The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1876-06-17
OF WHAp WE MAXI PRESI-
m DENTS.

DENTS.
Alex.n.,e- Hamilton ono,, .aii
Tie of.ic. Of Prcsidcnt i'll seldom fall
10 the lot II any msn who - not ~ an
(, u,inent degree endowed with the reqnl
site qualifications Talent. for low in
trigae and ths little arts OF popularity
may alone susHae go elevate man TO the
first honors Of a single State, bat It Will
require other talents aud different
Kind Of merit u establish him in the es-
tcam and contideuce of the whole
Union" This prediction. though ut
ter..i 10y one Of ,he gr,atest statesmen
OF Am rie4.. has tecn sigusAy falsife.i
Ly the history Of this country with
few exceptions the Prrsideucy has fall
en into the hands Of men who were not
the most eminent. either If the nation
or Of the PARTY 10 which they belonged.
Neither Calhoun. Clay nor Wehs'er
were able To obtain the first III the
Gift of the people. The fact that first
rats MOI seem 10 bs prsctically intel
ligible for that position has ATTRACTED
Attention abfoad ss wellss here. The
London Iin1s. ina late discussion 81
American institutions aud affairs. looks
back over the list of American Presi
dents. and can only see, after the great
men Of that .ra .tlssppsarsd. " row OF
colorless responsibilities" only broken
by the " rugged figures OF jackson"
aud by tho strong originality " Aors-
ham Lincol,,. ThsE,ccess Of the latter
it Explains asa . lnexy accidont the
politicians who nominated him over the
head of Steward never ianc'ed he
would develop any commanding quail
ties" tho Times ~sess no reason ior
hoping tina, the future will differ IN this
respect from the past, because, the
causes continuing. the effect will also con-
'sss. * ,,I!.,sg 4 sg N. nv L. .aa,,s4 {. %Ss
that all are OF respectable parts. Mr..
Conkling belng AZ elective dehater aud
Mr. Blaine an able parliamentary lead
er. But no one pretends that these
gentlemen are the equals. in natural
aud acquired fitness for the place. of
use,. who sre supposed to nave no
eha~ccs a. all. Such is the depressing
conclusion Ia which the London Times
comes upon the subject. and II reaches
1t hy the same line of reasoning adopted
by the slats Johs Stuart MIL. The
Springfield. Mass. R,t,itStan states that
some years ago. IN conversation with an
American friend. Mr. Mill expressed
the op,uion that the American people
might as well reconcile themselves. to
the prospect of succession of second
rate President II they occasionally
got ane ofa difierynt sort 1t would bc n
happy accident. as In Liucolns case
= First gaie u.eu, said NJ, Mill.
shave convictions. aud fight for them ;
that makes enemies, no party likes Ia
nominate a man " ho has made enemies"
The Republican thinks that the dis
sgss al,lc thing about ,his sort Of talk is
that IL has altogether too much
fact aud philosophy in IL The te,den-
cy in our politics Is evidently toward
mcdiocriiy. The preference is always
for meu whom the machine operators
can elect first and use aftcrwari.
Even where . man IA hot Of first rank
~ 81 siatss,nsssl>ip,vt,s hsss-asown him
SELF conspicuou-ly honest in rendering
public service against public plumber
ess. there ere psli,,ciass who shake
their lwsdsat tic nssntivn Of his name,
aud Ay hat they shear ~sthe Whiskey
Ring. for instance, is very powerful ~
tae VI est var ~
Ttr old aphorsm ilm, tbs office
should seek the man. and not the man
the otiiee. ssensto have hcoome ohso-
lo.e The spectacle offered by Blame,
Morton and ConAIing ID their personal
struggle for delegates Is not cucoarsg
ana. Ihe stalcptssd low hitrie.. AMI
little arts Of popularity Which Ham'l
tn thought would Ne, suffice To cstab-
lish iaan in the confidence % the
whole country. appcars 10 oc the main
reliance of these seekers for .he Pre.i-
dsuey. AL over the United States o.
Ecc- holdsrs arc engaged ia la boring 10
rromcsc the ,rrscnai asp,rs,i rs Of this
man OF tha, fur the highcs, office in the
gsf, II the people. and not contcis; With
that seem 10 be TRYING 70 lim~ the pop
nias olnwe a. the .thfee nian bove-
named. thas prostisatlng the pubhc
sesuce 10 parely personal ends II
There is 30 IL any permanent. ~tsecsiss
reform IN pablio Affairs. 1t ~ill come
when office Is accepted, AMI NOT sougl9s,
IN order TO serve the public The pros
ps<s Of su,s a ehaayc Is tos ~r, bright
a; present Ants yet r may bc ths
the effect If late exposures of ot'igial
srrrupiion sai pro:ilgac. may 10 81
star ap uaa reople 20 In / shat the pol
iticiaas shalt lock up ard preson, the
best men for tbs highest Official posi-
lions in the osaptry, or ia d~fsu!s Of
that. tha, ,Ae SOY esesgns vail disregard
party traces and take ,u,c ,hesr own
hands. ~i;hoas rsgasd ~ party mseh,u-
csy. the ehese0 # puhlir ssrranis 100 G.sl.
sfsasfx >as.