Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-03
LORIN A. HANDLEY FOR
CONGRESS

w read with some care the vari-
Gus reports of the speeches of
Lorin A. Handley, Democratic candi-
date for congress from this district,
published in our columns during the
present campaign. BY publishing from
time to time Mr.. Handley's utterances
The Herald has given him an oppor-
tunity of showing to its readers not
only what he stands for, but also the
extent to which he has been a student
of those problems of government which
congressman will be called on to pass
upon during the next few years. All
who have carefully read Mr.. Hand
ley's speeches must have become con-
yinced of two things: First, that he
has given more intelligent attention to
studying the problems of government
which are of most interest to the peo-
pie of the United States at the pres
ent time than has any man who has
offered himself for congress in this dis
trict for many years. In fact, not
within the last twenty years has a can
didate for congress been offered to the
voters of this district who is so fully
and intelligently informed upon public
issues and governmental matters as is
Mr.. Handley. Second, his utterances
have also shown that as a result of
his studies he has taken positions
upon these various important issues
that must recommend him to every
intelligent, thoughtful citizen.
It is probably unfortunate that in
selecting our representatives in con-
gress we give too little attention to
the opportunities which the candidates
have had to acquaint themselves with
the matters concerning which they
will be called upon to legislate. In
other countries of the world, notably
in England and Germany, men are Sc
lected for legislative positions with
reference to their knowledge of polit-
icaI and governmental conditions and
interests. AS result, in both the Eng
1ish and German legislative bodies,
many men occupy positions who have
been lifelong students of government,
and especially of the government of
their own country. Many of these men
are college professors, selected be-
cause their lives have been devoted to
the sciences of economics and gov
ernment as taught in the great schools
of those countries.
The selection by the Democrats of
New Jersey of DR.. Woodrow Wilson,
president of one of the great univer-
stiles of the country, as their candidate
for governor, may be taken as one ex-
preston OF the fact that the people
of our own country are becming more
alive to selecting men for public posi-
tions who have devoted their lives to
the study of the science of government
in its various branches.
The selection of Professor Handley
for congress from this district would
be another expression of the desire of
voters 70 place in public positions men
who have made a life work Of study
ing the duties, responsibilities and OBJ
legations of those positions and the
various matters upon which they will
be called upon to act in their capaci-
ties of public officials.
If the congress of the United States
was gone over today and the peculiar
fitness of each member of it for the
position which he occupies carefully
canvassed it would probably be shown
that -tenths of them had been ta-
ken from the positions Of attorneys,
merchants, manufacturers, etc, posi-
tions in the course of which they had
given little or no attention to the sci
ence of government and to the vari-
GUS important governmental matters
on which they would be called upon to
pass, and transferred to the position
of national legislators where they are
called upon to deal with matters to
which they have given in all their lives
little or no consideration.
Should Professor Handley be elected
to congress the people who elect him
would have the satisfaction OF know
ing that they would be represented in
the national legislature by man who
for years has devoted all the powers
of a mental ability very much above
the average to informing himself upon
the very matters concerning which he
would be called upon to legislate as a
member of the national legislative
body. 1t would be a refreshing in
stance of man being intrusted with
public duties who had given some care
and time to informing himself as to
what those duties We're before he un-
dertool1 to discharge them.
For several years Mr.. Handley has
devoted his time and intelligence with
out stint to the cause of better gov
ernment ins this city, and if elected to
congress his constituents will have the
satisfaction OF knowing that they are
represented in that body at this most
critical time in the career of our coun-
try by a man of the highest ideals in
public affairs, of unusual ability, of
profound information on public ques-
tions and of unimpeachable integrity.
RFTJ,S DFTP