The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-19
THE "AYAILABLEp MEN.

1HE AVAILABLE
At a country fair some years ago, when
soda-water was a new thing at such places,
young man led his girl up to the fountain
and called for a glass of the beverage. The
sparkling, foaming drink was handed out,
and instead OF downing it, they stopped to
watch it dance and bubble until it was all
gone. The young man looked into the
tumbler, smelt OF it, and said: 'Sal, we are
swindled; the stuff is nothing but sweetened
wind There amt bit of solid vittles in
it," This incident has in it several features
of the modern political boom. In many
cases the most trivial and evanescent affair
is caught up by the workers of some am
bilious aspirant, magni6ed and thrust into
prominence. The wires are freely used to
spread the intelligence, and in dull times,
the newspaper correspondent takes up the
strain, and for a season the country at large
is RECALLED with greatness of man
hitherto unheard of. and who may
not have a single leading quality to
recommend him for the place he seeks.
The advocacy goes on, until some one takes
the pains to investigate a little, and finds
there lis nothing in the case but sweetened
wind Other booms are based entirely upon
the eminent responsibility of the man. He
has not been prominent or decided in any Of
the great questions that have divided the peo-
Pile, therefore available He is also free from
all participation in heated contests within
his own party. This line of argument is
about as sound as the former rules in select
thing about the matter in hand and has
taken positive grounds in such affairs in his
daily life such facts would render him in
competent. Public judgment, when rightly
interpreted, will not disparage a man because
of his vigorous and effective aggression,
nor should party judgment do it. The idea
that the great leaders of the Republican
party, who have given the organization and
the country the benefit of their distinguished
services, both in the field ard forum for a
quarter of a century, shall not Gc considered
available for leadership in the future, is a
foolish and dangerous doctrine. If honor
able and important public servicein the past
is not to be a guaranty for future promo
TONS what is? Is it safe to put such men
aside and take, instead, some "clean-hand-
ed'' reformer, whose sole record rests on the
fact that he has never been mixed up in any
of the sharp fights and differences upon pub
lie affairs? This experiment has been re-
York and Pennsylvania. Cleveland and
Pattison rode gaily for brief period upon
| the waves OF public opinion, supported by
booms of sweetened wind. There was no solid
''vittles" in them, and the people have
found it out and now turn again with favor
toward the men who have stamped their
| ideas in tine past upon the institutions of the
country. Men who have possessed the abil
| ity and decision of character heretofore to
take sides in favor of all the great issues that
have produced such reforms as this country
be safely trusted in the future. All talk
pointing to the nomination of new men who
have never been mixed up in past conflicts;
either within or without the party lines, is
unjust and ungenerous to the best men in
the Republican party. The veteran who has
been in the front of the battle for a quarter
of a century ought to stand above the raw
recruit whose reputation is yet to be made
and whose want of reputation is his princi-
pal claim for preferment.