The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-03-09
PRACTICAL POLITICS.

mas caustlc article on the practice of
putting in charge of public business
men who have failed in private bust.
ness. Mr.. Merton has dislike of the
practical politician amounting to alb
horrence and does not hesitate to con-
denim him in the most scathing terms.
BY practical politician, however, we
take 1t that he means professional
politician-sometimes very different
individual. Mr.. Morton says:
"The man who enters upon public
life and seeks and gets office merely
for the benefit of himself; for the
money and not the honor--is actuated
by motives similar To those which
animate the burglar. The practical
politician and the journeyman burg
lar are as much alike, in impulse, as
two frogs jumping in the same
direction.
1.-THE ambition to do something good
and great for ones country is noble,
and ought to be instilled into the
mind of every American youth. But
instead of that inculcatiOn, too often,
the schools and the press and the
pulpit teach that the government is
something which can do much for
each citizen-a paternal affair chat
VIII furnish employment, remunera-
tion and good living to various
classes of its citizens and certain
kinds of its industries, The priv
ileges of citizenship divorced from the
duties Of citizenship are constantly
the talk of vote-catchers who seek
office for their own rather than the
public good.
"The man who has been able in the
professional or business walks of lifs
to accomplish nothing for himself and
family is generally .he most impor-
tune beggar for public prominence
and political position. And it is
singular fact that, in q political
convention, where local offices are to
be parceled out, the prosperous, com.
petent and success sfril man-and 1t
makes no difference what party is
holding the county or city conven.
tion-can seldom win a nomination
over an incompetent and unsuccessful
one. The candidate who can show
the most failures and woes in his
career will, nine times out of ten, be
awarded domination, on any political
ticket, over any citizen who has ac-
quired a competence by industry,
good business methods and self denial.
The man who parades his lack of sue
cess and.declares that he needs the
office, will, as a rule, always secure
nomination when pitted against
competitor of known ability and es-
tablished financial credit.
"This sympathy which puts i'm
becility, which has failed in the man.
agement Of private business, in charge
of the business of the public by
awarding it office out of which to sub
sist is too general, too active and as
wrong politically as il is morally.
Those who make office seeking and
office getting means of living, a pro-
fessIon, are dangerous citizens in any
community.
1.-The rules of business, the careful
management and economy which
make success in commercial and pro-
fessional careers of individuals must,
sooner or later, be applied to the dis
charge of public duties, or government
of the people, for the people, by the
people, prove an ignominious failure.
In every county, city and precinct
men of high character, known expert
ence and success i'm affairs must be
selected for local offices if taxation is
to be reduced and debts wiped
out"
Unquestionably there's much whole
some truth in Mr.. Morton's article,
Notwithstanding its eXtravagancies.
The practice he complains of is all too
prevalent and the peoples interests
suffer greatly in consequence. 1t is
TOO much to say that the man who
can show the most failures in his
career will "nine times out of ten"
be given party nomination over men
who by thrift and good business
methods have succeeded in acquiring
competence, but often contests in |
convention or primaries do result that
way.
Nor is Mr.. Morton right in assum-
ing that this practice always or
necessarily is bad. If il were, the
country would be in much worse
condition than it is There is an inn
portant difference between public
business and private business which |
Mr.. Morton overlooks. The element
of enterprise which enters 50 largely
into private business and is so essen