Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-02-28
Do We Receive Full Value.

| IeSpouolollltl Which bnOdlu DC tltuell
considered and bravely met by tn,
voter, Beside the choice Of Presiden
tial electors, members Of congress and
members of the legislature, all the
county officers except District Altor
ney and County Surveyor are to be
elected. In the choice of these the
people of the county have a great
personal interest and il becomes them
to canvass well the merits of those
who aspire to the position to be filled
and select none but men thoroughly
competent, absolutely honest and en-.
tirely fit to represent them in these
several places.
We do not need men, who, inflated
with their own Importance, travel the
county and claim office as the reward
Of mere party adherence without re-
gard to qualifications for the duty to
be performed intelligently aud effici-
emily. But we do need and the times
require men able and honest, of known
qualifications, who feel it duty when
called upon to serve the public for the
public good, rather than the small
emoluments that many accrue to them
by virtue Of the office.
We shall doubtless have scores Of
aspirants pressing for preferment,
travelling the county and detailing
their merits, virtues, services and ex-
hibiting cheek enough to make an
ordinary devil blush. We pity the
good people who must endure this
periodical bore. 1t would be the right
thing and only administer n proper
rebuke to these bores for the people
when they assemble in convention to
make ticket Of men entirely compe.
tent who have remained at home and
diligently attended to their own busi.
ness.
There is sanother view Of this matter
aud one in which the people are deeply
interested. 1t costs just as much to
have able, honest, capable aud in,elIi.
gent men in these places, as it does to
have inferior, incapable mud ignorant
men. 1t is truth that in nine cases
out of ten, the inferior, ignorant and
incompeten man costs the taxpayer
much more than the honest, faithful,
efficient and capable man. Ignorance
and iucompetency leads TO errors, mis-.
government, crooked accounts and
many other evils Of which the people
Justly complain.
If a farmer hires q man to do work
and agrees 10 pay him wages, he ex'
pects, and justly, too, that the man
will be able to do the kind of work
required upon farm and that, too, in
careful, competent manner, and in
such amount rs the necessities Of the
farm demand. II the hired man does
not come to these requirements he will
certainly be discharged and never
again hired by the same farmer. The
same reasoning applies to merchants,
in fac, TO all branches of business. 4
private servant is paid 50 much to
keep our house OF stable clean, or to
do a certain kind of work. We do
not think we have done our duty by
simply paying his wages, We see If he
has properly performed his duties. If
ne is found direlect he Immediately
gives place to another. Why Is it
then that we coniue our carelessncss
and inattention solely to public SER
wants and allow them to return moth.
ing for their wages, when their duties
aud responsibilities are SO great and Of
80 very much more importance
A member of congress receives, We
believe, $1,000 a year and mileage
We have had several contests in this
district between different men for the
nomination and in each instance Ex.
Governor Curtin was nominated. II
takes out Of the public treasury ex.
actly the same amount to pay Gov
Curtin it would TO have paid the
smallest and most Insignificant man in
the district, we're be sent TO congress.
With this in Curtin's favor, that he i
an honor 70 the district and the people