The Portland daily press., 1878-03-18
IN. Y. Tribune.l
Gail Hamilton Once More.
MIR. Derman Ii. Eaton's Path OF Glory in
the February Atlantic.


COMMON POLITICIANS AND fPERsONs OF IN.
TELLIGENCE."
When Mr.. Dorman B. Eaton has settled his
own status to his own satisfaction by counting
himself in among the heroes of imperlled lib
erty, he swoops up the remsioder of our couu-
trymen with great complaceucy into three
classes: I'm 1870, President Grant, who, as an
army officer, knew that person of intelligence
was filter to command, or even to serve, than
either Ounce or a politician recommended
such reform in a message" Who is it that
Mr.. Eaton means by "a common poltician?''
What class of his fellow-citizens is it that be
stigmatizes as without intelligence? In re-
public politics is the business and the duty
OF ALL Every man who is not familiar with
politics. interested in politics. and conscious of
a responsibility for politics is, to that degree
not an intelligent man. What is that small
class of uncommon politicians who are intelli-
gent, and from whom our officers are to be
chosen. as against that necessarily large class
of common politicians who, in the estimation
of Mr.. Eaton and in the alleged estimation
Of President Grant, are either unfit to COM
farmers and mechanics who 60 to the
polls in our Northern villages are not in
tellgent men, or does he mean that President
Grant filed the Offices or found the offices filed
In 1870, with the ignorant voters of the cities,
every man of whom votes the Democratic
ticket? Does he mean that the Federal office
holders. "a great proportion of whom" be pro-
nounces to be worthy men, are without intelli-
gence? Or by common politicians, does he
mean the State and National Legislatures?
My profound conviction is that Mr. Eaton does
not mean anything at all. He is too benevo-
lent and too honorable man wilfuly to SLAM
der any one in particular. "Ofice- holders
and politicians" have no more definite exis-
tsnce for him than the consecrated cross.eyed
bear for the little Sunday-sch ool girl. 1t in
vests one with an air of superiority to speak
contemptuously Of common politicians. 1t
is cheap and nasty way of disposing of ones
own failures to attribute other mems successes
to "mere schemiog politicians but Mr.. Eaton
would be Mortified to know that he had branded
Mr.. John Smith or Professor Benjamin Pierce
as persons without intelligence. Yet Mr..
John Smith is common politician" If at
tending caucuses and conventions, and voting
aud speaking and being member of the State
Legislature makes one a common politician,
and Professor Pierce is an ofice-holder.
But Mr.. Eaton never heard of Mr.. John
Smith, and Of Professor Pierce he
never heard anything but good. And there
must be thousands of common politicians
that Mr.. Eaton never heard Of and venture
to affirm that if Mr.. Eaton will take the trouble
| tor he LVaJa 1ofts, Io1r
numbers among his personal acquaintance, he
will find that nine out of ten of them are men
against whose official character he knows abso-
lutely nothing To put this matter TO the test,
that we may reason intelgently, that we may
know definitely what Mr.. Eaton means by
"persons of intelligence and what by "com-
mon politicians" pray him to name 10 the
New York Tribune ten members of Congress
whom he knew and whom he knows that
President Grant knew-for be speaks authorita-
lively Of President Grant as being like minded
with himself-to be persons without intelli-
gence; or ten members of the New England
State Legislatures, or ten clerks 10 the New
York Custom House, or in the State Depart
ment at Washington, or in the Pension Bureau.
A general sneer is not worth, as argument, the
breath that is wasted in utterng it. A stale
sneer does not increase in value with age. The
common politician" has been the block on
which reformers have trimmed their wigs time
out of mind. Now let US know whether be Is
only blockhead or whether he really has a
living and breathing prototype. Oar country
is in danger from its ignorance, but it is gener-
ally supposed to be from the ignorance of the
great herd who are not politicians, who vote in
masses as they are hidden, and not from the
lack of intelligence in the common poti-
cians," the men who deal in and direct politics;
who, even If deficient in principle, are acutely
and astutely intelligent; and who, If they shuu ID
fall upon Mr.. Dorman b. Eaton, would grind
him to powder so quickly that he would not
know whether he had not been a Dormouse
rather than Dormau in the flesh. 1T the
common politician" had no more correct per-
spective, and no keener scent for facts, and no
closer clutch of arguments than Mr.. DJrman
b. Eaton displays in this paper, he would never
be able to do US either the good or the evil that
he has done. Mr.. Eaton cannot hold himself
together two minutes at time, not to speak Of
Keeping a regiment in hand I'VE bavs de-
luded ourselves" says Mr.. Eaton, with the
theory that a Government, right in primo pie
and sound in framework, can be carried on by
the interested aid of party managers and their
dependants, and that statesmanship means
party management" And then, having thor
oughly griiled himself on Que side, tbs Sf.
Lawrence OF reform turns the other side to tue
tire and declares that 1--WE need to comprehend
tnau w stCuro uOuests economical and tft1clent
administration is not only one OF the highest
achievements of statesmanship, but
that II is one OF the most successful acts of
party management That is, we need to
comprehend in one senteuce the great truth
which the previous sentence had declared to be
adelusion. 1t is delusloD, says this person
OF intelligence that statesmauship means
party management, but it is truth that the
highest achievement of ststesmanship is party
management. 1t is delusion that people who
are interested in a work can do nothing more
effective for that work than carry it on
Mr. Eaton "hedges" in his first paragraph,
by affirming that not even the saintlest Of the
saints go straight up to heaven, but zigzsg con-
tinually. He has yet to learn that it by no
means follows that every man who is stagger-
ing along, Vrginia-fence fashion, is on the way
to heaven. Mr.. Eaton speaks with lofty con-
tempt of mere party leaders. His contempt
would be more imposing if we could see him
display greater frmnes and success in leading
one foot to follow the other on his own ac-
count.
Will Mr.. Eaten tell us what constitutes the
delusion in believing that right and sound
government can be carried on by the Interested
aid Of party managers and their dependents?
Would he have govern ment carried on by peo-
pie who have no interest in it, and no influence
over parties or no preference in parties? Mr.