Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-10-22

to such degree that their histories their char
acters and their faces have been as familiar In
this country as those of any cabinet ministers
Englishmen know Mr.. Lincoln, Gen. Grant and
Gen. Garfield as they know Sir Robert Peel
Lord Clyde or Mr.. Forster. Not one of the
three has been man of fortune or has indeed
possessed anything like a competence while
two have died poor men. Mr.. Lincoln. until
his election, lived upon his earnings as LAWYER
and when he died, after six years OF the presi-
dency he LETT his widow SO little that subscrip-
ton was raised for her by his friends, and an an
pcation was made to Congress for a pension
Gen. Grant, when he was called to active
service, was far from prosperous-had, indeed
scarcely anything except his income from a
small business-and though he has received
large gifts and has enjoyed the highest salary
given in the Union for eight wears he has still
to supplement his pension by work as chairman
of corporations. Gen. Garfield when he died
was found to be possessed of IS 0O0 consisting
chiefly of farm. probably over-valued, of 100
acres, which he cultivated HIMSELF out of his
salary as President he had effected an insurance
for &5. 600 more, but even with that addition the
whole property left behind him was only elO COO
The facts are interesting, for two reasons They
show that the pursuit of politics in America
even when the politician is successful is not for
an honest man, paying profession; and that ca
reers are really open in the United States, not
only to the lOwly born. but to the
poor. They are not it is true, quite open to all
citizens. though that is the boast of the country
repeated on every Fourth of July with the en-
tire assent of all who hear it, 1t would be
quite impossible for mulattO to reach the pres
idency, if his descent were known, and excess
sively difficult either for Catholic or man of
avowed atheistic opinions We will not 80 the
length of saying that neither of the latter could
be elected, for the Catholic might be a success
full soldier, and the Free-thinker an Admiral
Farragut; but no convention not carried away,
as in the case of Mr.. Lincoln's second cleo
ton, by an irresistible popular demand,
would ever dream of proposing either
of them for the popular vote. The Catho-
lie would be suspected and the atheist
disliked, nearly tour-ffths Of all American Pro
testants being, if not orthodox in theology, at
least convinced supernaturalists 30 convinced
as to retain distinct dislike for men of mega
tive opinions. Still, the obstacles to rising Of
fered by low birth and want of means have in
the United States, been very thoroughly swept
away. 1t is hardly possible to go below log
without education, or money, or anything but
himself, came General Garfield, who, as a lad
of sixteen, could not write, and as a mature
man beguiled the tedium of camp-l;fe by
annotatiOns on a pocket Horace" That a
man SO situated could, without the favor of anv
patron and without accommodating wealth, rise to
the very top. is a sufficient proof that any man
| without negro blood and not convinced Cath
0llc can attain any political position in the
United States. 1t is not quite so in Europe.
outside France, and we rather doubt if in Eng
land the tendency is toward that perfect equal
ity. 1t may be attained in France where the
charm of birth as a political factor is entirely
dead, and the only possible dictator is the son
of small grocer at CahOrs, and the actual
president was peasant, where Protestant.
Jew, or Catholic has an equal chance of the
ministry, and where candidates affect poverty
as a recommendation.
In England, however, the equality is still far
to seek trace of color probably would not
hinder man much. or low birth, il he were
not ashamed of Though the latter weights
him heavily, the popular feeling and the popu-
lar reason not being quite in accord; but he
must not be Catholic; and in politics he needs
money at every step of his career. He cannot,
to begin with, either dispense with education or
get good one without much outlay To enter
any profession will cost lad $500. and if the
profession is guarded by competition double
That sum, the result of throwing open" APP
pointments having been to give practical
monopoly of them to Irishmen ScOtchmen and
SUCH few Englisllmen as are trained by very
skilful and extremely expensive methods. The
Englishman is SO slow and as lad so hostile
to instruction that, but for a very costly system
OF education, the public service would be filled
exclusively with Irishmen. To enter politics.
again, in this country is to give up any gainful
profession, except the bar which others cannot
practice for you, and to pay heavy direct fines
for entrance into Parliament. Statesmen have
tried for good many years to keep down cleo
ton expenses, but they have either not been
very sincere, or have been baffied, and the out
lay is very much what it was. A contest is &C.
casionally cheap, but the man who stands for
county without $4,000 to waste-Lord Cliff
ton says the agents sneered at So 5O0-or for a
burroughif he cannot readily find 81 900, must
have great deal of self-contidence and be
able, besides, to put down applicants for
SUBSCRIPTIONS with some determination.
"A Dlssenter from Quakerism," says Judge
Halliburton somewhere, ''must have q stifiish
upper lip;' but his obstinacy is weakness COM
pared with that required of a candidate who
refuses to pay the bills incurred by his agent
against his orders. No plea but bankruptcy will
shield him. The grand difference however,
for, after all, popular man or necessary man
would be seated by subscription-is the neces-
sity OF living in London after election yery
large section OF American politicians live on
their salaries. There is no more pressure ON
them In Washington to live extensively than
there is on Irish members in London: their
salaries are not illiberal, mileage being taken
INTO account, in that country of magnificent dis
tances and they have. we presume, that fear
leSsness OF the pecuniary future which, more
than any other popularity, differentiates Amer
leans from Europeans. In England, the men,
DER cannot live without money of his own at all
as there is no salary for him to receive and
practicaily, II very poor man and married,
finds the position nearly intoerable More or
less, in spite of character and ability, and even
success, If he had not 81 200 year from some
source or other the rich distrust him the poor de-
splse him, and he is hampered at every turn
With only ESQ year and house to keep up.
his nerve would break down under the cab diff,
Guilty. and the worry of knowing that dissolu-
ton, which even el-to-do members feel Keen
ly, might be fatal to him. His popularity is
slightly less, the subscriptions have fallen off.
and the agents begin to suggest that he might
be more successful in another borough We do
not care to quote names, but an excellent Men,
Der, MIR. Waldegrave Leslie, man of high birth,
fair means, and great personal popularity, pub
lished to the world that he retired from Parlia-
ment for that reason. and no other; and every
election disIHisses less conspicuous persons,
with nothing but want of means against them,
to oblivion. There s no other road In England
to political success than Parliament; and when.
therefore, Englishmen boast that careers are as
open here as in America, they should add the
qualification that careers are as open outside
the political world. Our premier must have
more than e200 a year. The Briton does not
ask that his representative should be rich-that
is calumny-but he asks that he should be in
dependent and, if married. keep house. He
must, in short, have an income equivalent to
the interest OF four times Gen. Garfield's for
tune.
There is very little chance, indeed, that this
state of things will be altered speedily. Men |
are becoming decidedly more manly about |