Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-05
POLITICAL AVAILABILITY.
An Essential Quality In q Presidcn-
tinI S,p udtdntc.

The point OF controlling Importance in the
selection OF candidate for president, or any
other office, Is that OF his availability Where
this quality Is lacking, the best OF other
merits are not sufficient to justify nomi-
nattcn. He must not only be competent and
worthy. but he must also be popular. and not
likely to provoke antagonisms and turn men
away from him fer personal reasons. In
other words, he must be what we call a
vote-getter. The object Of his party in making
him its candidate is not to do him an honor
or give him reward so much as to pro-
mote Its own interests and to accomplish
certain general results. There is really no
such thing as claim upon a party for
recognition of this sort. That is to say,
gratitude is not party virtue, practically
speaking, and no measure of faithful and
useful service Simplies a right to nomina-
tion. The existing conditions in given case
arec losely and coldly studied. and the man
is chosen who seems likely to please the
largest number OF the people. 1t is not
CROUCH to say of man that he has superior
ability and that he is honest and Industrious.
Those are coed recommendations, but they
are not conclusive. The question of availa-
bility remains, and all other considerations
are finally subordinated to that of doing what
is best for the party in the sense of helping
1t TO carry the election.
This fact has been repeatedly illustrated
In our politics. to the disappointment of
some OF our greatest men. and sometimes
" lht HldTheu disadvantage OF the country.
There is reason to say that the leaders of a
party deserve recognition according to the
service that II receives from them and in
proportion to their conceded capacity; but
the difficulty lies in the application of this
theory when the circuin stances render IL
imrolitic for the party. The strongest men
In point of ability are not always the strong
est ones In point of popularity. On the con
trary, they are apt as a rule to be weaker
with the people than men Of less intellectual
nv ura tAr f.ntIs H..
ing. 1t has frequently happened that men
nave fairly earned the presidency. and vet
nave not secured It; but IL will not do to
say that their parties were to blame for their
failure to reach the goal of their ambition
Some of them were nominated for the office
ana the country refused to elect them, while
OH ers were probably saved from like defeat
Dy being denied the nomination. The mere
TACT that they deserved what they sought
counts for nothing as an imputation upon
@ .he parties TO which they belonged. 1t was
their lack of availability that caused others
70 be exalted over them. They missed the
coveted compensation because their popular
lty was not equal to their other and more
substantial qualifications.
IL is not the business of party to nomi-
nate men for office merely on account of its
appreciation Of their abilities or its obliga-
tions for their services They are only indi-
Viduals with whom it has right to deal as
IL snail think more conducive to its own
wenare Inc principal object of its existence
Is success, and success depends largely upon
Its wisdom in the selection of candidates who
VIII suit the people. 1t cannot hope to win
with a man who is unpopular for any reason
however capable and deserving he may be-
and when 1t puts such man aside and takes
one who can be expected to poll more votes
1t does only what is dictated by prudence
and common sense. That is what political
availability means: and it is considerable
not to be disregarded by any party that
wishes to prosper and to gain the ends for
which 1t is striving. 1t is to be lamented, of
course, tina, this often leads to what looks
IKE 1ngratitude but all those who enter
politics take such chance of misfortune.
Tho fact OF first Importance is that a party
must choose its candidates judiciously, or it |
might as well not choose them at all. 1t is
practical and not sentimental question |
The best man to nominate is the one who is
most likely, all things considered, to achieve
triumph and parties are not wise when
they take the risk involved in a different
policy. ..