Morning journal and courier., 1881-11-15
Careers in Two Countries. rFron, fha london Spectator

Within the last 21 years three American presidents have attracted English attention
 to such a degree that their histories, theil
 characters and their faces have been as famil-
 jar in this country as any cabinet minister's.
 Englishmen know MT. Lincoln, Gen. Grant
 and Gen. Garfield as they know Sir Robert
 Peel, Lord Clyde, or Mir. Forster. Not one
 of the three has been man of fortune, or
 has, indeed, possessed anything like com
 petence, while two have died poor men. Mir
 Lincoln, until his election, lived upon his
 earnings as a lawyer; and when he died, after
 six years of the presidency he left his widow
 so little that subscription was raised for her
 by his friends, and an application was made
 to Congress for apensions 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 years, he has still to supple
 ment his pension by work as chairman of corporations. Gen. Garfield, when he died,
 was found to be possessed of e5, GOO, consist ing chiefly of a farm, probably overvalued. of 120 acres, which he cultivated himself out of his salary as president he had effected an insurance for e5, 900 more, but even with that addition the whole property left be- hind him was only e10,0oO. The facts are for two reasons. TheyAshow that the pursuit of politics in America, even when the politician is successful, is not, for an honest man, ing profession, and that careers are really open in the United States, not only to the lowly born, but to the poor
 A very large section of American politi- cians live on their salaries. There is no more pressure on them in Washington to live expensively than there is on Irish mem- bers in London; their salaries are not illib- eral, mileage being taken into account, in that country of magnificent distances and they have we presume, that fearlessness of the pecuniary future which, more than any other peculiarity, differentiates Americans from Eul opeans. Society such as they wish does not care about their means, and does not consider that poor man is more likely to be br1bed than rich one. It trusts Garfield, indeed, before Gould. In England the member cannot live without money of his own at all, as there is no salary for him to | receive, and practically, if very poor man md married, he finds the position nearly in- 1 'olerable. More or less, in spite of charac- l 'er and ability and even success, if he has l 1ot El 200 a year from some source or other, l he rich distrust him and the poor despise ! 1im, and he is hampered at every turn l His want of means is not thrown in his teeth, l IS want of birth is, but it is quietly reckoned | against him, like unsafe seat or an old | political escapade. It would in practice be | for 8 man in Gen. Garfeld's | oecuniary position, with wife and two
 ons, unless he were an Irish member, to re- ain bis seat in Parliament without office for my length of time. With only e25O year md house to keep up, his nerve would 'reak down under the cab difficulty and the worry of knowing that a dissolution, which
 wen well to-do members feel keenly might | 'e fatal to him.