Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1875-06-29
Communicated
The Importance of Good Off
, Cials.
Communicated
JEB.

w ASHINGION 20, "A.
June 21st, 1875.
There is now an existing restless
feeling in the minds of the great mass
of our people, to accomplish much
that can not be safely entrusted to other
than men of experience and ability We
see striking exhibitions of this kind al
most every day; men acting in such a
manner as that they are only able to
bear themselves for the hour, with
but little thought or care for the future.
Oh! what a miserable mistake is this;
what wretched results must evidently
follow, crushing the most vital ele-
ments of all the more important and
material interests of any people. 1t
has been said by one who has risen
above this degree OF surface thought
and action, that if we but drop q peb-
BILE into the great ocean of water, that
wave after wave will succeed each 9TH
eT, Entil the farthest shore is reached.
Just so with the almost numberless
amounts of small acts that mako up
the sum total of our lives. Every
thing mas q sensible connection with
something else. We may speak just
word, or perform but the smallest act,
never for a moment suspecting that
the bright-eyed boy, who may see or
hear, will be indelibly impressed one
way or the other. How careful then
ought those to be who must serve us
as our standard bearers in all the more
important positions of life. Now
whilst we cherish for the future of
this great Nation the fOndest hope
that she may improve upon the high
standard she has erected in the past,
and oftimes stop suddenly in the at
tempt to compare ourselves in life
and action, not only with people of
this country, but with those also of
other and different countries, and
whenever we have done this, we new
er fail to be impressed with what
seems to us. as for this present period
of time, to be reality. What for the
political world of to-day? We find
in Office perfect host of men, most of
whom are working upon double sala-
lies, whose services their country does
not nCed-whO have to some extent
been imposed upon the people, in the
most wreck less and unwarranted man.
mer. And just so long as we are COM
peeled to support this horde of officials
for whom we have no use, and the
party in power will tolerate them for
party purposes; and just so long as men
support their friends, simply because
they are the friends of their party,
or serve them some purpose that is not
general to their people-just that pc
riOd of time in the main, Will we
have a miserable set of officials, and
none of us are able to calculate TO what
extent our country is imperilled by
such q course. TO some extent these
things have always had their power,
but this great soil is growing upon us
rapidly. We are continually elevat-
ing improper men TO office by liquor
and strategy, in any illegitlmate way
that men can devise, and to that eA-
tent is this thing becoming prevalent,
that soon if il be continued, men who
feel themselves fitted TO fill our places
of trust and emOiumcnt, will also feel,
that so little estimate is set upon them
that they can not afford to get so low
as to offer their services to the cOun-
try. Then in the selection of our pub
lie men. let us look to their qualitica-
tions. Let US select such men as are
of good morals--Of experience and in
formation. We want men who will
get the drift of the current before 1t
has run by them--men who are always
on the alert, and who will have inhu-
ence. Especially is this necessary in
selecting our men for the Legislature.
VIDETTE.