Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-05-24
Ea!lrastrr En;rlltQenrer,
WEDNESDAY EVENING. MAY "a, 1892.
Marshall'S DeclinatiOn.


Mr.. Marshall declines the Republican
nomination for congressman at-large
for reasons of a private and business ma
ture, with which he correctly says the
public have 10 concern. He takes occa-
sion to say that his great regret in this
declination comes from the fact that
he cannot 60 before the people to advo-
cate the excellent declarations of the
Harrisburg platform in favor of the
faithful administration Of public trusts.
He would make fitness the oflice-hOlding
test and not devotion to the interests of
political chieftains. He considers the
use of public patronage to control the
people in their choice of candidates to
he grave political crime. lie declares
that the Republican party deserves to
succeed only as it faithfully represents
this idea which is quite equivalent to
saying that the ticket upon which he
was placed should not succeed. And
Mr.. Marshall might well have given this
reason for declining place on it. 1t is
quite notorious that the declarations
which Mr.. Marshall applauds were made
for buncpmbe. So we'll is this recognized
that the Republican element il the
state, which proclaims sincere adhe-
sion to these principles, refuses to
accept the Harrisburg platform as
honestly made, and proposes to put
Republican ticket in the field
in opposition to it. Upon that new
ticket Mr.. Marshall tells reporter that
he cannot accept 4 place, because he &C
QuieSced in the nomination of Beaver by
the convention of which he was men,
ber and this is fair enough reason to
the average politicians 8 mind but as Mr..
Marshall declared to the interviewer that
he might not vote for Beaver, and might
even vote for the Democratic candidate,
if he should be Judge Turnkey, it
is not quite clear why he should
regard the fact of his membership of the
convention that nominated Beaver us
prohibiting him in honor from taking a
place on All opposing ticket; for like
logic would require him to vote for the
candidate whose nomination he had ac
quicsced in. Evidently Mr.. Marshall is
an odd fish rs 4 politician, and when his
dead wife got Il premise from him that
he would not 20 into politics, she knew
what she was about. Mr. Marshall
would hardly be a good party represen-
tatiye elected as a Republican he would
be likely to vote as a Democrat, and vice
versa. This disposition is 4 very good
when properly tempered by judgment,
but ii requires Il great deal of tact and
good sense for its successful operation.
In tl.is country, which l.; governed by
parties, the successful politician cannot
always follow his own devices.
He owes great deal of concession
to the judgment of his constituents. He
can, however, always be honest and
should always have the courage of his
convictions and be ready to sink with his
principles rather than desert them and
if they are sound they will never bury
him long out of sight. 1t might be a
better thing for the country if men of
MarShall'S stamp could De put into its
representative seats and kept there for
if they were hot always right they could
be relied upon to lie always honest.
But in the present state of our ciyiliZa
ton it does not seem to be likely that
men can enter into the possession of
political power WHO are lightly bound
by political ties and who would refrain
from the use of public patronage to
solidify their foundations. We would
be glad to see a civil service in which
only fitness would lie the test of employ
ment, but we see no great reason to hope
that it is possible under our present
political system and with our frequent
elections which will inevitably be
managed by tie men WHO find 4 profit in
the work.