The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-01-14
Washington
Day by Day


idential mind the general public eonvic-
ton that he should decline to heed any
scandalous charges made by place-seek-
ers and others against men in the pub
lie service, and that he cause 1t to be
made known that any man conveying
such charges to the White House shall
himself be permanently forbidden reeep-
ton there and be barred from office.
This theory of practical government is
based upon the contention that the re-
failing of odious charges to the Presi-
dent In person is to say the least disre-
gardful of the dignity of his office; that
a mere scandalmonger Is not a person
whom the President should receive OF
appoint to office; and that for all facts
pertaining to the official and public con-
duct of officers of the government the
President should rely solely upon the
respective heads of the great departm ents
charged with the details of administering
the laws.
There is much in this contention to
commend it to the sober thought of the
President and the American people. With
the ordinary private life of the office
holders of all ranks and grades the
President has got nothing to do. II on
account of immortality an officeholder
should give public offense, proof of his
conduct be submitted to the department
under which he serves and his official
conduct being a matter of official record,
the head of his department could at once
furnish the President with every detail
required in any emergency. This is pre-
cisely the course that is now pursued
by the departments, except perhaps that
proof of imm orality is seldom made. In
deed proof of grave offending against
morality on the part of Presidential ap-
pointees is far from common.
1t Is very difficult for a man notorious
ly immoral or rather Immoral, to secure
for himself influences sufficiently power
full to obtain for him appointment to pub
lie office at the hands of the Presi-
dent. There have been notorious cases
to the contrary of this, and such cases
are likely to continue to arise under the
spolls system, but they are exceptions
to rule that is creditable to public life
as It is in this country.
1t is notorious that President Roose-
welt has been several times seriously af-
fronted by the language of over-zealous
seekers after place and their friends in
preferring charges to him against their
opponents in and out of office This has
led>him in some instances. 1t Is said to
give orders to his official household that
certain men who had offended him by the
grossness and coarseness of their charges
against others should not again be adj
mitted to his presence This would be
very characteristic of the President and
one hopes it is true. He is the man of all
men to make such a desirable change in
the public custom In the White House,
for he is a strong, sef-relant and mas
terful man, one of high morality, and
unaccustomed to vulgarities of speech
and brutalities of fouler scandal.
If an offceholder or a man seeking Of
fee be guilty of gross immortality, name
able or unnameable. the impression Of the
facts rather than the coarse things them
selves in their naked hideousness of for
bidding phrases should be conveyed to
the President whenever 1t be necessary
for him to know, which is seldom.
The whole question recurs to the most
depraved and repulsive of all public
private immortality, the seeking to exalt
oneself by dragging down another. That
is a foul sin in the view of all truly
reputable men and women it Is the sin
that has peopled hell with the slanderers
and the selfright eous. It Is vice sitting
in arrogant Judgment Of virtue
And for the President and all his eighty
millions of people there is a lesson in
true human morality in poor Burns i'm
perishable lines:
Deal gently with thy brither, man,
Gentler still, sister, woman;
Though they may gang a-kennin wrang,
To step aside is human"
In 1884 the American people effectually
and forever condemned the coarser scan
dalmongering in national political affairs.
Since then there has been no campaign
of scandal and SANDER" and there is not
likely TO De one. One StTonB, Bredt man
answered the cries of public ghouls and
unolean and hypocritical heralds Of self
righteousness by bidding his friends to
Tell the Truth" He relied upon the self
respect and sense of decency of the
American people, and they revolted
against a campaign Of the most forbid
ding depravity; they gave a much-needed
lesson in the law of personal liberty. and
while we in this country are still many
a years journey from the ideal of such
liberty, we are very far in advance of
the conditions of 1884; though half the
nation was In revolt against the freedom
of the individual less than ten years
ago
Notwithstanding the great power of
corporate wealth and the Tightening
lines of personal conduct laid down for
those who must individually earn their
own livelihood, personal liberty counts
for more in America on this bleak and
dull January night than 1t ever counted
before. and there are signs of promise
that freedom may yet supplant license In
the minds and hearts Of this people.
The Greek of the millionaire lobby and
the Greek of the people being Joined in
the Senate, there is now the real tug of
war over the Nicaraguan canal. Senator
Morgan having caused a writ to issue
summoning one Of the French advance