The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-04-27
"a MISTAKEN VIEW OF OFFICE.

A mans standing and worth in com
munity can often be measured by the i'm
preston which he makes on an outside
party, who judges him entirely from an
unprecedented standpoint, and the follow
ing just appreciation of Congressman Nc
Cleary's worth and services from the Min
neapolis Journal will meet with the ap-
proval of the majority of the people of
this Second congressional district:
Mr.. Funk. of Mankato having despaired
of ever inducing anybody else to become a
candidate against McCleary, has decided
to enter the race himself. He says that he
does so with but the friendliest feelings for
| McCleary but that he also feels that 'eight
years of the enjoyment of the honors and
emoluments of the office should be suffi-
cient" to satisfy man with reasonable
appetite for honors and emoluments.
Mr.. Funk offers very poor excuse for
his candidacy, and one which would seem
to US not likely to appeal very strongly to
the people of the Second district, unless
they regard the Office of congressman sim
ply as favor to be passed around, a sort
of snap, as it were. to be enjoyed by one
man for time and then passed on that as
large a number as possible may have
IF ~ If that &c tho corract view 0f
the congressional Office no man ought to
have more than one term. If the Office is
to be taken away from the occupant when
he is supposed to have had his share of the
honors, etc., then Mr.. Funk's candidacy is
in order, for McCleary has certainly reaped
honors, if not from the Office at least in
office. He has come to be regarded in
Washington as one of the strongest men in
the house.
| As to the emoluments there isn't any
| thing to show that the representative of
the Second district has got much more
than his board and clothes. Considering
all the expenses to which congressman is
unavoidably subjected, it is about the
poorest-paid job in the country. Any man
living in the Second district with the ordi-
nary expenses of family to meet, can save
more money on half the salary than his
congressman can.
| But the probabilities are the people of
the Second district do not take the same
view of the Office that Mr.. Funk advances
in his announcement The probabilities
are that they regard the office as not simply
a favor to be passed around, but position
of service to the district, to the state and
to the nation, which should be filled by
the man best qualified to discharge its du-
ties That is the common sense, business
view of it, it is also in the last analysis the
comm on-sense political view of it. That
party is the strongest, other thing being
equal, which offers to the suffrages of the
people the man best qualified to fill the Of
fee In this case, other things are equal,
if not more so.
And all this is true without saying a word
against the qualifications of Mr.. Funk.
Without doubt there are lots of men in
Minneapolis who could fill the office of
head miller at any of the large mills as
we'll as any one of the men so employed;
but without doubt the owners of the mills
are not going to conclude that any one of
these head millers has had the job long
enough and ought to give the place to some
other fellow, who might prove to be equal
ly good. but whose capacity has not yet
been tested
Now, what is true of the Second district
| is true throughout the state of Minnesota
| today, The Journal has had occasion to
| take issue with five of the representatives
from this state on one of the first questions
brought up as to our relations with the new
dependencies OF this country. We thought
the gentlemen with whom we took issue to
be wrong, and we think so yet. but, i'm
portant as this question is, it must be re-
garded by all thoughtful men as of minor
consequence compared with the whole
proposition of the best possible representa-
| ton from this state in congress. The rep
resentatives of Minnesota have all been in
the congressional service long enough to
have obtained recognition in the house and
our delegation is one or the strongestin that
body. The Minnesota men occupy i'm
portant positions on committees and give
to this state a prestige and power in
Washington out of all proportion to the
number of representatives and the popula-
ton of the state, and second among west
ern states only to that of Iowa, where the
same policy of permanency in office has
been pursued even more persistently than
in Minnesota.
The Journal has no fault to find
with the aspiration of other gentlemen
who may wish to win congressional honors.