Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1878-11-22
selefted seliseellanp,
HOW STATESMEN ARE EDUCATED.

Ex-Goy Seymour in North American Review
The plan of carrying down classes of
duties to those who have special in
telligence with regard to them, and Pc
culiar interest 10 their wise and honest
execution, is a wonderful educational
system, without which it would be diff
cult to carry on our governments. Its
workings are more clearly seen in the
country than in cities. In many in
stances in our new and wild settlements,
uneducated men have been made school
trustees, holding their meetings in log
houses or in other humble tenements. =
All have been struck with their efforts
to act wisely, stimulated by their anxiety
for their children. The writer has
watched such men as they gradually
gained knowledge of town laws. He has
seen them fill different local Offices, be-
come members of county boards and of
the State legislature. AS Governor of
New York he found them better grounded
and versed in all that relates to legisla-
ton than many who have the advantage
of wealth and of education in academic
or collegiate form, but who have never
been placed in positions where they have
taken part in the work of local duties.
The plain men thus educated are those
who, within few years, have gone to
the West, and have founded, organized
and set in operation great States. They
have done wisely what would be deemed
works of craftsmanship in other parts of
The world Many of US remember when
Illinois, now the third State in impor-
lance in our Union, was but a part Of
vast wild territory The immigrants,
trained in town duties, made their homes
there. In little time they built up a
State, one of the most prosperous in the
Union, adorned with cities and enlight-
ened by learning and religion, with more
railroads than most Of the empires of
Europe. Yet this great work has been
done as quietly as if it were matter Of
course, and with the same case with
which they built houses and barns and
fences.
While we differ about the rights of
the States or Of General Government
under the Constitution, we agree that
there is a distribution of jurisdiction;
that all the forms of local government
spoken Of do not exist The purpose is
to inquire what duties these distributions
impose upon each, and how far their
honest, patriotic performance will work
out reforms in government, and bring
back simplicity, economy and integrity
in the conduct Of public affairs. II is
not only believed that this can be done
but that we have already made progress
in that direction. Wrongs can no longer
be perpetrated with IMMUNITY, which
aroused no resistance but little time
since. This is true alike of local, State
and National affairs. Put back into pow
er the men who plundcred the city of
New York give them all the advantages
of the laws, organizations and alliances
they then had, and they could not hold
their ground for single day. No one
would now venture upon the plumber of
the National Treasury by credit mobilicr
UT hluufCu SCncucS, UT WOulu udTc W
destroy our great channels Of commerce
in New York by fraudulent contracts.
We 90 not now ask what should be
done by State or general governments.
We reverse the inquiry, to learn what
each citizen should do where the control
of majorities is restrained and the rights
Of minorities aud individuals guarded,
where a field Of duty is marked out for
every man, and where the spirit and |
genius Of our institutions demand that /
the special intelligence Of each citizen
shall be used to promote the general
welfare We must look 10 this ground
work whenever we seek to correct pub
lie abuses, or 10 reform the administra-
lion Of State or National affairs. When
Lbe lofty spirc Of some temple Of religion
sways from the true line. We do not DIS
,u,s the influence which its pinnaclcs ex-
,rt in throwing it from its proper posi-
Ion, but we look TO the condition Of its
Jase aud buttresscs, and spend our labor
here to restore its uprightncss, for we