The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-06-24
POLITICS AND POLITICIANS.

Senator Edmunds feels very secure In
his Senatorial seat; so secure. indeed,
that he takes the rather exalted posi-
ton that It is not necessary for him to
resort to the usual political methods TO
retain his Office. In speaking of the op-
position that had been forming against
him in Vermont, in consequence Of his
alleged treason to the Republican party
in 1884 in refusing TO become an active
worker for Blaine. after saying that he
had heard of the mutterings of opposi-
ton from q certain quarter he added:
sit was not in the line of my notion Of
political ethics TO engage in an indecor-
Gus contest in q veIy upseemly effort TO
resent an imagined indifference over
the heads of the people of Vermont.
For that reason / have said nothing
and have done nothing. If the people
desire me to serve them in the upper
house of Congress for another term.
that will be their verdict"
THE HERALD is not an admirer. of
oCAaAOA As4AA4A4Nln O4N ~ - ~ &C " Gull
fess that it believes IN what he is
pleased TO call his Political ethics so far
as it favors the idea of leaving the peo-
pie entirely free to make their choice of
servants without being unduly inau-
enced by indecorous politicians who
are engaged in unseemly scrambles for
political preferment. The American
method Of managing their political af-
fairs has created new professionalism
OF politics. That would be all right If
the word politics" was used here
in its broad and better sense. as
relating to the science of government.
But the profession Of politics is fast be-
coming professional scoundrelism, and
as it exists to-day in the United States
is $50 clogged with filth that clean. re-
putable citizens hesitate to have any
thing to do with it. Let the methods
which have been followed the past half
century for securing Office be con-
tinued unchecked, and increase in
their cussedness at the same ratio that
has attended the development of their
vileness for the last twenty years, and
in ten years from now no man with any
self-respect, or regard whatever for his
standing in society. viii permit himself.
TO become a candidate for office in this
nation. Respectable men are daily be-
coming more and more disguised with
politics, and are leaving the ranks of
politicians; and soon it will come to
pass If the present methods con-
tinue, that ou- choice for rulers
instead Of being made from among good
men, as ought 10 be the case, will be a
choice from among a set of professional
scoundreis.
Coaclusion.-The present professional
politician should be fired, together with
his disreputsble methods OF machine
politics, SANDER and wire-working; and
the people should adopt new methods
which shall insist on the observance OF
the common rules of honesty and de
cency between rival parties and candi-
dates; and thus make the profession
of politics so honorable that all Amer
lean citizens can become members of
that profession. This Is what our
institutions contemplate;
and our system Of government is SO
simple in construction and execution
that, if stripped of fraud and the trick
cry OF our present professional politi-
clans. the ordinarily informed citizen
can comprehend its operations. and in
diligently take part in its administrs-
ton.