The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-06-20

Now, at hrsf glance, this sort of ad
vice seems emiaently practical as vel
as reasonable. 1t does not in theory
seem to be inconsistent, or at ali i'm
possible t follow out for one who ha.
for the good of his country, and of thu
community in which he lives. In prd.
ltice however, it is quite otherwise, az
those who venture to offer the advict
must sooner or later realize. Sfftet
down to the very bottom, it seems tt
me the advice of the opportunist ant
the counsel of e-quivocation. While il
is true that politics must be more on
less a series of compromises, this
sort of counsel really ean that
when pushed to the wall. almost any
compromise is preferable to tempo
rary defeat. 1t amounts, in short tc
the theory that ''the end justif1es the
means"
cannot believe that it is possible
for a man in politics to get down into
the gutter for the purpose of trying
to make men be good, without himself
becoming more or less contaminated
by the surroundings. 1t is quite feast
BILE, on the other hand, to make mel
get out of the gutter and cleanse
themselves by demonstrating to them
that only so can they obtain recogni-
ton and consideration. Then is the
time to cooperate and work with them
and not before.
That this is so has again and again
been demonstrated by men high in of
fetal life, and is being demonstrated
today by a man who occupies one of
the most important political positions
in the United StatesI refer to Gov
ernor Hughes of New York. He is a
mai, who in spite of the conditions
surrounding him, has, so far, succeed
ed in obtaining the most positive and
beneficial results without. in any way
departing from the standards he mas
set up for his guidance. He has cor
sta1tly refused TO be led astray by the
%specious arguments of machine poll
ticians, or the urgings of precedent,
or hints of expediency. He is a strong
republican, and believes in the prin
ciples of his party, and no n ever
doubts that he is in thorough sympa-
thy with that party's welfare and sue
cess, but ne does not think that its
success can be promoted by giving in
to men who conceal personal and I'M
worthy motives under the party cloak.
Lincoln was a great-one of our great
est-ioliticians, yet no one ever &C
cused him of e~quivocation Or insin-
certify, because it was absolutely evil
den that his very action was impell
ed by a real and ~unselfish desire for
his cou1try's good. No one doubted
the purity of his motives Or the sin
cerity of his acts. John Hay and Eth
an A. Hitchcock went through long
ear of public service in various ca
pacities doing splendid service for
their country without a murmur
against either their honesty OIL effic
iency. If they made any enemies,
they were of a kind that were fiatter-
ing to them.
we hCCu hoI 1oSh III ~
look up to and to serve us as guides,
when we determine to enter public
life.
The common honesty and good
sense of the average American citizen
is not, l believe, highly enough rated
by those who have not mad some ex-
perience in public life. There is GER
tainly a large number of voters in ev
cry community who are unthinking
and to whom the privilege of the fran
chise means but little. There are ev-
erywhere many men who can be bout
by fiattery, by promises of preferment
and by more tangible and sordid me-
thods of bribery. There are a great
many others VINO would be decent and
of there were more encour
of the men who are leaders in politi-
matters. But the number h are
entirely free from the possibility of
contamination AM h have a sin
cere desires to act straightforwardly
and honestly in public affairs, is far
greater JHdn Is StIeIdIy DSASNCu-
They are by no means confined to the
who have had the benefits of a
college education, or even to those
who have had something less than a
college education. In fact, if there is
one class of spoils politicians more
than any other, it is that
class of educated and refined men who
started out with high ideals and
unselfsh motives, and through eth
avarice, weakness OF inordinate
personal ambition, have swerved from
their original purpose, and become
the tools of corruption and enemies
of good government. They are far |
vicious than the out and out
CRATER, or common boss, because they
have the advantage of a trained inter
BY cold, generalization, work
stealthily under the protection of