Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-11
AMERICANS AND DUTY
Secretary Bonaparte Adj
dressed G. E. Convention
BALTIMORE 7 YESTERDAY
ITIcs AND RELIGION.
How Every Citizen Can Contribute to
Good Government and a Clean
Civil Service.
BALTIMORE YESTERDAY

Navy delivered an address before the So
ciety of Christian Endeavor in Baltimore
yesterday afternoon after The Ssar went to
press. 1t is replete with good and who-e-
some advice to, young and old. He said in
part:
Many years ago a story was told of a
we'll known professional politician in this
city, now dead, who, on his return from
church one Sunday, was met by news
paper reporter, who remarked to him in
substance Mr.. A, l do not understand
how so regular an attendant at church as
you are can be great an adept in stuff
ing ballot boxes, fixing" juries and Wit
nesses and plugging corporations.
Mr.. b. replied tie -atesman, 1 never
mix up politics and religion.
"Of late years the American people have
shown a disposition sufficiently plain to be
widely remarked to act upon Inherent
principle; so many of our citizens are te-
ginning to mix up a good deal of what
my late fellowtownsman would call re-
ligon. with what he would call politics,
and the resultant of this mixture is so un-
palatable and unwholesome to those OF his
ways of thinking and acting that few
words as to the real nature. causes and
consequences of the phenomenon may De
timely and not without interest.
In truth, the mixing up of politics with
religion to which my deceased friend re-
ferred constitutes one feature Oh a very
notable popular movement in progress for
After the civil war and the period OF recon
struction the American people found time
to take stock; we were reminded by our
tax bills that we had a government, fact
our busy, prosperous fathers could more
than half forget during the two genera
tons space of steady internal colonization;
and with this reminder came growing
measure of doubt and anxiety as TO the
practical merits in sober truth and not in
Fourth-of-July oratory, OF all pranches'
national, state and municipal, of that gov
eminent under which we lived
"As ALWAYS happens, it proved easier 10
recognize evils than to discover remedies;
and in the like accord with all human eX-
perience, our search Tor the iatler was
hampered by the proffer of all sorts OF
wonderful nostrums, warranted by their re-
snertfve advocates to usher in a golden
age But with that plain, nara common
sense. that distaste for sound ana nom,
that craving for facts and distrust OF IDEAS
and theories. which have ever peen tne
norton of Misunderstanding folk, the peo-
nile of our union have finally gained
fairly clear insight into the nature OF our
ills. and are gradually but steadiy learn
ing what medicine will heal them
'.The underlying evil In the admlnlST
iton of our public affairs is simply oisnon
esty; our public offices are 100 oiteh ieio
nv dishonest men, too often gained by us.
honest means too often used for dlshoneSl
ends of course l do not mean that all,
or a majority or even any large NUMBER,
of our officials take public moneys, ol
fraudulently waste public properly, or III
anv Way cause penitentiarfes 10 yaWh lof
tbSr, Such incidents are, indeed, much
more frequent than they should be, put IL
may be doubted whether the proportion 81
downright thieves among the people
servants is larger than among those OF prl-
vate masters.
Americans and Duty.
.The great bulk of Americans in puohc
employ wish and intend to do their duty
but grave and mischevous, though very
common. confusion of ideas as to what Is
their duty makes the best OF them some
times fail to do it, and permits the worst
often to neglect it with impunity.
THE error is rooted in mistaken ana
immoral theory as to the nature OF the po-
sition they hold. In law and morals allke
public office belongs to the people JUS oI-
ties are fixed by the peoples laws; It's sol
aries are paid with the peoples money. IN
the words of the court of last resort In TINS
state: In this country public once cannot
be the property of the incumbent, because
IL belongs to the sovereign people VINO
created the government. In the declaration
of organic principles, prefixed to the 1nstru-
ment creating the government OF this state,
those holding the most important off1ces
are declared to be 1.-The trustees OF the pub
lie" The same designation necessarily ap-
plies to all public functionar1es. therefore
every office crea ted either by the constitu-
ton or by the laws authorized by that In
public benefit.
while however, few deny fatty and
openly the truth of the doctrine thus laid
down II Is practically contradcted every
day and in all parts of the Union. For
seventy-fve years we have permitted our
public offices to be treated as mere loot,
and In a political warfare, not as trusts be-
longing to the people, but as 'spoils, be-
longing to the 'victors.
Moreover since the pecuniary value of
many offices can be largely Increased by
adopting latitudinarian views as to certain
lines of official conduct, an absence OF pref
udice is soon cultivated against tips, su-
gar the plugging of corporations and
other practices with conventional and eu-
phemistic names which cloak such bald
terms as eXtortion and bribery.
Three years ago, during a public hear
ing before our state senate as to corrupt
practices act, advocated by the Baltimore
Reform League, on whose behalf APP
peared, 1t was openly stated by one of the
most experienced politicians of the state,
without dissent from any one, that certain
wealthy corporation habitually contributed
literally to the campaign funds of both the
| leading parties, in return for an implied. If
not an express, pledge that they should die
tate legislation affecting them in case Of
| the success of either, and the fact that the
button for a political purpose by corpo-
ration was universally admitted to have
been the principal reason for It's defeat.
Civil Service Reform.
Civil service reform, in fact, applies
a caustic to the very ulcer in our politics,
| in the application of morality and common
| sense to the choice of public servants.
| The typical American politician as devel-
| oped by the spoils system of politics, earns
| his living by holding, when he can get it,
| a public Office, in return for past or ex-
pected party work; to get rid of him and
| his work we must thoroughly eradicate
! from our own minds and those of our fell
| low citizens the absurd and wicked notion
| that offices are 'spoils.' This must be our
| first step if we would purify our politics,
| and so long a step that 1t will go far to
| render needless any further steps In the
work of publication.
| ITO understand. indeed, how the spirit
| of Christianity anything else can oper-
| ate to purify our politics, we must first
| define what we mean by parity and what
| we mean by politics
Politics is simply Greek word, natur-
| allied into English and meaning originally
| city affairs 1t is true that it's signift-
/ canoe has widened with time and with
| changes in human society; the ancient
! Greek knew no country use the
! term, except or beyond his city, and his
| far re az mes or IN