Evening journal., 1903-09-07

attention of a cabinet officer would OUT
weigh any petty personal spite or po-
ntoai scheming OF an accidental sena-
tor But she was wrong. That cabinet
officer knew that record in advance, it
had leen sorutinized by her enemies,
aided doubtless BY officials of the de-
parmont but e. WAS found nawless.
SO The postmaster-General Of the
United States OF AmcMca, acting as the
servant of the people. said: ~Your rec
ord is az right there are no charges
against YOU, but you are personally and
particularly obnoxious TO senator AL
lee"
Now il trauspires that Miss Todd had
not the advantage of Senator Allee'a
acquaintance. Al one time. she admits,
she came near having that distinction.
but totally unaware of the honors that
were seeking certain Dover jeweler,
she missed her opportunity. She says
that few years since being in the
state Capital she purchased "a breast
pin from ieweler who kept small
store, If the Young man who took her
.mon,y was the man Who now occupies
the sent in the Senate once filed by
clayton. she did not know IT, Anyway
She was his patron, ana could not have
he,ome personally obnoSious for that
reason
4 But it 81 said that Miss Todd being
q woman OF character and inspired by
hlh ideals OF the dignity OF the public
service took occasion from time to time
10 express her opinions Of degraded
ana debased politics. she thought that
the purchase of men like sheep was
wstns ana she did not believe that ONE
who had INDUCED IN the pastime should
be 4henrded with seat 10 the United
States senate. Hence she became par
ticulnrly ana personally obnoxious to
Senator Alice" The matter is perfect
~ plain now.
OF course government employees musl
not critlcise their superiors, but it
seeems that the rule is 20 be interpreted
SO as to include amy abstract criticism
whicha Senator might apply 20 his own
case. II "a postmaster says that il is
wrong ia buy votes Senator cuts Off
his obnoxious head because he takes
the criticism 20 himself This proves
that we must either elect Senators pos
sessing an tNe virtues or We must alb
soliitely seal the mouths of government
employees. As it stands these employees
must not teach a sunday school class
lest in emphasizing one Of the COM
mandmehts they insist on an abstrac-
tion that might be applied personally
by Senator and thus become per
sonaly offensive" Parents who are
ONCE holders dare not counsel their
children too openly.
This requirement OF the public SER
vice, as interpreted by Alice and
1 Payne, would not permit amy postmas-
ter of Kent or Sussex TO tell Sunday
school that Il is wrong to buy votes
and that a man who would debauch his
fellow men by the thousands ia order
3. TO secure a great office is sconndrcl
That abstract statement would lose the
speaker his place, because il would be
interpreted as offensive by the man
who does do those things and hence it
would be offensive TO his understudy
Thus this great government Of ours
frowns upon the man or woman ip pub
lie Office having opinions; ana SO 1t
iprotects the successful scomdrel by
closing the lips of criticism. The gov
ernment Of the United states pays the
salary of the postmaster at Greenwood.
bur the government does not weigh eff
hcienoy as against the personal ,dis-
likes Of senator Alice With few
more Senators like Alice and few
more cabinet officers like Payne, "the
government Of the people by the peo-
pie and FOR the people" might become a
bowling farce.