Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-07-10
JAMES A. GARFIELD.
Is ne a statesmans

Is He a statesman
The republicans charge upon US
that Tin conflict with opinions fire.
quently advanced by us) we have
put up a soldier as candidate for the
presidency against a statesman
Hancock against Garfield. In reply
To this charge we undertook last
week to prove that Gen. Hancock
had at the most difficult period of
our history shown himself a states
man OF eonsummate ability and
wisdom, and this week we propose
to enquire into Gen. Garfeld's claim
to be considered a statesman.
To do this, however, it is first
necessary to enquire what We mean
by the term STATESMAN" This
ought nos 20 be necessary, but it has
so frequently of late been applied to
men having no vestige Of claim to
the title, craftsmanship has been so
often COMPOUNDED with qualities
which have no affinity with it, that
we have to understand what we
mean by the term before we invest
igate any mans title TO it.
Statesman and politician are two
terms which have of late been used
as convertible expressions, while
the distinction which ought to he
recognized between them lies at the
very basis of true political judg-
ment. We accord to Gen. Garfield
the credit, whatever it is worth, of
being a politician of consummate
ability; we deny 10 him any trace
of the qualities which constitute
the statesman.
\ statesman, then, is man who
has devoted his life to a study of
those things which promote the
honor and well-being of a state;
who has studied throughout the
records of all time the causes which
have produced the rise and fall of
nations and is devoted with the
whole energy OF his soul TO the cause
of human progress and especially to
the advancement and prosperity of
his own country. He must possess
an instructive insight into character,
that he nay exercise sound judg-
ment in selecting the men on whose
cooperation he must rely for aid in
carrying out this purpose, and must
have preserved his own character
from suspicion of being influ-
eneed by low and paltry motives.
He must have a genius for organiza-
ton, but with him organization
must be a means to an end, and
that end must be nothing lower
than the highest development and
brOadest prosperity of the nation to
whose service he devOtes himself.
That is the statesman.
Now for the politician. He enters
on public affairs as a profession,
with his own advancement and
emOlument as his exclusive object.
He studies measures of public inter
est for one purpose only, that of
estimating the number Of votes at
tainable by favOring or opposing
them, as the case may be. Finding
that he can advance his interests
only i'm connection with a party, he
becomes an eager and thorough
going partisan, and contends with
INSCRIPTIONS zeal for the predOmi-
nance Of that party, only modifying
his regard for the party by regard
for his own interest in il. His pa
triOtism is such that he will post
pOne the interests Of the nation to
nothing except the interests of the
party, and the Interests of the party
To nothing save his own interests,
regard for which is the supreme law
OF his political creed. Should the
party prove ungrateful and value
his services at a lower figure than
his own estimates, he is always pre-
pared with excellent reasons for
transferring his allegiance. In the
earlier stage Of his political career !
he finds il necessary to become the
adherent Of an older politician, and |
a devoted adherent he is. As he
identifies the interests of the nation /
with the predOminance of the party, 1
so he stakes the success OF the party .
upon the interest of his leader, and f.
ne shuts out from even his imagina-
ton the idea of party success other
wise attained than through the
of the great man. a
time comes when il dawns upon his
intellect that his own
is even more essential
to the success Of the party, and
therefore to the good Of his country,
than that Of his leader. He does
NOT hesitate for a moment, but sac
rifiees his friend to the memorable
demands of public (and private) in
-erest. and strides over the dead
BODY of his leader into the place
hat was 20 have been filed by him.
he embraces politie3i opinions with
,romptitude when they seem 70 be
m the road to promotion, but with
prudent reserve and a Judgment
.Iways open to conviction should
hey seem to be leading him In a
IiRarenf direction. Conventions
md masz-meetings and eaHeuses are
he regions where he breatbes most
RELY. They are TO him intelligence
aiees in which places are sOSghfs
With political suhservieney as the
ee. They are gambling saloons,
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