The age-herald., 1902-05-04

Washington, May 3-fSpeciaD-Th re- vengeful man is the man of low instincts the vainglorious man Is the man of low breeding. Covetousness sent Lucifer to Hell. And to covet a mans position in the world, his success, his skill, learn ing. intellectual attachments. his reputa- tion-to be covetous or jealous of a man in these conditions and qualities is as low and degraded as to yearn and moan for his bank notes.
 By politics or poker you can quicker find out the true character of any man than by any other way whatever. Poker is really a quicker method than politics, Tor this great national gambling game of America is almost instantaneous in re- yealing character. One hour at fifty cent" will lay bare every soul at the table revelation which In the case of any man in politics would require perhaps a fortnight to make entirely clear.
 In poker everything is fair except cheat ing. In the creed of our national life the who cheats at cards.
 In politics everything is fair except theft and islander, and even many politi- cal thief and slanderer rises to high place. Indeed such thieving and slander- ing are very popular in many sections of the country. The man who can pack a convention or manipulate" the ballots in box is held often to be a hero. He is a s-m-a-r-t man." people say, and they 1,t him to the penitentiary.
 But between gentlemen in politics there is never any bitter personal feeling on account of political differences of opin- ion or action. There is something wrong in the character of man who seeks to make difference in politics who cannot or does not vote for or with him. At times every citizen must choose as to which one or two or more friends he will support for a given office, just as he must choose which political party he will serve; but personal resentment against this citizen in politics is as utterly unreasonable and unmanly as would be resentment against a free man because he elected to place his spiritual well-being in one particular form of religion.
 For an adherent in one element in politics to feel personal animosity to- ward an adherent of another element would be as low in morals as for, say. a Baptist to hate a Methodist because of religious differences. It is perhaps sinful to thus bring religion and politics into one sentence of English but as 1t is merely for moral comparison the sin may be for given.
 The source of all real trouble in poli- ucs' as In religion, Is that certain free men are unwilling to allow certain other Tree men to support and enjoy opinions and views of their own; and out of this perverse intolerance grows sensitiveness to criticism and the consequent inabili- ty to distinguish between criticism and abuse, state of mind universal amongst the unlearned and the rude. Happily als openly criticises the religious views of another. As for abuse of religion, there was time when such coarseness cost the abuser his head.
 Here in Washington one sees practiced the honest and healthful American doc Urine tfat political views and personal relations have nothing in common. Every man in Congress is held to be entitled to the fullest freedom of criticism against the party to which he is opposed: and ow and then member indulges in vigor- ous criticism of his own party; but that cannot be considered good form, since it is not proper to aid the enemies of one's own friends and supporters. Sometimes an ill-bred member sassails individuals personally who cannot reply to him, and likewise denounces the inhabitants of some particular section of the country. Such as that is not criticism; 1t Is com mon blackguardism which arouses the proper personal animcsity of those abused and their reprer entat'ves. We have had a great deal of that kind of talk this ses sion, with the result that some members of Congress are very cordially detestsd in the personal sense
 But upon the whole the personal rela tions between the really reputable mem- bers of Congress of both great parties are happy to an extraordinary degree. In many instances the warmest and closest friends are men of opposing political views.
 It is a common experience to witness a