The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-12-20
4 Word For Professional Politicians.

There is mistake prevalent among
the people which must be corrected.
The idea has got abroad that everybody
who takes an active interest in politics
must be a trickster. who has selfish
aims in view, and the term profession
al politician" is used in an OBJ .ectionable
sense, which seems to indicate that
those to whom the word is applied have
no right to spend their time with and
Apply their faculties to public matters,
and that politics should be left to those
who at stated times see fit to give it
moments thought. But the truth is
that pol tics is as much of science as
law or medicine, and that he who makes
a profession of it must apply great study
and preparation to it il he wants to
make a successful career. The number
of those whose business and other cir
cumstances give them sufficient time
and opportunities to fully study the po-
litical questions of the day. and to at
tain a complete understanding of polit-
ical questions is very limited. and a man
must devote almost his whole time and
energy TO political researches and in
vestiCation if he desires to become thor
oughly conversed with political require
ments. Nor is it mental work alone which
is needed. but the true politician must
also know how to DO or to prescribe the
practical work and wavs, to put his the
ories into practice. 1t is very easy to
say, let the amateurs do the work: but
nobody can exercise beneficent political
influence, without a careful study of the
political situation and the various con-
ditions of the political outlook. 1t is
very well to say, that tho who do not
mix in politics, if they are only able
and honest make the best political lead
ers. 1t sounds well, but it is not so.
The very fastidious and high-minded
people, who clothe their hands in the
gloves OF righteousness before, thev
touch a piece of political work. and
who profess to be actuated by no per-
sonal motive, will never do the practical
work. They will devote neither the
time no- the work to the cause, which
is required, but will be content, to pro-
claim their ideas of political wisdom
without bothering how to put them into
egectual realization.
The trouble is simply that the word
politician has been diverted from its
original meaning. and has received
corrupt interpretation. What we
call politicians to-day are not
politicians at all. They are pro-
fessional office-seekers or office -brok-
ers or office-holders. Not that there
is much real fault to find with profess
sional office-holder, on the con rary we
need professional II EN- in the service.
men who make the public service the
study of their Ives, just as the mer-
chant needs professional book-keeper,
or a railroad company professional en-
gineers. 1t were well indeed for the
country, if the time would come when
men were educated for the service of
the people just as they are educated
now Tor the service of the individual
business man. We all would gain by
such a change, and we have living illus
trations of the truth of this remark.
But the trGe politician has nothing to
do with this, except to devise the pest
means TO secure the services of the best
men. The true politician has to deal
with larger ues ions than the selection
of the man who does the detail of the
pubic work. His mind must be oc-
cupied with the consideration of the
work in general outlines.
The men who exercised noticeable
nfuen e in the history of the country
from the beginn ng we e all professional
politicians. jefferson, Hamilton, Madi-
son, Adams. Clay aud Webster, Seward,
Chase and Garfield and a dozen others
made the principles of free and good
government the study of their lives and
indeed only those men were looked up
on with genera public appreciation and
gratitude who were polite ans enough
to make the welfare of the public as ex-
pressed in politics the pursuit of their
lives. And on the other hand, the great
failures of public men have been those
of such people who failed to make the
questions of public policy their distinct
study, and who undertook to occupy
the positions of leaders in public poll
ties when they had not sufficient
preparation to fill the place.-Halokeye