The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-10-01
Diff IN RIGHT DIRECTION

jail IN
The definite drif1 ~ sentimcE. awa!.
from n selection rn- public duty n
any man who has important n
ton with public-service corporations.
does not imply in many instances SO
much a distrust Of particular men
as OF the natural and unconscious bias
which men in a particular employment
gain from the wishes Of their employer
II frequently happens that there are
men of the highest type Of public md
private honesty ~legitimately employed
by railroads and other corporations
that have axes to grind al the OK
pense OF the public welfare. Such
men could neither be bought on the
hoof nor made the recipients OF money
indirectly given to influence their &C
tons Of a public nature. They would
resent the idea that they were In any
wise holding themselves out for the
price of prostitution OF their duty. And
yet-when the graVest considerations
of public honesty in administration
and in control of public utilities are
involved in the selection of every rep
resentative oficer-even men of that
sort of high character are not safe
~servants of the people. What other
men are bought and improperly in
1uenced to do, they do with ali in
tegrity of purpos because they are
unable to discriminate between long
practice in the performance of private
duty whe0, in the exercise Of a public
trust, they are called on to forget and
antagonize the interests which it has
been their habit to defend. Faith
fulness to a certain service is not a
quality tina will be lightly forgotten.
Frequently it so affects the mind and
sympathies of honest men that their
judgment is warped when there is a
call for them to serve a higher cause.
AS illustrative of the fact that the
people are coming to realize this dis
tinction is the result of the Senatorial
election in Virginia from the district
in which Ashland is situated. The dis
trict for years had been represented
by a Mr.. Wickham, a man OF the
highest integrity and personal popu-
larity and influence. He was an at
torney for railroads in a professional
SopoNiiys u uD " Tx laot |
his evident ability an6 his no less evil
dent hOnesty of purpose had made
him acceptable to his constituents Rut
at the last election, he was opposed by
a comparatively unknown candidate
who made his campaign on the ground
that Mr.. Wickham's corporate asso-
Citations prevented his making a suit
able candidate. 1t was pointed out
that, while actuated by honest mo-
tives, his sympathy and allegiance in
the legislature had been thrown to the
special interests and against measures
Of public control. And, although the
friends of the honest and popular Mr.
Wickham made light of the opposition.
the result was that he was beaten by
an overwhelming majority. Such a
result was not distrust on the part OF
the people but a determinati IN TO
protect their own interests and To sand
to the halls of representatives only
such men as had no previous pr1dc.ic-
ton for special interests. On the press
ing issues Of the day, the necessity
of choosing impartial and un~inauenced
men is one that the public is coming
OAS1 4 d 2
shown in the Virginia object lesson
will soon or late become the general,
rule and, in the sense of qualification
that in SO conspicuous a case the Dyin-
ciple should have been 50 clearly
demonstrated there is an added pl.as-
ure in the knowledge that one OF rh.
men who contributed most to the da-
feat of Mr. ckh and the triumob
OF the more thorough sort of popular
government was a North Carolinian
and a native of Wake coun4v-Dr
William e. Dodd, professor in Ran
College.
AS it would be improper to send s
representative a man who announced !
that ne would seek the az
corporate property, SO it is none the
less short-sighted and improper n
in the same capacity one ucese
environment and indicate
that, IN the nature of human UmIts-
tons, he cannot reacl an impartial
Everybody knows that the test vot,
IN the Senate on railroad reduction