Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-29
Relation Of the Public Official
To the Private Citizen.
Papcr Read II
at Logan

( day, that 1t is simply because the pub
| lie has not exacted, nor the officials
| given. that kind of service which
summarize In the comprehensive des-
| iGnation as life itself; that is. life de-
| voted TO, or laid upon the altar OF,
public scrvice-life idealIzcd and mado
worthy of such devotion and sacrifice
by its ideals and motives.
OFFICIALS AND SERVANTS.
have said the relation of the pub
lie officials to the private citizen In the
republic should be one of service on
tho part of the officials; and In order
to realize the ideal OF our form OF gov
crnment. the attitude OF tho citizen
should bc ono OF petition and. in Il
sense, OF direction.
The theory of the republic is that
the officials arc the servants. not the
masters, OF the public. This is, of
course. a theory. an ideal. 1t Is not,
any moro than any other ideal, capa-
BILE of complete reallzation yet 1t in
dicateS In a general way the relation
which tho founders of the republic
thought should obtain as between the
person elected to office by the people
and the people at large.
The public official will always be
courteous and forbearing to the last
degree. In his own business or voca-
tion, ho may exhibit impatience. irr!-
liability, or vexation at the importuni-
ties or impertinences of his patrons
and customers: but In public Office he
should rise above the realm of petty
annoyanccs and exhibit a more digni-
fled calm than we might expect of
him in his own affairs. There he will
be the loser IL he becomes a boor or is
naughty and arrogant. His own profits
VIII dwindle II he neglects to rem
cdy the conditions OF which his custo-
mcTS COfnDlaln Thic
count for the provorbial suavity Of the
good business man.
In public office. however, IL an off,
clal falls to hear and to respect the
complaints or suggestions of the pco-
pie, It is not his own business that suf-
fers, but that of the public-a busi-
ness that he is not only paid for con-
Quoting with all necessary diligence
and attention, but one that he has
also sworn to protect with the utmost
zeal and fidelity.
A COVENANT WITH THE PEOPLE
In taking the oath of Office. a per
son makes solemn covenant with the
people. He undertakes faithfully to
upffold the Constitution and the laws
and TO perform to the best of his
ability the duties of his Office Now.
this obligation does not signify merely
the routine of Office work This is in
1Nee Soooheiiis p0t are n1KneT
duties. The official Is dealing always
with more than facts and figures. He
stands In two-fold relation. only one
part of which is satisfied by his doing
well the routine work. The other. and
the more important relation is the ono
in which he deals, not with words or
figures. but with men, not with alb
str.ctions. but with living. feeling,
thinking persons who are to him the
indicators of what else he shall do
besides the keeping of books and rec
ords From the people he learns
wherein the methods OF his office or |
the status OF the laws under which he |
is acting may be defective and NAV
require modification. 1t Is from the |
people that his main impulses toward |
Improvement Will most frequently be |
derived They Will supply him with |
new and interesting problems and with |
motives sufficient TO undertake inno- !
vations. They Will prevent the foun- |
tains of political power from becoming