The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-02
IN HOTEL HOBBIES.
The Cost of Office

What cruel game is politics" said an observer. How ruthless the meth . ods by which mans onor and honesty are attacked, how pitilessly his char acter is assailed, should be. even at the urgent request of his friends shy hls castor in the political arena.
 Few who enter politics escape tae bitter stings of calumny whether he be an untried neophyte' or one holding office who asks an indorsement of his official acts by reelection.
 The contest starts with the official announcement, followed by a platform generally commencing thus: Being urged by my friends, etc.,'-friends; what misnomer in this case. No man who knows the game of politics wou | invc:gle q friend into it. The friend Hest act he could do would be to help him out. The man in office and the man who wants to be in. start in about even.
 "The man in office Is held up as a paragon of official integrity, the oth- CT fellow is clothed in white robes of righteousness even to the little halo around his devoted head. The prestige given to the officeholder is offset by the criticism, just and otherwise. of his official record. The other fellow has no record to explain. And right here, when you get a politician cx- blaming things, you have him going.
 Senator Ben Tillman's rugged hon. esty,' so often quoted brought him many admirers all over the states His explanation of that land deal, how ever, was about on a par with the negro, who, when caught coming cut of the sleeping apartments of certain domesticated fowls, stated he meant to put them back purity soon.' Signal ly failing to convice his captor on thai point, however he landed in jail. It looks like the senator was in the same predcament. that is, being caught with the goods
 "So the contest starts. The candi- dates assert their intention of con- ducting the campaign on a high plane. They usually do-for a while. An aer- oplane is not in it with them ar this stage. Then some one throws a rock, another one slings little mud. Then begin the fireworks. Charges and counter-c charges are hurled in rapid succession until the high plane be- comes foul morass, and the official integrity of the officeholder, and the robes of righ teousness' of the other fellow assume such lines of darkness that the gold dust twins seem angels of light in comparison. The political manipulators are no respecters of per sons. Their cruel shafts sometimes pierce the home circle, and the luck less candidates private affairs are dragged into a controversy that is hu- initiating In the extreme to him and his family. And when the final count is made the cheers of the victor bring iron into the soul of the vanquished, for under the present system of cam paigning 1t means in many cases not only political oblivion but financial ruin While victory is sweet 1t is as the Duke of Wellington once said: The next most terrible thing to defeat is victoryr And when the successful can didate counts the cost, not merely financial, but of the heartaches, the tremendous strain of a grueling cam paign, the friends lost forever, and the odium that seems to be cast around political offices, he feels that he has paid the full price for the coveted honor" --ra