The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-07-07
Abuse of Public Men.

The State of Pennsylvania is to be cOngrat
ulated. It's State Legislature adjourns to-
day, we believe.-Nelo York World.
Such is the commentary of a leading jour
nal upon the adjournment of the Legislature,
the representative body ofthe sovereign people
of Pennsylvania Such is the commentary
usually made upon the adjournment of every
Legislature, and of Congress, arising from a
disposition to decry the acts and public ser
vices of the peoples representatives. 1t Is
easier to indulge in denunciatiom than IN
intelligent criticism. A man may give his
best energies to the service of the peo-
pie. and to the conscientious discharge
of his duties in representative capacity, and
such is the need of praise, or rather Of cen
sure, awarded to him by the press, which is
presumed to voice the sentiment OF the pub
lie. Instead of the plaudit Of ''well done,
good and faithful servant; it is odium, con-
tumely, dersion, abuse, misrepresentation
Such is the case everywhere, no matter to
what position in the public service man may
be called. The result is deplorable. Men OF
the highest worth and greatest capacity shrink
from all public position, because their self
respect revolts at the idea of being placed IN
a situation to be made the target for the shaft
of censure. the object of insulting and lima
tured comment The body polite thus loses
the services of its best members and necessa-
rily entails public service upon class of IN
feriors. men of a lower grade of intelligence
and sensibility, alike Indifferent to public
censure or public praise. The consequence
is that the services of the best men can only
be availed of occasionally, and then only
through patriotic and self sacrificing
sense of duty, because they know that they
will reap no honor by such sacrifice, and
receive only abuse and misrepresentation
The effect is to drive the best men out Of pub
lie position, and leave public employment to
those of coarser and inferior type, except
in the instances above alluded to.
We can illustrate this subject better, per
haps, by taking as an example the office OF
County Commissioner. 1t is one Of great I'M
portance and responsibility. 1t deals with
the money of the public, levies taxes for the
schools, the aims house, the courts, the roads,
bridges. and the general welfare and conve-
nience. 1t is important to such service to
have the best men and none other And yet,
when good board of clear headed, honest,
sensible men, is found filling that important
office. a hue and cry is raised against them,
and they receive unsparing denunclaton, as
if they were only inferior and incompetent
men. The consequence is that good men,
well qualified for the post, can scarcely be IN
duced to accept it; or if they do accept it, they
serve only fora short time, and are onlytoo glad
when that time has expired, and they can
step out of so trying and annoying a position.
This is great wrong upon the community,
which is entitled to the best services of its
best citizens. But it is the direct result of
this ignorant, senseless, and illnatured abuse,
heaped alike upon all public men, no matter
in what position they are found, whether as
legislators or in any other capacity. The
odium heaped upon men in the public SER
vice deprives the public Of the best service.
1t is time there was an end of this indlscrml-
nate censure. 1t adds ten-fold force to the
sentiment that only the private position is the
post of honor Honorable and highminded
men will not submit to accept positions where
they get only calumny and detraction.