The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1905-11-10

PUBLIC OFFICE -.. % .7l.
Is A PUBLIC TRUST
The Origin Of the Phrase in Dispute
and Its Antiquity Traced.

Ihe editor or 1alpef'S s weekly
is in n peck of trouble, and all be.
cause he undertook to locate the
originator Of the phrase "A public
Office is a public trust." "
IIarpcr's identified ,he name OF
the late Daniel s. Lamont with the
phrase under discussion, but being
called to account by one Of its
readers, said:
we did not say that Colonel
Lamont was the author of the
phrase Public Office is public
, trust"--only that he adapted it to
fitting use in a Cleveland cam
paign. The originator, we believe,
was the late Governor Hugh 5.
Thompson. of South Carolina, who
first employed the expression in
his inaugural address in 1882" "
A st. Paul, Mimi, reader of
Harper's, replying to this latest
editorial declaration, says:
Daniel Webster, in speech in
the Odeou. Boston, seventy years
ago, said: 1T is time to declare
that Offices created for the people
are public trusts, not private
spoils. Volume !, Works of
Daniel Webster, p. 335. 1t may
he that the Governor of South
Carolina aud Colonel Lamont drew
their inspiration from the same
source. y
The man who undertakes to name
the originator Of the phrase Pub.
| l!c Office is public trust" has as.
sumCd a large task. In attrlbutlng
the origin to Governor Thompson,
of South Carolina, Harper's Week
ly does not touch the mark. Gov
erdor Thompson used it in 1882
perhaps just as Abram s. Hewitt
did in 1888 or Daniel 5. Lamont in
1884, MS a phrase which had be.
come so general as to justify its
use without quotation marks.
Dorman b. Eaton, Il New York
lawyer, who became widely known
10y his advocacy of civil service re.
form, said in 1881; THE public
Offices are n public trust" But as
long ago as May, 1872, Charles
Sumner said THE phrase public
Office is a public trust has of late
become common property. "
The st. Paul reader of Harpers'
correctly says that Daniel Webster
declared, 1T is time to declare that
Offices created for the people are
public trusts, not private spolls. y
Mr.. Webster delivered that speech
October -, 1885. But on Febru-
ary l3, 1888, John G.. Calhoun
said: The very essence of free
government consists in considering
Offices as public trusts bestowed
for the good of the country, and
not for the benefit of an individual
or a party" So the phrase Ger
tainly did not originate with Web.
ster.
Neither did it originate with
Calhoun, because years before
Burke, in his address on the French
Revolution, said: To execute
laws is Il royal office; 10 execute
orders is not to be king. How
ever, a political executive magis-
tracy, though merely such, is d
great trust. y In the same address
Burke snid: All persons possess.
ing any portion of power ought tC
he strongly aud awfully impressed
with an idea TINT they act in trust
and that they are to account fOl
their conduct in that trust to th,
one great Master, Author ant
Founder of society" i" In the sam,
addre Burke said; In theil
nomination to Office they will no
point to the exercise of authorit,
as to a pitiful job, but as to hol,
function "
Thomas jefferson in 1907 said
When man assumes a. publ,
trust he should consider himself a
public property"
But among the claims with re
spect to the origin Of this phrase
those of Matthew Henry are not t,
be entirely ignored. Matthew
Henry was a British divine, VIII,
died in l7l4. He published a com
mentary upon the old aud ney
Testaments. In the third chapte
of the first Epistle to Timothy, re
ferring TO the qualifications o
deacons, as well as of bishops, it i
. said, and let these, also, first b
proved" Commenting on thi
Matthew Henry said: ut is no
! fit that the public trusts should b
lodged in the hand of any, till the
! have been first proved and found Fl
for the business they are to be in
trusted with"
Clearly, the phrase did not origi
nate as Harper's Weekly says
did, with The governor of SoutI
Carolina, nor as the st Pau
reader says, with Webster.
OF course. the exact origin is no
of the greatest Importance, but
i is a good sign that public interes
has been aroused in phrases of thi
sort; and whether it comes in tn
words of Matthew Henry. of Jeffer
son, of Burke, of Calhoun, o
Webster or men of more recen
days it is particularly important a
this time that elector and electe
understood that, as Disraeli put i,
. "All power is trust, and we ar
accountable for its exercise. ."--Th
, COmmOner