Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-07-05

senatorial and gubernatorIal convcn-
tons now COLL to the front almost any
man for whom they Indicate a prefer
ence.
But there Is still another reason be-
sides honor and fame why our most
prominent citizens should be prevailed
upon to assume the municipal burdens
of official life. If man Will not serve
his city at financial sacrifice, then In
truth he will not in all probability serve
his city faithfully even II he had TO
make no financial sacrifices The sim
pie fact IS that our country, both In ma
tiohal and civic life, has never been
able to financially reward It's true
servants adequately. 10 you not be-
lievc that Webster and Clay end Cal.
houn and Washington and Hamilton
and Robert u. Livingston and Judge
Story and Marshall and Samuel J. Ran.
dali could have made FIVE. ten-aye,
tyenty-times more money II they lad
never entered public life? Do you be-
lieve that our soldiers who died for
the defense Of their native land We're
ever adequately paid for splitting their
life's blood? The other day was read
ing an account OF the mortality of the
Fifth New Hampshire infantry at the
battle of Fredericksburg. In one charge
1t lost 1856 men out OF a muster OF 300
In that one charge every one of the
color guard was shot dead. Then Cap
tain Perry ran forward and lifted the
fallen colors, and lie almost instantly
was a corpse. Then another soldier.
Captain Murray, rushed forward and
grasped the flag, and he was shot dead.
Then Captain Moore entered that hail
storm OF bullets for the precious flag.
and he, too, dropped dead. Then four
or five private soldiers met a like fate
and bit the blood soaked earth Then
Lieutenant Nettleton. Just as brave as
the rest, made dash for the precious
flag and bore il to the rear.
DO you mean to tell me that those
men financially were adequately paid
for shedding their life's blood? Why,
some Of those men could have been
making their thousands of dollars Mt
home If they had not enlisted In the
diers for mere pittance Of Sic q
month were ready to lay down their
lives for their country's defense Now,
] want to ask you this question, Ae all
the heroes of this nation dead? Nay.
l believe men and women are Just as
ready to make sacrifices for their coun-
try now in these times Of peace as
I'm
And l Furthermore believe that the
most prominent citizens of our large
cities will serve us In municipal Offices
If we only go after them and call them.
In these civic problems which we have
TO solve let us divorce municipal poll
tics from national politics. Then, in
the next place. let us nominate for our
city officers not the professional office
seekers. but let us go to our best mer-
chants and lawyers and physicians and
say: Men, come and serve us. Come
and make our cities names honora bic
il the sight Of men" And as Ameri.
cans north, east. south and west, will
quickly volunteer their services in
times of war, so ] believe these promi-
nent merchants and lawyers and doc
tors-aye, and ministers-will come to
the rescue of our cities in times Of
peace.
Look to the Conventions.
But we must not simply look ut our
| municipal candidates when we attempt
10 rescue our cities from their present
political corruption. We must also
weigh carefully in the balance the men
by whom these candidates are being
selected. There is not one municipal
candidate in ten thousand who will an
| nounce himself as candidate for a
city or county Office, as did William
Travers Jerome for the district attor-
neyship of New York city. \ man as
a candidate for a public office is in
evitably the candidate Of certain men
and belongs TO the same class, It's
true that certain men, like Governor
| Folk of Missouri, may be better than
the men who nominated them, vet, as q
rule, in the political world the water
never rises higher than its source.
When man Is nominated by a con
venton for q city Office he is, as a
rule, no better and no worse than the
men who want to elect him TO that
Office. Therefore If you would find out
the kind CT municipal candidates who
are running, all you have to do is to so
among the men and find out what kind
Of men they are who want that can
dldatc elected. In other words, you
can nearly always judge n man polit-
ically by the company he keeps
During my ministerial manhood
have been a citizen of three of the
greatest cities of the country. Phila-
delphia, Pittsburg and Chicago have
each been my home. l have always
adhered to this custom TO the letter:
When a municipal election was taking
place l used to walk through the lower
parts of the city. There l would care
fully scan the faces of the different
candidates which the saloon keepers
put up in their windows. You will be
surprised to find that In nineteen cases
out Of twenty these faces are always
the same in those saloon windows.
Then | would always scratch the names
OF the men whose pictures ] saw the
saloon keepers wanted. Birds of q
feather nearly always flock together. II
candidate for civic office trains
with the saloon keepers and the dive
owners and the gamblers and the rep
rebates you ought to fight him. No
matter what ticket he may be on,