The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-30
Senator German.
The Fate of the Man Who Is Too
Smart for His Neighbors.

OeudlOT OOTlndu Is undoubtedly the 4
ablest political leader in his party at
the present time. He is, also, I'M
doubtedly, a leader who has had his |
eye on the Presidency. There is moth
ing discreditable in this. The posi-
bility of becoming President is the
blrthright of every boy born in this
free land of ours, and although as the
years go by and we see life as it Is,
the great majority of us come to the
conclusion that it is not worth fighting
for, that is no reason why anyone
who can get it should not fight for it.
1t is great thing to be President
especially TO be the right kind OF
President leave the impress Of
ones character on eighty millions of
people, even if the eighty millions of
people all die and pass away, and are
succeeded by their children who know
not Joseph.
There Is, then, no reason why Sen
ator German should not wish tc be
President, and a good many psopie
have wondered of late why he seems
not to be getting much nearer to that
large white building on the Avenue,
which has been considered desirable
residence by so many politicians who
never got a chance to live there.
There is just one reason, and it may
be summed up in n homely American
phrase which has no exact parallel in
potter language. he is a little too
smart.
The word smart has a significance
unique and great in our common
speech. 1t may be a compliment to
call a man smart, or it may not. IL
he is In business-an insurance agent,
a merchant, lawyer-he is called
smart with admiring awe. He is tie
man who has, as the old Quaker said,
taken the world rightly by the handle
He is the man who has intuition, ad-
dress, ability, who understands the in
tricacies of the worlds affairs. If the
plain man gets into lawsuit, he
wants smart lawyer; If he wants to
trade, he goes to the store of the
snlartest merchant. He has confidence
in the business ability of these men.
In politics. up to a certain point, he
aomires the same qualities. BuI.
cuIiously enough, when the politician
reaches the arena of national affairs,
it ceases to be altogether compliment
tary 10 call him smart. Undoubtedly
the one thing which defeated Blaine
in his canvass for the Presidency was
this lurking distlnst of him as ii mar
who was too smart, too smooth, toe
guileful, vino could deceive his neigh
bors if he chose. What IS the caust
Of this subtle change in attitudes
Why is it that the plain man, the hay
seed, the man who is even common
place, is dearer to the masses than the
"smart" politician, when it comes t.
choosing Presidert7
1t is probably due to the inbred
conviction Of the danger which such {
> man may be to popular government
J the recognition by the man in tn
, street of the fact that in our Govern
/ ment the man in the street is suppose,
to have a voice. The people know
that, when they have elected Presi
. dent, they cannot control him, an
they want a man whom they can trust
They want to feel that the Executiv
csnnot hoodwink them and pretend t
N give them popular government, Will
lie is really Strengthening his ow
= power. IL is a curious and subtl
= emotionalism which mixes with polii
n ical reasoning at this point, but 1t
\ the reason why men of the Gorrna
f type, known as successful and adroI
g politicians, rarely reach the Whit
,e House. The time may come when OF
IF Presidents will be of this fiber, br
N only a tremendously strong politici
machine could put one in now, an
IF the political machines do not hike thu
70 type Of man much better than III
II masses do.