The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-27

make that much more money in profession
or business. than he is now receiving from
Uncle Sam. Within the past fortnight
Hon. Samuel ]. Randall died in modest
home, on a bed worth ten dollars, after hav-
j ing served his country for twenty years at
one-tfth of what he could have earned in
private life. The nobilities of politics
| had increased his natural manhood until he
found his greatest pride in sacrifice. He
showed the pride of the true politician
when, after life of sacrifice and dying in
comparative poverty, he refused gift of
$4,000, offered him by his generous neigh
bors with the best of intentions. Let the
church and other professions produce men
to match the many men in politics who
have served their country at a personal
loss and kept their families poor and re-
fused gifts in time of need before the
general cavl as to selfshness in
politics and politicians is accepted
as gospel good and true. The
recollection is still vivid to nearly every
body of intelligence. of scores of public
men in both parties dying in Washington
justices of the supreme court, members Of
Congress, occupants of other places, and
dying so poor that friendship had to come
In and pay their funeral expenses and to
keep their families from want.
Political parties are no more selfish than
politicians. Where the public pays to men
elected to office one dollar, political parties,
or the men making political parties, spend
ten dollars by way of increasing public in
telligence. by way of giving to the public
the ablest discussion OF current events, by
way of extending the circulation of news
papers and magazines, by way of bringing
to the reach and knowledge of every voter
the right side of the argument If a politi-
cal party be called cooperative office
| seeking association, as the cynics
say, the country is not in much oanger
from it when it spends ten dollars for
the public good, where the man it elects
to Office receives one dollar So say that
| politics is generous thing, not an ungen-
erous and selfish. | say that politics broad
ems men, disciplines them into manhood and
nobility, rather than narrows them into
seltishness and meanness. The very
friendship of politics that is
growled about is the best thing
in it. The friendship of good men for
each other will never endanger this republic.
There may be other things better for other
worlds, but honest friendship is the best
thing in this, and we have to get along in
this world until we get to the other.
There is good deal of moral casualty in
politics, but so there is in everything else
in human life.
Men in politics make mistakes, but so
did Saint Peter, and he reached the other
world. So hope will many of the people
in this world who have made mistakes. 1t
is the humanity Of ST. Peter that gives us
all hope. We do not turn to the perfect
apostles; we go to good old Peter for our
hope. When he fell down in weakness and
got up in strength he left an open door for
all of US who are human. All the men in
politics are not Saint Peters. They are
serving their party, their country, and the
world all the better for it. would rather
send my boys into politics to
learn manliness, self-sacrifice and gen
erosity, the honor of personal word the
chance to do good, the duty to be generous,
than in any other school in practical life
that know. The church, of course, is far
better than politics; none of the profes-
slons are any better.
The good heart of politics ought to be en-
couraged Political warfare has made
many poor hearts better and stronger
The good heart of President Harrison in
the past year has been shown in thousands
OF decisions made for the sake of humanity,
for the sake of gratitude on the part of the
| country more than party. So with nearly
every other public officer having decisions
in politics or public life to make. A gov
| eminent without heart is not a govern
ment to be loved. This government has
always had heart. 1t remembered and
put in office as long as they lived, in every
sort of place, the soldiers of the revolution
of the war of 1912, of the war with Mexico
and of the great war for the union. Ii
would not be worthy to live if it did not re
member its Saviors. One of the cruelties oil
public life now is that civil service reform
in law often compels a public official tc
turn war-worn veteran away from his
door when there are dozens of places under
him filled by men able bodied, who never
served their country, and yet which the
old soldier who helped to save his ma
ton could fill as well, and more faithfully
ANY civil service law that makes govern
ment appear ungrateful to its defenders is
not good law in Christian land.
Very beautiful and good is friendship
This world is nothing without it. A few
evenings ago, while sitting late at my
work, a Justice of the supreme court of the
| United States, man Seventy-two OF
three years old, who is growing foot
sore with the weight of many years
came into my room. l was surprised
and said: why, judge, what is your
errand so late in the day!' He answered
II have an errand for friend, who is il
and not able to attend to it for himself. He
Is anxious about small postoffice il
New Mexico, where a friend anC
comrade of his is a candidate, ani
as he could not come to plead
for it [ have come in his place" l told hin
that what he asked should be done, an(
said: Judge, how long are you at YOU
age going to keep up these errands O
friendship, going about the department.
every week, climbing long stairs, and using
your valuable time, or when you should b.
at leisure, in performing such offices." HI
replied: las long as | live. That is wha,
what we are in this world for and when
die l ask that nothing better bt
placed in record above me thai
this: He was faithful to every
FRIEND :" This is gospel of faithfulness il
human friendship from the lips of mar
who is in my Judgment the greatest Ameri
can living today in all the elements o.
actual greatness, shows the good heart O.
politicians. There is much in politics. O.
course, that is sad, faithless and unworthy
But there is very much more that is splen
did and good. j. S. CLARKsoN.