Evening journal., 1893-03-28
NEWSPAPER OPINION.
An Honor to the Omce-seeLor

All Honor to the Ofice-Seekers.
New York Sun
We notice in Republican and Mug
wump journals the usual hypocritical
and foolish complaints about the impor-
tunity of applicants for Federal office
Perhaps we ought to con6ne the descrip.
tive adjective "hypocritical" to the Mug
wumps. They are the greatest seekers
and not the rarest finders of office in the
country And perhaps, in connection
with this subject, we should not con6ne
the descriptive adjective foolish" to the
Republicans. At the beginning of a Re
publican administration Democratic jour
nails utter the same pale and stale sill
nesses about Republican candidates
for Office that are now getting
uttered by Republican journals. ct us
begin with this palliation of Republican
and Democratic insincerity or uncon-
scious injustice in regard to the Office
seekers. All Democrats regard with
approval Democratic candidates for
Federal office who do not interfere with
their own ambitions or those of their
friends; and the Republicans regard
with the same approval Republican
candidates similarly conditioned. In re.
gard to the Mugwumps, what need be
said or why answer a fool according to
his folly2 Still, there are many good
and sensible citizens who repeat uncon-
sciously the Mugwump mocking-bird
note about the office seekers, and per-
suade themselves without thought or
reason or even argument that there is
something deleterious, morally or politi-
cally, 10 Office seeking and that
the mere term of Office seek
ing constitutes or denotes some
thing to be spoken of with contempt and
regarded with aversion. Il seems to us,
on the other hand, that the persons who
speak in this unthinking way of the as
pirations of any one of their country
men TO serve his countrymen
in civil office, are libelling themselves
and their country. We take it that there
is not one particle of difference in this
respect between elective aud appointive
office; that the difference which separates
the ambition Of the man who seeks the
Presidency from that of the man who
seeks to be postmaster at Cullyroads is
one of degree and not of kind; and that
the one is as laudabe as the other Be
tween the political hopes of Hon Grover
Cleveland and of Hon Pod Dismuke be
tween those of General Benjamin Hsrri
sou anu luOSe OF ONlOhel ApOllluaIlS uu
wiski, there is no philosophicalldis
II is and should be an honor to serve in the
meauest and smallest office under a
government where everybody Is supposed
to be eligible TO office, aud where the peo
pie, as the source of power, appoint AZ
well as elect ID would be more exact tC
say that, under the American frame oi
Republican Democratic self government
no Office can be low or contemplate AM
American who despises the humbles
public Office insults himself and the res
of the American people. His own prefer
ences or convenience may not lead hin
to choose public career or to strive oi
to consent to hold public office Non,
the less, he should respect the NOR
energetic or the more public spirited
men who are willing to assume the shar
Of honor and responsibility which his de
sire for wealth or ease makes him refuse
and the more men display the courage o
the patriotism which he lacks, tn
greater should be his respect for then
and his pleasure in them. Otherwise h
des spises OF fails to appreciate the valu
Of virtues which he does not possess him
! self, to miss which is deprivation to b
{ ashamed Of, and not glory to be boaste
of