Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-02-18
sHoo1uo LETTERS.
How Public Men are too ottsn PTsysd
Upon.
fLexiston Iournall

one of these penalties 10 that of being the
target of every person 10 charge OF that
modern engine Of assault and robbery The
subscription paper. Today no lees than II
he time Of Rob Roy, vhea the si1e OF the
hiIisides were the objects Of alta ks and dc
feace:
the god old rue
safhceth them, the simple piaF,
That hey snsald take ~ao have The ?
And hey should keep who ess"
Asa farmer 10 the Highlands tal 10 k-er
constant watch and ward to prevent ne
beeves being carried of to make .-a7t t5r
some bonnsted party Of marandsrs, 80 a mar
Sho has attained 10 sny pronineh e "a nova
lays Obliged 10 maintain an uIEem'tiing anc
a painfaI guard upon his cab balance, 70
preserve it from the inrosds of he bohneiee
an unbonneted rielders Of the subscription
paper.
And they -hoald keep who en-"
A Name senator recently told the Diner
Out that not day passes in which he doe'
not receive from some source or other,
q, ,iiioa tor financial aid to sonie more OF
ls,s Worthy obiect-the building VI par
.onage the paying of church de"T, u
tn purchase of a silver trumpet for h't
company. Nj lo7g ago Il woman Ia \ r'h
EN- Maine asked him 10 send her h'' f1iiat
TO help buy a hear-e for the use Of the vi
laze member Of Congress from ths
STATE recently gave me similar ae o1nt u
hi. tribulations. He said "UGle YER
fortunate enough TO have an Income from
other sources besides my salary as m@u'b,i
of Congress, could not support ny fam
ily."
When she late Hon. Joseph r. Bodsel
va. elected Governor of Maine, he vas .
shining marx for the subscription hnnter
II was knoNn throughout the length and
breadth Of the State FIAT ne had been sue
c-ssfnl in his business ents rprlses and had
smassed a large fortune. Too, the news had
be en- spread abruad that he Was g"nerou'
siver and had contrib dted to numotrle--
charities. And SO, rs soon as he vas tairll
in the Governors chair, ey Try man or won al
no bad fund TO be raised for any alleged
To- be bene violent object, iDmedlat' !, sa,
down and solicited the interests of the Gov
ernor, not dreaming, of course. that the
same happy scheme had sugge 'ted itself TO
any body else. It is related that Gov Bod
veil b, gun to make favorable responses TO
these applicaiiuns but the rate at which
they came in and the efrGtery of some OF
the applicants, soon changed his course. He
finally adopted the rule of refusing to give
and was heard, one day, to vigorously de
nouuce tn m as "blsekmailing schemes "
By in.tructine his secretary to keep them
out Of his sight, Governor Bodsell secured
himself from imposition.
Now, the Diner-Out is told that our pres
ent Chief Magistrate, Governor Burleigh,
has passed through a similar experience.
The fame of his hospitality i. widespread.
lie probably has helped more people u
roast beef around his own board and has
invited more people 10 drink a cup of Bohes
with him, than any governor ever had
! This fact being generally known, it has in
spir,d the subscription paper wielders g.
make him the object of their assault
am told that he has already been over
whelmed wrh begging letters-and that a.
Governors have grocery bills and coal bills
/ AID salt Goldfish bills aud other bills to pay,
! Just ike you and |. he has had to follow the
example of Governor Bodweil AMI decide t.
~ stt matcally and willfully aud with malice
,tor. thought disappoint these pleaders fl
his funds The bank is closed from this
date, To .uch persons, | am told by one OF
the gpsrrnots friends
No man in Maine, probably, has been sc
per-lsteutly besieged all bis life by beggAr,
Of various shades and degrees as has Jane,
u Blame and No man has had SO Little ad
-oitness in escaping or checkmating them
| 1t il well known by all his friend, that Mr.
Blaine has been al the mercy OF every sole
tor v ho came alotg. He has been pursued
Dy these people whenever he took Lls walk,
sbi DAD and they have continuous, Invaded
the seclusion of his home, one of his mosl
intimate friends said to me not IL a 90
Inability to shake of beggsrs is one of Mr.
| Blalue's weaknesses I've known hro L
come home Ike whipped boY Ii med OF
| having yielded 10 the importuIl'ies ~ sume-
body whom he knew it was H. dG'v 10 re-
sist His family are out of p tif &c 80
/ HIM and have had to constitute taer -tlvs
-"rt of body guard to protect hun from
tbesr invaders"
Few men have the nerve or the tact &c
dispose Of the uch abus d Subscription
1 ZAP ss neatly MS did the ccebrited Lord
Er.kiue He was once asked To give some
money towards paving the debts of noble
lord and sprndthrift. and replied to The re-
quest in tie follosiug note
- w Dear Sir ,joha Il am in general AZ
'rcm - subscriptions of this nature; frs,
because my own finances are by 10 means o.
a 4 ufi,hlng plight; and secondly b. eIuse
peCuuiary assistance thus conf Trr! must b.
,guA Is Ia,ufGl 10 the donor ami the C,lNvr.
As feel however, the sucerest gtH AIDE
for our public services and regard tor your
private worth, have great pleasure Ia cub
scrbsng- Here the worthy baranct, big
with expectation, turned over the leaf aud
finished the perusal of the note, which ter
minated as follows I'm subscribing myself
Yours rery ta,thfai'g.
ERsKISE."
There are very few who have nut itarred
from experience and who do not heartily be
lieve. that 1t is more blessed 10 give than to
receive :" but nowhere in Holy Writ is it set
down that it is more holy to be assessed tina
to receive, and very few persons would as
sent To such doctrine
Under the tyrrany of the assessment plan.
however, giving is becoming one of the lost
privileges. How can man give when he is
mucted? Paying tribute is not giving
The method OF Systematically squeezing out
ali that can be got out of available men and
women, bun,s any disposition they may have
to take personal interest in deserving
cases, aud often renders what should be q
cheerful and pleasurable act a disagreesble
concession to the pressure of circumstances.