Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1875-06-08
THE RUTLAND HERALD
THURSDAY, JULY s, 1875.
POLITICAL FAvoRirIsM.

in, is real popular desire lor poHtlcai
reform of more thorough going sort
than any we have thus far seen. 1t is
felt that our great mechanical inven-
tions and our growth in wealth and
population will but poorly offset the
shameful corruptions that have been
shown to be deeply seated in our body
polite. We suspect that it would
hardly add lustre to the American name
on the whole, to invite number OF In
telligent foreigners to Philadelphia next
wear, if they were to find the news
papers filled with exposures of rings and
thefts and mal-administrations of public
trusts.
But the practical difficulty is, how to
get rid Of these things. III such things
are to be done this year and next we
shall not succeed in hushing them up.
Nor ought we to desire to. Somehow
or other, for the sake of our national
reputation, we feel that we must cleanse
ourselves. Under such circumstances
we have good opportunity to rid our
selves of some vicious ideas which will,
if unhindered, do us'much more harm
than merely disgrace us in the estimation
of foreign nations. These are ideas
which are not embodied in laws, but
which have come To- have almost the
force of laws. They are not in gym
pathy with our political institutions or
traditions. We owe them partly to our
recent history which has been in some
respects un-American, but in greater
degree to the labors of set of men who
have assumed most of the prerogatives
of a ruling class. We are with good
reason jealous of aristocratic tendencies
and particularly hostile to undue politi-
cal influence from any class. But yet
we have suffered an order of men to
grow up whose power In public affairs is
we'll nigh irresistible. Now these men
have not as class won their influence
by any remarkably honorable methods,
and we are very well aware in what
manner they have been using it of late
years. They have made the noble pro-
fession of politics mere trade with very
disreputable standards and practices.
The tactics employed by these men
have been shrewd enough as might have
been expected of men who are not in
capables by any means.
We have been persuaded that politics
were capable of proper handling by any,
body and that there was nothing in
them requiring any special knowledge,
capacity,or training. Politicians, whose
sole business and career in life is con-
nected with public affairs, and who have
received most thorough and protracted
training for their business, have succeed
ed in convincing the people that no
training whatever is needed by the legis-
lators and Office holders of the land. So
ii happens that we entrust the delicate
and difficult duties of legislation and of
the civil service to men utterly unquali-
fed for the places by either study or ex-
perience. The politicians education is,
as has been said, thorough and exact,
but only with reference to the carrying
of elections the management OF caucuses
and the construction of platforms that
shall mean nothing. These gentlemen
about political economy or political his-'
tory. So far as they know or care there
are no truths in the science of govern
ment except those of keeping the party
in power, and offending nobody.
Having succeeded in breaking down
the idea, grounded in common sense and
the experience of men though it be,
that nothing whatever which is so i'm
portant and difficult as politics can be
conducted without some special qualid-
cations for it, either natural or acquired,
the next step is easy. 1t is this. Since
all men can have offices there must be
some principle of selection. 1t is I'M
necessary TO select those who may be
thought best qualified for no qualihca-
tions are called for. Consequently we
will distribute the offices az rewards.
AS matter of fact this idea seems TO have
become fixed in the minds of many good
citizens, that offices are not trusts to be
committed to those best fitted to dis
charge them, but are acknowledgements
of services rendered. Men who have
been ''good workers for the party" or
public benefactors, or successful bust
ness men, or 'genial" men, or soldiers,
or ''poor but deserving" men-these and
similar classes of citizens are considered
most eligible to office. Apparently this
plan should give us good class of pub
lie servants, since the offices are given as
rewards OF merit. Really, however, it
is only the professional politicians who
profit by this arrangement. There are
always enough of them present in legis-
lative bodies to manage the "green-
horns" and to carry through their own
ubiquitous schemes whenever they judge
the public temper to be in safe condi-
tions for such experiments. When the
rascalitles come to light it is next to inn
possible to fix the responsibility upon
anybody. There is such puzzling mix
ture of dishonest cunning and Ignorant
honesty in our congresses and legisla-
lures that common people cannot tell |
which is which. They know that some
how or other rascalities are perpetrated, |
but they cannot believe that their own
good honest representatives have been
the rogues. The conclusion is, that it is
all a muddle, but middle of very ugly
qualities, which are bred In the hone and
cannot be cured.
We firmly believe that one important
point would be gained if the people only
understood that offices of all kinds are
not rewards but trusts. Favoritism is a
common charge against kings and it is
indeed . very serious evil. Yet We have
here kind of popular fsvoritism of no
less injurious sort. 1t is an evil thing
under the sun when any but the fittest
men get the offices, and it does not mat
ter whether kings or people appoint their
favorites to places of trust. There are
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