Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-05
CLARK SONS PHILOSOPHY.

Mr.. Clarkson. after having energetlcaIiy
established his claim to be considered the
champion executioner of American politics,
has come out in q new role. His present
function is that of exaltiug the disinterest-
edness and selfdenying character of the
practical politician. Some of the argu-
ments by which he maintains his thesis
are so unique in character that they really
call for especial notice.
Thus Mr.. Clarkson starts out with the
assertion that "where one dollar is made in
politics, hundred dollars is either lost or
not made where it might be-" The reduc-
tion to actual figures Of this statement will
produce some astonishing results. The ap-
preparations of the current year apart from
fixed charges on the public debt are about
four hundred millions. Ali this money is
either disbursed as salaries or pensions or
paid to Government contractors. Accord
ing to Mr.. Clarkson's statement the recipi-
ents of this money suffer loss of one
hundred times as much, either in actual
loss or in money that might have been made
elsewhere, But a hundred times four
hundred millions gives the neat total Of
forty thousand millions. It would be in
teresting to learn how that forty thousand
millions was lost as Mr.. Clarkson alleges.
When we add to the money spent by the
general Government, the expenditures of
State, county and municipal governments,
it will be seen that Mr.. Clarkson alleges a
loss to the country through the absorption
of its politicians somewhat greater than the
entire national wealth. This proves al
together too much. If such loss results
from the political system of the day, it
ought to be abolished at once, as the short
est road to unexampled national wealth.
The further calculation of this subject
by Mr.. Clarkson is by reference to the
great public men who have died poor, and
'the fact that the departments, and that the
Federal Offices all through the country, and
many OF the State and domestic Offices, are
filed with the descendants of public men
who have died poor" But if, as Mr..
Clarkson alleges, wealth and prosperity are
to be obtained outside of politics, why do
the descendants of such public men seek
the poverty of Government positions instead
of choosing the prosperity of private life?
There is no law compelling any man to take
public offices; yet not only the poor de-
scendants Of public men, but the practical
politicians themselves m axe the most frantic
efforts to get public appointments, upon the
slightest possible provocation.
In this point, as in the other, Mr.. Clark
son proves more than he intends to. II it is
true that ''the Government is a poor pay
master and an undesirable employer" as
one of Mr.. Clarkson's indorsers puts it, it
takes the foundation entirely out of the ar
gument of which the Clarkson school are
earnest supporters, that Government posi-
ton must be used to reward party workers.
The reward according to Clarkson is that Of
poverty and poor payment; and the legiti-
mate conclusion of his argument is that
party workers will be best rewarded by ex-
Guiding them from public Office and re-
manding them to the wealth and prosperity
of private life.
As 10 great public men who have died
poor their poverty is an honor to them. But
considering the fact that they were paid
liberal salaries during their careers, it
might be reasonable to inquire whether
there is not some connection between their
poverty and the political system which ap-
propriates the greater part of their sala-
ries for campaign contributions. More
over, it is a cogent fact that Senators and
Cabinet Ministers who die poor are rapidly
going out of fashion.