San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-04-13
TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1886.
WANT TOO BAD.

This country Is suffering from an in
Election Of political Ego Dydimuses; the
men whose enc vocation is office, who
live on the public, crib from the public
and are the dear servants OF the public
semi-periodically- that is, when the time
comes for getting new lien on the
municipal, county, state or national
treasury. These men seem born to
manipulate conventions for their own
profit. According to their political
cateohism the chief end of man is to
glorify self and serve him forever by
getting an office. If there were no other
way Of getting rid Of these barnacles it
would be great political wisdom to pen
sion them literally, conditioned upon
their not coming within Sabbath days
journey of any political convention. The
Kerrville Eye saw straight and spoke by
the card recently, when it said, concern
ing senatorial and representative candi-
dates from that district: Mayor Holmes
wants the senatorship, but he wants it
altogether too bad to get It," This
want is and should be the fatal want in
the make up Of any prospective candi-
date for public sfiice. Wanting Office,
no matter what other qualifications a
candidate may have, he is found want
ing and should be left wanting.
Men are naturally selfish. They seek
self, serve self, please self as their first
great duty. The man who has self so
prominently in his eye rs to want to
serve self, under the name Of serving
the people, is a very safe man for the
voters of any community to let alone.
Office is not sought for the hard work
and necessary labor 1t brings with it.
1t is sought for the emoluments it brings.
These may be varied, and very often
money Is the last and least Of them; but,
1t is what the Office brings that makes it
desirable. Power for self, opportunities
to serve friends, facilities for private
speculation-no matter what, the motive
that induces an effort for Office is the
personal motive, and the political life
that begins in a personal motive gener-
ally ends in purely personal service.
The office is more than the office-holder.
The greater should choose the less and
not the less the greater, and this truth
has crystalized into the political axiom,
that the Office should seek the man and
not the man the office.
There ia no doubt that a wise, pru-
dent, conservative, cautious and high
minded policy on the part Of the coming
convention would lead it to set aside
without consideration the claims Of
every aspirant for State office who has
been engineering the State press for
boom, 10, these many months. Ross,
Swain, Terrell, ct al, have dug their
own political graves with the jaw bones
of their friends who have been booming
them for nomination. When the hour
comes the man is generally there.
Texas needs NO political buns, whose
only hope Of Office is a boom, to direct
her destinies and give form to her pub
lie policy. OF these she has had enough
and to spare from these she has suf-
fsred more, in the conduct of her affairs,
than it were wise to incur the risk Of
repeating; to these she should have but
one answer, when they press their self
assertions upon her conversations, a
prompt, emphatic and decided, no! The
man who wants office, ninety-nine times
out Of hundred, wants it for personal
reason the man who wants office for a
personal reasen should continue to
want the State cannot afford to take
the one chance in hundred and put
such man in office.
EUROPE has passed the danger point
in her present political complications,