New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-19
TIE PROFESSOR and THE Wasp.

In a single line in tho announcements OF
nominations by the President the other day
there lay, for those who knew the facts, a
| sermon on the power of the press in the
publication OF politics.
Among tho grrdges against the existing
condition OF things which are nOurished by
The Daily Wasp, arc two that it has fed IN
commonly fat. One is becanss scholars aud
| gentlemen, as class, do not meddle with
politics and the other is that certain par
ticular scholars do concern themselves with
politlcs aud let themselves down TO tho low
level OF the politician by holding office Its
daily habit ia to critlcise with the utmost
severity the character and abilities of Govern
mcnt officials who owe their appointment TO
machine influence" and to demand on
behalf of pure politics higher standards of
qualification. This practice it varies with oc-
casiOnal sDeering attacks upon one of the
few men OF tho class 1t Processes q de-
sire to see installed in Office, who has actually
held office under the last three Administrations.
It complains of the low tone of politics because
so few scholfaa take part in them, and sneers
at this particular scholar because be does
take part IN them and is in some sense a poll
tician.
The gentleman referred to is n college pro-
fessOr and has been Collector of Customs for
twelve years at the port where his university
is located The duties OF neither position are
such AS to interfere in the slightest degree with
the discharge Of those Of the other and the
combined salaries are hardly large enough to
provoke the cupldity of competent rivals He
has performed the duties Of both with such
nd nd loft
no grounds for dissat sactlon or complaint
with his professional associates or the Govern
ing Board of the University, with the de-
partment of which be has been subordinate
officer, or the business community with whom
his position brought him into official rela-
tons. Not active in politics in the
sense of being q managing or intriguing poll
ticion, he has never shirked the duties of
citizenship or held aloof from any of its re-
sponsibilities; nor has he ever assisted IN the
deliberations Of caucus or convention that he
did not impart dignity to its proceedings and
wisdom to It's cOuusels. A gentleman of the
highest character and the purest motives, he
has done nothing in the twelve years in which
ne has held these two public relations that
did not reflect credit upon himself and Justify
the confidence Of the learned men who were
in intimate association with him, the admins
trations that appointed him and the commu-
nifty that hOnOred him.
And yet it has so happened that, upon what
ever occasion he has appeared in public, and
on many where he has been dragged in with
out provocatiOn, The Wasp has taken special
mains to direct attention to him as
man who was bringing reprOach upon
his college and disgrace upon sound
learning by holding Government Office
md professors chair at the same time.
That light wasted insect was understood to
have set to itself the task of driving him out
of one or the other place. Being nOminally
Of the same politics with the Professor, and
ostensibly devoted to the publication of poll
tics. its unanswerable buzzing became not
only monotOnous but annoying, and in the
last campaign, when the Professor was asked
10 take the stump, on which he IS an effective
sneaker, no YEARLY declined, because as he
said. 1t would only stir up The Wasp" And
when. his commission expired the other day he
declined to be again a candidate. The Wasp
had effected its purpose. 1t has driven our
scholar ont by eternally buZZing that it was
disgraceful to hold Office. No doubt it will
continue to buzz its dissatisfaction with ma
chine politics for not appointing scholars.
Meantime politics are purified by the elimina-
ton of a college professor from the public
service Oh Reform! what stupidlties are
practised in thy namel