The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-11-26

president, mos. N. strong, HUTlldHu,
Ore; 4th vice president, H. Dickson
Bruins, New Orleans; 5th vice president,
Edmund j. James. Chicago, Secretary,
Clinton Rogers Woodruff, Philadelphia;
Treasurer, George Burnham, Philadel-
phia.
Executive committee-Charles J. 'Bo-
naparte, chairman, PIG st. Paul ST.,
Baltimore; George w. Guthrie, Pitts
burg; GeorgA w. Ochs, Philadelphia;
Hector Mcintosh. Philadelphia; Oliver
McClintock, Pittsburg; w P. Bancroft,
Wilmington; D. L. D. Granger. Provi-
dence; Harry A. Garfield, Cleveland;
William G. Low. Brooklyn; Dudley
Tibbitts, Troy; Frank N. Hartwell,
Louisville. John A Butler, Milwaukee;
E. NJ Thresher, Dayton; Harry b.
French, Philadelphia; and the officers.
Offices of the secretary, 121 South
Broad street, Philadelphia.
PUBLIC SERVICE BY CITIZENS IN
PRIVATE STATION
Horace E. Deming, New York City.
| The subject which has been assigned
me by our secretary is very broad
one, but the phase of public service to
which I shall address myself is service
to the State in the effort to influence or
control governmental action.
1 suppose that the majority of ambi-
ticus, healthy-minded young Americans
-f,I, Tnf
flee. 1 remember very well four or five
! years ago when I was boy that it was
held out to me that 1 might some day
| be President of the United States, and
| that 1 should always so conduct myself
| that when that opportunity came
| should be fit to fill the position.
| There are several hundreds of thous-
ands of public offices in the United
| States, national, state and local. That
| is encouraging to the boy. He may
get a chance: But, young gentlemen
there is a hundred million of popu-
lation and there are not offices enough
| to go around; and then, too, of these
hundreds of thousands of public offices
/ there are only few thousands of any
particular Importance as determining
questions of public policy or influencing
! governmental action. Only one mar
here and there may be president, but
few may become governors and there
are still fewer United States Senators
than governors; and, if we take a lar
ger group Of public officials, there are
not so many of us after all who can ex-
pect to be members of legislatures OF
even of boards of aldermen. Moreover
there are some things connected with
the methods of securing nominations to
| public elective office and of retaining
public place that are repugnant to
many; and in spite of those methods,
or possibly because of them, a political
career in this country, if it means con-
| tinuing in public elective Office, is I'M
certain and insecure. 1t is plain that
most of us, young gentlemen, if we wish
/ to render public service to our country
| must find some way of doing it while
remaining in private station.
Now how shall we do this? How
! shall we do it most intelligently? Most
! effectively? For do it we must, and do
! it every young man among you will, If
+! he is worthy to live under the flag of
! his country.
/ We must remember that the struggle
! of the people to control the government,
| to be the government, is the struggle
! toward democracy. When the public
policy of the government is the DELHI
I erately formed will of the people, and
when that public policy is enforced
| through the chosen representatives of
the people, representative democracy
viii have been achieved If you want
! to serve your country you must be in
full sympathy with that democratic
] ideal. You must study your country S
history from that point of view. The
struggle of the people to control the
government, is the political history of
our country. You must be on the peo-
pies side in the struggle for liberty
You must have confidence and an abid-
ing trust in the fundamental honesty
and in the high aspirations of the peo-
pie. You must want the people to win.
| You must be willing to help the people
win. And with a knowledge and con-
fdence born of your study of the politi-
cal history of your country and of the
progress Of democracy you must be sure
that the people will win.
/ These are some of the elements which
will equip an American citizen to give
public service to his country in private
station Given this sympathy, given
this knowledge and confidence and this
desire to help, and your opportunities
for public service are illimitable.
Young gentlemen, for a quarter of a
century, almost without exception, ev-
cry important step forward politically,
whether in policy or in administration.
has been taken on the initiative of the
private citizen and under the pressure
of a public opinion which he has Gre
ated. Let me give you two or three il
Illustrations. The civil service reform
movement that movement which aims
to dignity the subordinate civil service
of our country, to elevate the holders
of positions in the administrative ser
vice to real freedom, to open the oppor-
tunity for such service to every Aneri-
can citizen under fair conditions-owes
its initiative and the measure of sue
cess already won not to any govern