Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-10-30
THE RUTLAND HERALD,
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1878.
OFFICIAL DIGNITY.

OFFICIAL. DIGNITY.
1t is amusing to see what importance
men derive from some little penny
royal office that they have been able 10
;ntrioue themselves into, and we have
even known men to do the dirtiest kind
of lobby service in order to create an
office that they might thereby wear the
empty title of Hon., or Judge. it was
one of the proud members of a high
blooded Virginia family that rehearsed
the list of important offices he had held,
running through all the executive and
legislation positions of his State, and
then bewailing the lack of dignity that
would attach to his name, if he should
consent to be pitted against petty 10
cal politician in contest for some little
county appointment. We always sup
posed it was one of the desires of every
true citizen to perform public duties
where he could forward most the pros
perity of his country, and promote the
principles of free government, and we
believe it to be false pride and mis-
taken appreciation of personal dignity
that lead men to scorn any position of
honor and usefulness, because they have
held one of more importance or greater
dignity.
Ex-Governor Horatio Seymour, OF
Utica, has never been man that we
were particularly partial for, and we re-
member his speech to a New York mob,
and his adverse action at the commence.
ment of the rebellion, too well to have
any feeling of satisfaction in his record.
He is man of most excellent personal
character, and has brilliant discerning
mind, and has been honored to the full
extent that his party could serve him,
both in the State and nation. He has
occupied the Governors chair of New
York, and only failedof being President
of the United States by reason of his
party being unable to poll votes enough
to elect their candidate; but with all
his honors Horatio Seymour consents tC
come from his quiet and happy retire
ment and become the candidate of his
neighbors for seat in the lower house
of the New York Legislature, being GER
tainly, in the light of recent experience,
the lowest place the people of New
York can send man short of the peni-
Tertiary. We are pleased with this
democratic simplicity, by which the
biggest man in party does not feel it
beneath his dignity to be candidate for
the lowest honorable office his neighbors
could desire to elect him to, and we
hope he will be elected to the Assem-
bly,
We have seen, in our own State, a
Governor serve out his allotted term, and
then, almost Immediately, accept nom
nation as village Trustee, in the next
municipal election of his village, and it
is no disparagement of his services as
Governor to say that he did his consti-
tuency more good as Trustee, than he
did as Governor. Andy johnson used
to boast that he had held every Office,
from Alderman of his native village, up
to President of the United States, and
yet, with all this dignity upon him,
Andy does not feel that he is belittling
himself by soliciting the suffrages of the
voters of Tennessee to represent them
in the House of Representatives at
Washington, in humble imitation of the
sold man eloquent" John Quincy
Adams of Massachusetts. We hope that
this view of the dignity of American cit
izanship will become more general, and
that we may be able to fill all our posi-
tons of honor and trust with the best
men for the place, without fear that a
good man and a fit man will feel insult
ed by being offered place inferior to
one he has previously held.
1t is not often that any public man is
too good for his work, and in an age
where there is apparently demand for
higher capacity and greater honesty in the
public service, the people ought not to
be deprived of the services of the best
men, from the fact that they have done
good work in higher station. John
Quincy Adams won greater laurels in
the House than he ever wore before, and
Massachusetts was far more honored by
MIN as the Representative of one of her
districts, than she was by his sitting in
the Presidents chair for four years.
We know many men who make better
justices of the peace, from having gained
experience as Judges of the Supreme
and County Courts, and we hope that all
men will seek to profit by the experience
of public officers, and that they will al
low no false pride to deprive them of a
valuable public servant on the ground
that the appointment Is not a promotion.
The man ought not to be honored by
office so much as the Office is honored by
the man, and when man has not that
character and ability that he can honor
the place to which he is called, hs is un-
fit for the place. Let us have snly such
public officials as we need, snd. if some
former Governor of th@ State will make
better selectman Than his neighbors,
there is no impEopriety in his being
elected and accepting the position.