The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-05-28

Is In position to be able 10 speak for two or
three OF your correspondents, OF his own
knowledge when he says that they are not Office
seeking men. He has every reason TO think
this is true Of most, IL not all Others judg-
ing from the tone OF their letters and what he
knows OF public opinion in the state. This Ia
not contest Of those who are out OF office
against those that are in. It is not the " outs "
against the . ins In any proper sense. There
may be ambitious, self-seekng men who rejoice
at the prospect Of change. But these are not
most active in demanding reform. They are
not its most effective advocates. Some Of the
most earnest protests against the present order
of affairs are among those influential men who,
from their circumstances, cannot possibly ac-
cept office, and others are entirely unsehsh in
their course. There is still such thing as
self-denying patriotism in the state. Nor is
this personal fight, unless with the few.
Many who most earnestly opposed the candi-
dacy Of the gentleman who has been compelled
to retire from the field had no personal feeling
against the man. They we're moved by dislike
OF the principles and methods which he was
believed to represent, and the same principles
that led to their opposition to him will move
them to object to any other nomination for
governor, II the man is defective in respect of
any of the qualifications he should name.
This will be true of their candidate for
| acknowledgements It will be true of the
treasurer. II Mr.. Dubois is essentially a
man Of the " machine ," or the ring IL he
has been dereict in the past, so that a confiding
| people have suffered thereby, the fact that he
Is in office will not prevent investigation and
the dropping Of his name. And the same is
true of Mr.. Powell, of whom the writer has
| heard nothing. have, for one, no sympathy
with the spirit that will investigate one candi-
dates qualifications and will not also inves-
tigate those of another. To end this dis
cussion with the defeat of DIR. Nichols, and
not go on with the rest, is Standardization.
1t amounts to saying that the issue has been
purely personal, or one of principle, when ap-
Piled to one office, which we are unwilling to
apply to another To stop here will be both
folly and practical defeat Let, then, the dis
cussion go on-not in mere personalities, not in
meddling with anything that does not belong
to an understanding of the qualifications a man
has for office, but in good-tempered, thorough
enquiry into those matters that will decide the
fitness OF men for Office What, then, are
some of the necessary qualifications for office,
especially the higher offices in the gift OF
the state? The following, at least may be
insisted upon The fact that they have been
overlooked by the opponents Of reform justifies
their reproduction here. First, the candidate
should be competent for the office, so far as
ability to discharge all its duties, both ordinary
and extraordinary is concerned. He should,
ii possible have both experience and ability,
but he may have only the latter. He should
be able to meet the ordinary duties easily and
in masterful way, and he should be compe-
tent for emergencies. Just now Vermont has
reconstrnctve, aggressive work to be done in
issues, courage tact and good sense combined.
1t is no time for men of small equipment
Secondly, we should demand high personal
character. Ability wants to be supported by
high moral character. Selfshness in private
business, INSCRIPTIONS methods, overreaching,
shrewd resort to methods that keep within the
letter of the law but violate sound principles of
honor, are incompatible with the demands our
honest people make of their rulers. OF course,
intemperance, liquor selling and other i'm
mOralitiaq rula all entity of than Mona
OF these men can be trusted to do their whole
duty when calamities threaten and the honest,
wholly truthful word needs to be spoken. And
none know when that time may come. Thirdly,
neither the private business of a man nor his
political ambitions should be such as may in
terfere with the utmost fidelity in office. There
are some men whose business relations should
rule them out of certain civil offices as effectu-
ally as men are kept out of the presidency Of
a bank by reason of their relations to other
interests. AS rule, a politician, or a man in
danger of becoming one, should be vigorously
excluded from the more strictly financial offices.
Here man should not be exposed to tempta-
tons that, if yielded to, imperil the trusts of
the people There are those, for example, who
say with great force that the way the office
of inspector of finance has been given to
men on the make" politically, has already
wrought mischief and is capable OF serious
abuse, and that a reform should be made at
once That and the two other financial offices
should be in the hands of men who are not pol
iticians. This is business-like. 1t is the only
, really safe way. Fourth, the political record
. and methods of a candidate should be good,
and representative of the first principles of
civil-service reform, whose essence is in the
principle that offices should be held by men
. who discharge official duties faithfully, in a
singleness of purpose and without an eye on
the spoils and the effect of their political future.
, 1t will not do to say that man is qualified in
other respects for Office, and that is enough.
Such assertions are those of men who support
the machine system of this and other states.
Every resolution of the past in favor of civil
service reform really holds us to this fourth
, qualification. The failure to apply it is to en-
dorse reform in resolve and defeat 1t in act.
The trading politician must be dropped. Such,
hastily described are four essential qualifica-
, tions. Every one of them is essential. Every
one can be met. To question it, is to say that
Vermont lacks men of high character and fit
ness. No one will deny that these are all
. sound and practical. Let us, then, insist that
the nominating convention apply them. Let
every presentation before the convention meet
all squarely. Let us not be afraid to discuss
candidates as to them, thoroughly and without
injustice or acrimony. A state ticket clean
from top to bottom is needed. 1t can be had
That will be Vermont's best support to Mr.
, Edmunds. CITIZEN.
Nc. .txy .htI,