Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-09-18
Ofiice.IIoiding aud Wealth.

Nothing better illustrates the feel
Ing that pervades some politicians,
and, In tact, the people generally to q
certain extent, that politics Is trade,
aud the business Of the politician and
oillce'holder Is SIMPLY TO see how
much money he can make out Of the
position, than the remarks OF j, II,
Cotton at tho anti Banks meeting In
Charlestown on Monday night, Mr..
Cotton, who Is suspected Of being
something Of u local politician in his
way, is reported an saying in a speech
which he delivered on that occasion
that he understood one Of the reasons
urged by General Banks friends in
favor OF his election was that he was
poor aud needed the place. "BuI,"
says Mr. Cotton, "thls in itself shows
weakness, for a man who had for
twenty years held such offices as he
had, had no right TO be poor" This
idea seems to pervadc the public mind
that man who has held Office for
twenty years ought TO be rich. Office
holders have themselves done much
to create this impression, In tact,
they have done all that has been done
in this direction, They have gone in.
to Office poor, aud in few short years
have amasscd colossal fortunes, and
have done il under such suspicious
circumstances az to render the term
oflce-holding almost synonymous with
crime Yet Mr., j. II. Cotton il, we
believe, the first orator to hurl the
stigma Of poverty at an oflicc'holder
But, as before remarked, the circum-
stance well illustrates the general pub.
lie estimation Of the honesty Of the
ohice.ho,dels in this country. Time
was, and not many years ago, or just
anterior to the advent Of the republi-
can party to power, when poverty was
not considered crime, and when an
lice.holder could be poor without
having his ability to acquire or to save
called IN question. The remark is
suggestive of the popular impression
rather than of the speakers blunted
sensibilities, and indicates the pub
lies opinion Of the character OF the
average office holder. Too many men
60 INTO partisan politics as business
make it trade for the money they can
make out of it, The people have seen
enough of this, have had enough Of it,
and should now select their officials
for fitness and not permit designing
tricksters to foist themselves upon
them as public servants. The pro-
fessional politicians should be made to
stand back. No man should be per
mitted to seek office simply for what
he can make out of it. He should be
compelled to wait till the people call
for HIM, till there is a public demand
for his services, and the old Jeffersoni-
an test, ''ls he honest, is he capable.g
should be applied to every candidate
for public position. Let the people
take this stand, let them no longer
give countenance and support to the
professional politicians who would use
them as hewers of wood and drawers
of water, while they built up large
fortunes for themselves and lived in
ease and luxury wrung from the COM
fort Of the toiling millions; and the
lime will soon reach US when years of
office holding and accumulated wealth
will not be so inseparably connected
Is since the evil days when the repub-
ican party has held sway in our land.
II Boston Globe.