Oregon union. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1897-1899, 1897-10-29
Chronic OHicehOiders.

in the letters of DR.. Harry Lane, re-
Gently published, it may be said
that his picture of the class of men.
chronic hangers on about the capital
for official place and perquisites, is
drawn from life Human scaven-
gers" is a tern strongly but justly
expressive Of type Of men whose
petty cunning in low grade politics
as engineered by party bosses is re-
warded year after year by official
position. :hese men have cen fed
on party mast so long that they
claim a place at the public feeding
trough as an inalienable right. Eat
ing their bread in the sweat of the
taxpayers face; impudent, impor-
tunate, dominated by low cunning;
having learned the trick of making
themselves indispensable to the
bosses-or, more strictly speaking,
to the boss-men of this type look
their decent fellow citizens in the
face, while their .dishonorable deal
ings with the public are being open
ly discussed and reprobrated by all
honorable men, scorning as privi-
legged beings to set up defense, and
resting in the assurance that they
will get what they want for the
mere asking. ''These men" says
DR.. Lane, "are our curse, our shame
and our crime;;" and he is right.
And when he adds. ''They are clog
on our prosperity and a dead weight
that is killing the patriotism of the
country" he states fact that every
honest, intelligent man recognizes
and deplores.
The above is from the Daily Ore
gonian. How wonderful home-like
the above suggestions appear to
anyone who has lived few years
in county-seat town! No man can
appreciate the supreme selfshness
of human ingenuity who has not
observed the city or county officials
who, after succeeding themselves for
two or three terms, adopt Artemus
Wards suggestions of Sacrificing
all their first wife's relations if, by
SO doing, they can by hook or crook,
obtain votes to perpetuate their mis-
cradle selfish existence, feeding at
the public crib. What, then, is the
remedy? Let it be understood by
all voters and, if necessary, enacted
into positive law that no man shall
run for office who has not already
some permanent business enabling
him to be self-supporting; that no
man shall be a candidate a second
time in succession not only for the
same office, but for any office. 1t
seems that such regulation would
prevent unholy, court house, state
house, congressional and senatorial
rings with the object only of per-
petuating the members of the com
bination at the public crib. Ordi-
nary officials, during their first term
Of office, usually try to perform the
duties of office we'll. If, however,
they are elected second term they
are quite likely to glance around
and form an unholy combination to
re-elect themselves, and when such
an object is desired it matters not
what principle comes in the way or
whose interests they sacrifice to
gain their point. In our neighbor-
ing county of Linn there is an un.
written rule prevailing among the
people "not to nominate a person
the second time to succeed himself
to office" That county gets along
better than almost any county in
the state, keeping free from debt,
and taxation of her people is low.
A law should be passed forbidding
every man at least from running
for public office twice in succession.
Two terms should be the ultimate
limit upon any theory that can be
advanced.