The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-28
'sTHE FOLK QUALITY,
From the Lack of Which So Man,
worthy Men Fail to Succeed.
Hartford Courant.

ktdrlIOFu 0OuTdnt.
We frequently hear II said of some citizen
eminent for integrity and common sense:
What a pity he does not go into politics.
We are willing to trust his judgment i'm all
private matters. We need him in public
life" The fact that such men are by "A
process of natural selection told off for the
conduct of private trusts and sometimes
excluded from public life Is cited as n re-
proach 70 democratic government, on the
ground that IL ignores a certain class of
valuable and men.
The truth is that these men lack a GER
tain element necessary TO eminence in Il
democratic community. which we have VEN
tured to designate as the "f~olk-quality."
They have patriotism, energy and ability,
but they lack a certain love for the rough
and tumble OF a primary election, they lack
the adaptability 10 the conditions which
make politics attractive to some men. This
love and this adaptability may co-exist with
honesty and integrity. Possibly they par
take more of manliness than of d~elicacy
and refinement. but in that case the deli
cacy and refinement are superficial. They
are entirely compatible with the innate up
rightneSs and refinement that President
Lincoln possessed. The same might be said
OF William ii. Seward. To both of these
men politics was the breath of their nos
trils. We hear a great deal nowadays of
folklore and fOlk-poetry, by which is
meant something which grows among the
people. and as it is their product, is marked
by qualities which suit them. 4 writer
like James Whitcomb Riley or Eugene
Field. whose work is tinged with this quail
ity. is sure of success. What he saws
kOtS. II IL nan possesses q IeellNX OF be-
ing at home among the people simply be-
cause they are his people, he loves politics
Irrespective of his moral nature or his edu-
cation. Ii brings him TO the front. After
he gets there his political economy and his
high ideal OF public duty Will help him Won
derfully. But they will not do him the
least good unless he has some share of the
universal sympathy which. lying uncon-
sciously IN his heart. makes him willing To
put up with the ridiculous and the dis
agreeable.
IL is absurd TO say that a man must force
himself TO be familiar with what he de-
spises. that he must lay on one side his
honor and sense OF shame before he can
nope TO succeed in politics. If that were
true we should indeed be in sorry case.
We carry too many examples to the con-
trary- lie must possess the folk quality i'm
order to make "A start and i'm order to get
on. Perhaps this is only giving a name To
something that is indehnable or the term
stands for a conglomerate OF all the quail
tiles that lead 10 political success i'm
America.
Undoubtedly our American system does
tend TO eliminate some men who. If born i'm
England, might have proved valuable i'm
public situations: But in all countries some
men rise ia public life who ought To have
been kept out. and some men are kept
down In defiance OF public interest. Glad
stone Would nave risen had he been born
In New England. Webster would have been
as great I'm England as he was here. prob
ably have risen higher. IL is doubtful IL
Lord Salisbury could have become Secre-
tary of state II he had been an American
citizen The point insisted ON is that the
one absolutely necessary quality for po-
litical advancement is not "A narrow. un-
principled nature. II * the ability To take
hold with hearty, natural interest i'm the
work. Sometimes an able. ambitious man
forces himself forward by will power. hut
he feels out of place and is usually reIe-
gated TO the ranks before long. Sometimes
a wealthy man buys his promotion. That
We shall have to stop. The man who is
really fitted 10 get on In politics gets on.
We shall never believe that that fitness
consists In qualities Of which he should
prefer to be destitute.