The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-12-10

OF all the games in all the worlds
history the game Of politics Is the
most fascinating, and has held its fas-
cinating power the longest 1t IS both
amusing and deadly, instructive and
destructive, educative and democratic
ing, depending altogether on how 1t is
played, and the habits and tempera-
ment of the player.
Henry Cabot Lodge, in a speech de-
livered in Boston in 1886, said: Let
every man give of his leisure, be it
more or less. to politics; for it is sim
ply good citizenship to do so. Even
Lodge, the conservative of the conser-
natives, as far back as twenty five
years ago, when conditions favored the
conservatives, openly urged that all
the people should give certain of their
time to the game. Lodge was then
evidently convinced of the truthfulness
of the assertion of James Russell
Lowell that We are particular how
our boots are made, but about our con-
stitutions we trust in the Lord. The
trouble with our people has been that
they condemned all politicians for the
sins of the few tricky ones in the
game.
There are various and sundry def
nitions and distinctions of politicians
and statesmen, and it is a little hard
10 draw the line between them. The
Twentieth Century Encyclopedias de-
fines a politician as zone Versed IN
politics, or in the science of govern
ment and the art of governing: one
devoted to political matters-a schemer
q man of artful designs and deep con-
triVances": and a statesman as "a
man versed in public or state affairs
or in the arts of government; usually
one eminent for political or 'diplo-
matte abilities.
The common distinction between the
politician and the statesman seems to
he that the statesman is the politician
who gets there. AS long as a man re-
mains in the ranks, whether he is
fighting for principle or for other
causes, he is regarded as a politician,
but once he gets there, and after get
ting there does something, he is pro
NOTED to the statesman class.
Many men ClaSSed as statesmen are
politicians OF the simplest calibre, and
conversely, many a politician dies
fighting for q principle with which his
exceptional abilities would have sill
vered the pages of history had he been
promoted to the statesman class where
those abilities and energies could have
found an expression.
Politics a Game.
Politics is a game, and to play 1t
successfully one must understand the
rules of the game. The game changes
with time and it is necessary for one
to change his system Of play with
the changes of the game. The poll
tician of thirty years ago could not
successfully play the game today, fol-
lowing the rules of the game of thirty
years ago. l have often heard my
grandfather and the late Governor
BIoxham say that they never asked
any one to support them for office, and
] know that they seldom ever attended
conventions and never made any per
sonal canvass for office within their
party. but how many people believe
they could be elected to high office to-
day following the same tactics. In
that day it was against the ethics of
the game to personally solicit votes,
but today it is the politician who gets
close to the people who lands the
plums.
The fascinating element of the game
is hard to describe. Lawyers gener-
ally take to it as a duck takes to wa
ter. Men in other trades and profess
sions are many times not attracted
until late in life, but whenever the
germ hits them it invariably proves
incurable. 1t has been said that few
officeholders die, and none resign, and
] am here reminded of what the late
Colonel John a. Henderson, of ITALIA
hassee, once said about a certain SEN
ator who, rumor said, would refuse to
stand for reelection. There's moth
ing to it" the colonel said. When
ever a man gets a taste of senatorial
life he's a perpetual candidate"
The game of politics is naturally di