Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1907-03-02
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES.
Let the place seek the man
And not the man the place.

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES.
Let the place seek the man
And not the man the place"
la The earlier times OF Onr republic,
before the rapaciOus greed for gain at
all costs had turned the world upside
down and act sn msny people crazy fer
the possession OF houses, lands and mines,
and the requirement of fabulous for
tunes; before rascality and graft had
rermeated every department OF our
national. State and municipal govern
menrs. and before fraud and methods OF
trickery had wrought 80 general an adul-
teration of all Onr food products and
shoddyized 40 many OF our manufactured
articles. merit and qualification we're
esteemed the surest as well rs the most
praiseworthy claims for public favor.
la politics an aspirant for Office Was
expected to have not only that most
necessary qualification, a good moral
character, to begin with, but also to be
fitted by education, experience and
Judgment tU discharge the duties OF
the trust accepiably to his constituents.
OF late years, these cardinal charac-
terisitics seem to be lamentably over
looked in the selection of candidates
for public positions. Whoever can get
into the ring first. and secure the
first boom of the cliques and wire man
ayers makes his calling aud election
snre. and often rs not, sordid influences
are brought 10 bear in determining the
choice of the one who is to win the
nri2e, and once chosen at the pTimsries
the end becomes assured Good or bad.
the candidate is elected and the dear
people who pay the taxes and have the
welfare of the commonwealth at heart
acquiesce. There is no appeal.
In the good old times, when The peo.
pie needed man to serve them in an
official capacity, whether for the legisla
ture or Congress. they did not leave
the choice of that man, indirectly, to
puIlers ard bsrroom politicians bat at
tended to the important matter directly
themselves They we're interested in
the way the public funds we're used and
applied, 80 they sought out competent,
trustworthy men to serve them and gave
them the Offices. They choose no salary
grabbers nor grsiters. Nowadays, the
man who makes up his mind that he is
the fit person for official trust, proceeds
to fix mp his slate with the help Of tie
boomers, accordingly. He blows his
own trumpet and proclaims his capabil
tiles, and 80, in the majority olinstances,
the responsible places OF the body polite
are fitted in haphszard way TO the det-
riment of the public safety and good.
The foregoing considerations have
been induced by noticing tile unseemly
is not indecent haste OF the many aspi-
rants through our Congressional district
to Gil the place made vacant by the death
Of our late representative in Congress The
Hou. John f. Rixey
Hardly was the vacancy announced
through the press than al least dozen
individuals from every point of the com
pass and in the different counties of the
district were suddenly infatuated with
the belief that they were men OF destiny,
that their fortunate stars were already
cleaning on the horizon; visions came
to them of the time when they could
show their credentials in the halls OF the
national Capitol and sit down proudly |
in the "seats OF the mighty" Naturally |
every one of these aspirants was q law e.
yer, as if Congress was not alresdy filed |
to repletiOn with the profession,
and the people weary with their
endless schemes TO burden the hon
est working tax payers with the exact
ions of unnecessary laws. Not a
farmer, not trsdesmau, not mechanic
boums up in the race of these ambitious
personages. No, they are all busily fol-
lowing their particular pursuits for the
general good, and more than this, they
have no caucns nor ring at their bidifng
to start them and herald their claims.
And this brings US to the consideration
OF the lamentable fact that in all our
legislative bodies the will and influence |
of the lawyer has come to be supreme,
while the farmer, whose calling antedates
every other honOroble pursuit in the
history of mankind and who stands at |
the gates whence issue all the supplies |
to feed all the hungry of the world, is
almost entirely ignored as a representa-
tive individual. His claims are over
ridden aud his interests disregarded
In the opinion of the writer, ire
sponsible csucuses and rings such as
have of late years been managing our
political machinery. have had their sway
sufficiently long. They do not represent
the popular sentiment, are not interest
ed in the general good, and should not
be countenanced.
The Eighth congressional district
with its large area of territory, its