Morning journal and courier., 1882-04-27
How to Succeed in Public Life. Senator Edmunds in Christian Union.l

| Rec Lyman A66Ott:
 Dear Sir-Yours of the 18th was duly re ceived, but the press of my public oceupa tions has prevented my attending to the mat | ter until now. 1 inclose replies to the ques- | ton, you suggest.
 l. Ought a young man to plan for himself politi- career, ,r ought, in America, to enter ro- iiics except as he is drawn or driven into them by circumstances.
 I think young man ought not to plan for 1 himself such career in the sense of making | It the object of his life to hold office in the l government of a republic. The true theooy l Is that no one has right to be elected or ap- 1 pointed to office, but that the whole body of l the community has right to select and cis00se | those citizens for office whom they think to I be the best, or the best obtainable. And the same principle holds good in cases in which the appointing power Is lodged in the hands 1 of Governor, head of a department, or a | President. Every man, young and old, ought | to be always politician In the best sense of | the term that is, one who is familiar with | that branch of ethics which relates to the | practical creation and execution of laws to l the greatest advantage of the whole mass of | the people, with a due regard always to the l rights of minorities and individuals. But he l who makes 1t his mission in life to be the one | to be chosen to make or execute the laws Is | necessarily either constant othce.seeker or | office holder or both and he becomes, ID most instances, justly liable to the suspicion that he is inspired by sel6shness and not bS patriotism. In such a case, even If 1t be that i IL Is country first and himself last that he 1 wishes to serve, his usefulness is greatly i'm | paired for confidence in our rulers Is no small element ill good and successful govern | ment
 young mans life object should therefore be, 1 think, to pursue private calling, and with that to cultivate the largest possible ac quaintance with public affairs and the princi- pies on which they should be conducted; to | always participate in elections, and to leave public honors and responsibilities to seek him, and not he them.
 g. ~hat-kind of preparation may man make for a political career what line of studies should he pur and what is likely to be the practical value of the so called schools of political philosophy? If he is not to be what we have already | spoken of as undesirable-a lifelong office
 seeker-a young man would not of course
 make any special preparation for political
 career. The same studies that would mas
 him best fitted to discharge his political du
 ties as private citizen, and best fit him tC
 prosecute and protect his private business
 and other private rights would, in general
 be most useful for him should be be called
 to assist in administering the government. | Besides the simple scholarly attainment
 almost indispensable to the carrying on O
 any business, an accurate knowledge of th'
 history and constitutions of his own Stat
 and of the United States, of the laws of CIV
 ilized countries on the subjects of education
 crime and punishment, taxation, marriage
 and divorce, pauperism and other genera
 subjects of social science, and of the broat
 principles and application of what IS called
 public law, would cover the largest part O
 the subjects with which he would have tt
 deal as legislator or an administrative off
 cer. It hardly neod be said that, if he wer' to be called to judicial station, special ana
 exhaustive study of the law in details, togethe
 with knowledge of it's actual practice, woulC
 be indispensable The so called schools of DO
 litical philosophy would, to a mind not al
 ready trained to logical and discriminating
 thought and experience in the practical work
 ing of affairs, be more likely in most lnstan
 ces to mislead than to teach truly.
 3 Is 1t possible for a man, under ordinary circum
 stances, to succeed in ponh al life without mAnipu
 lating caucus and conventions, and entering int
 political bargains to political influence and t
 control nominations and conventions?
 This, in regard to elective places, practi