The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1911-06-23
Friday, June p, 1911
GOVERNOR CROTHERS.

shares John Morley's opinion
that politics is a field where
action is one long second best
and where choice constantly lies
between two blunders. The
Governor has given ample evil
dence of wishing to do better by
the public than it would let him,
and if public opinion is hostile to
him he can console himself with
the paradox that while it is due
partly to his own faults, it, never
theless, is not giving him his
just dues. Like the French wit,
he doubtless feels that public
opinion is infallible-infallibly
wrong" The witty Frenchman
to the contrary Notwithstanding,
public opinion, however, has a
curious faculty of being almost
infallibly right when you can get
it really active. Too often it is
a specious and artificial public
which is opinionating loundly in
the world, while the real public
has no opinion at all. Governor
Crothers, at all events, may just
ly feel that he is suffering from
that experience. The Gov
ernor is not getting his just de-
serts. It is true that he came
into his high Office as a politician,
that he knew all the tricks Of his
trade and that he was quite will
ing and accustomed to break
bread with all the pharisees and
sinners of his order. And yet
he has made a remarkably good
Governor-one of the best the
State has ever had. He has been
energetic, loyal, faithful, unset
fish, extremely approachable,
more given to deeds than words,
and he has been constructive and
had the larger vision. There
has been unusually little bluff
and buster and fuss and futter
about his work or his .comings
and goings, and aside from i'll
advised methods in his efforts to
reform the Police Department
his administration has few mis-
takes charged against it and has
many striking virtues to its
credit. Maryland owes to him
it's good-roads movement, and he
is justly entitled to much of the
credit for some Of the most eff
fective and progressive legisla-
ton that has ever gone on our
statute books, such as the Cor
rupt Practices, the Public
Utilities, the Pure Food, the
Automobiles and other acts. He
has put greater economies into
actual effect than any admins
tration of which we know, and
he has given more Of his personal
time and attention to the details
of his Office than any Governor
for years.
We think the Governor is just
ly entitled to the encomiums,
and we give them the more read
lily because it seems to be evil
dent that he has no chance of
succeeding himself, and because
his case is good one with which
to point a few morals. We have
no interest in the personal or
political fortunes of Governor
Crothers, but are interested in
trying to analyze Or determine
why it is that loyal and efficient
service in high Offices should not
command a greater degree of
public consideration and support.
Mr.. Warfeld entered the Office
of Governor as the choice Of his
party, and promptly rose to the
occasion as a simple servant of
the people, only to have the
people reject him. Governor
Crothers repeats the same ex-
perience. What does it mean?
What shall it profit a man to
serve the whole people with his
whole soul if thereby he lose not |
only his job but his public stand
ing? Why is it that tried men
and experienced men seem as a
matter Of course to be expected |
in public office to make room for
the new and the untried? In
ordinary business, as in Holy
Writ, the man who has been
tried and found faithful in a few
things is usually made ruler over
many things. Why not in
politics?
This indifference and political
irrationality Of the public c.aates
the atmosphere in which practi-
cal politics thriye3, If a public
official is to be judged and re-
warded or condemned, not on
his record n Office but rather on