven-ordalned republic
Of ours could not for tWenty-four hours get
along without them. II they don't believe
this, then We arc very much mistaken; but
there 10 no OtLer way In which We eau ac-
count satisfactorily for one half Of what We
see and hear Of ut both euds Of the Capitol
Some Of the "new" gentlemen who get into
these legislative establishments arc even
more insufierAbly ignorant and stupid than
those who have been there for years. Most
Of them belieye they aro great men. Now,
when In this world Of ours, as 1t Is or
dered at present. any one becomes pos
sessed with the Idea that he Il great man
ho is lost. There Is no hope for him. The
newspapers may print his name for little
while, aud people may turn In the street 10
look at him, aud 10 admire the luster Of his
hat, or 70 erIticlse the cut Of his coat or his
finely chIseled nOse; he may be cheered on
the stump and dead-headed on the railroads
for this dead-head business Is one of the sub
stantlal marks Of greatness iD our day; he
may eudeayor to found a party, and see his
name printed aud paraded every morning
aud evening In twenty-seven editions OF
twenty-seyen newspapers; but It will all pass
away In a little while; his fame will take
unto itself wlngs and he will be forgotten or
ignored, and then he will be gloomy and
fretful and peevish, and begin to think he Is
not appreciated. THIS Is certain 10 be the
fate of every man In public life in this latter
half Of tho nineteenth century who imagines
that he has a divine commission Of greatness
thrust upon him!
This silent, shrewd, practical, common
sense, keen American people have q very
quiet but effective way Of nIpPlng budding
and even full-grown aud blossomed great
ness. As u general thing no one can tell how
/. is done; no one knoWs how II is donei but
more than once We have seen great man
20 TO bed famous and wake up, nod exactly
Infamous, but with neither fame nor iil-faIns
attached 10 him. As we said, no one could
tell how IL was done; but there II was. There
Is no denying the TACT. People say, well,
IL Ia only the old story republics are un-
grateful" That IL all nonsense. The repub-
llcan Is the most grateful form Of oil forms
of government Il Is the only form Of gov
crnment that retains honesty for honesty 5
sake, that rewards virtue for virtues sake.
Their, are. Of course, Individual eKeeptlOns,
but nevertheless tho great rule stands unre'
yersed. Who can tell the precise moment
when Salmon p, Chase fell when WiliiaE'
IL. So ard was depOsed from his throaS In
our old whiE hsartsl Who eau say exactly
where Sumner falledi whea sehurE ssceded
when Greeley took the hrsl step On the road
that every hour takes hln farther and far
ther from the Republican Parlyl
The flrst and prime blunder which our poll
uelans usually commit Ia 10 supposing and
acting as II the people were made for them
and not they for the people. They seem 10
thInk that the masses ars 80 much clay 70 be
nodded Into any shSPe or form At wlll-so
n,aoy perfonmlng circus Eteeds, 10 be driven
hIthor aud thither, TO Jump aud dance and
run and stand still at the crack OF the whiP
or the word Of command, IN the life oi
every political "greet Inau' thors comes 4
dime when he attempts 20 be The poiltlea
unR.mastsr In tho political circus. hOi d
20 very far back, IL came 10 Mr. Seward
and 90 Mr.. Chase, aud nov Il would seem 70
nave cuniv 20 Mr.. Greeley and Mr. SeHdrE and
NJ sumuer. These gentlemen havo stepped
,orv.rd 10 ada 20 The long iisl Of the Cllntons,
Inc Clays and the cssses who ~oald RUE
aud parties, dictate policies and
- 49,, ,,latforn,a and control Legislatures