The Washington critic., 1888-09-20
WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER, 20 1888,
LEGISLATIVE MATERIAL.

candidate of the American party, is out
with letter of acceptance, which shows
that whatever might have been the trou-
BILE with the late nominating convention,
he is essentially sound upon what arc
generally understood as the principles of
the party, and that were there compact,
harmonious organization to lead, no bet
ter standard-bearcr could be found. He
favors twenty-one years residence as
preparatory to naturalization, denounces
all unjust trusts and combinations, an
tagonizcs indiScriminatc immigration, de-
mands complete protection for the lcgti-
mate earnings of labor, and the widest
possible field for its employment, believes
that none but Americans should fill the
public offices of the country, and suggests
that if there were moro business mon
in Congress instead of SO many pol
iticians there would be more business
done.
The latter point is good one and adj
mitS of considerable elaboration. We
do not suppose that Mr. Curtis intends to
convey the meaning that IL is of essential
consequence that member of Congress
sion, or have been brought up to any par
ticular avocation, in order to fit him for
the proper performance of legislative
duties His idea, doubtless, is that too
many men rush into Congressional life
for the mere honor of the thing-not n
few perhaps for the salary paid, which
to the novitlate looks quite handsome
without having much of any forcthought
as to the responsibilities involved or the
qualifications required.
II is by no means self-evident that
banker simply because he is d banker,
is prc-eminently fitted TO shape the finun-
cial policy of the country; nor that a
farmer, merely because he is farmer,
knows better than anybody else what
is best for the farming interests, nor that
the importer or manufacturer, because
of the callings they pursue, possess there
by the completest information ON the
tariff question. ~
1t may. be that they all ought to be
the most competent judges of those
things in which they have u direct in
terest, but it is not always SO. Far
from it. Merchants, bankers, lawyers,
doctors, farmers, all fail ono after an
other, as legislators, and have done SO
from the beginning, unless they had the
breadth of view and statesmanlil1e COM
prehension of the public needs as q
whole, that enabled them to frame laws
intelligcntly and wisely.
OF course, the mere politician who
covcts seat in the House rs the re-
ward of party service, or as a stepping
stone to something higher, cannot gen.
orally be counted on as useful or sue
cessful representative, though instances
are not rare where men, who have made
politics their lifelong trade, have de-
veloped into statesmen and achieved
distinction.
The main thing to be done towards
an Improvement of our legislative ma
terial is to use greater discrimination
in the selection of candidates; not so
much as to the occupations they fol-
low, as to the practical business ex-
perience they have had, their substan-
tial rather than snowy qualities and
the assurance they offer of some spe-
cal aptitude for the conduct of business
affairs.
1t is at best n matter of experiment.
No one can tell of member when he
goes into the House for the first tune,
how he will come out or what he will
amount TO, but all constituencies have
it in their power to form some prior
Judgment as to the merits of the men
they nominate and might save them
selves q good deal of trouble sometimes
by looking alter che nominations them
selves instead of leaving tho whole
thing to small coterie of primary ll~st-
lers and ward politicians