The Saint Paul globe., 1900-02-07
A WHITE RLAcKBIRD.

Somebody mas SAID tnaC no WHISKY II
really bad but that some whisky IS bet
ter than other whisky. On the same prin-
ciple, 1t may be said that no politician Is
good. but that some are worse than
others. But there is at least one GOOD
politician In the world. That rara avis
has just been discovered in the borough
of Kings. in Greater New York. We do
not know what his party politics are,
but the presumption is, Of course. that
they are Democratic. He Is now acting
as register of deeds Of Kings county,
New York, and he has refused to accept
the emoluments of his office. The reason
he assigns Is that they are too large, and
that they are out of all proportion to the
value of the services which he is render
ing or capable of rendering to the public
who elected him to the Office.
When this remarkable official was call
ed on by the representative Of a city
newspaper, who inquired about his un-
willingness to pocket all the proceeds OF
his office, the first utterance he made Is
reported as follows:
''The fees, Ell? Well, there's really
nothing to say about that Here's an
American citizen asking to be paid for
what he does and nothing more. DO
you blame him? Why, it's simple to run
this office; 1t isn't half so complicated
business as my own private affairs.
Mo-; nothing like as complicated. Yet
they want to pay me more than the
president of the United States gets-me,
a plain American, brought up In the
plain, simple, dear old-fashioned way!
For doing what? Just what any other
plain American could do What do you
think of it when it's put that way to
you? Eh?"
What a fine, healthful, refreshing out
burst! And the finest, most healthful and
most refreshing thing about it is that the
man means every word OF 1t. He wants
no i'll gotten gains either from the public
or the individual. He will not dirty his
hands with money so obtained. He re-
CARDS the fee system as an abomination,
a relic of the days when royal governors
squeezed all the taxes they could In every
way they could out of American col
onists. and so he declares that he stands
against 1t.
Hear this:
'If 1 wanted to, could get as much
out of this office in q year as an average
American gets for lifetime's work! Is
that right? The average American might
work for lifetime, and he wouldn't get
as much as 1 get for doing this simple
work for a year. That ought to be
stopped. I'm here to stop it If I can,
and IL I can't, I'm sure of one thing-I
won't take a cent more for my work
than l ought to have"
Why does he not put the money in his
pocket and say nothing about it? Here's
his reason:
''shucks! I don't want them. I've got
little home and a wife and a little girl
In it. They're all the world to me-all
the whole world. We can only eat so
much; we can only wear so much; we
have simple tastes I've got enough al,
can good American and a good, plain
man want? I'm not here for money"
The registers voice rose sharply as he
out today If there wasn't anything more
in this Office for me than money. There
you have it! There you are! That's how
feel about this t thing! I'm 81 here for a a
get back to my private business. which
is more complicated than this office, sir.
Blessed if I wouldn't!
The name of this man ought to be made
known from one end to the other of
these states: 1t is James r. Howe, and
his home is in the city of Brooklyn. Ever
since he assumed control of the office
which he holds he has protested that he
was overburdened with fees, that the
amount was out of reasonable proportion
to the value Of his services. and has al
ways declared that he would not and
could not accept it.