New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-15

,or;tics a. the result of their own informa
lion and arguments. And, while we II
Washington do not always like to admit II,
,,o,, viii see in nine cases out of ten that
the folks out in the country are absolutely
right. ,. Uo.t;,o
TON That CITY is a place where the social
side of life is always predominant. where
~cxnerts" and prophets" of politics as
semb1e. where theories of every sort are de
welcomed and discussed. There IS created an
atmosphere of too much officialdom and too
much hot air. There is always the tendency
TO look at things from a strained or academic
viewpoint. And. when you reach the point
where YOU begin to think that all the Wise
people and all the theorists are enabling you
70 decide questions with greater wisdom ana
deeper insight than is enjoyed by your con
stitucnts. YOU had better pack your Iittie
grip and run back to the home folks. | neli
talk and their views clarity judgment Ihat
the Washington atmosphere has oDScufcu'
The experienced politician knows that tne
closer he keeps to his people the better pom
tician and wiser statesman he Is. IL IS, aS
a matter of fact, amusing to see no" TINS Is
cycmplified in the House. There IS mem
Der from Pennsvlvana-mark this, an non
est millionaire Congressman from PchflSyl
vanial-who goes to his little town every
Friday night and spends Saturd lay in his
office listening to what his people have 10
say. He pcrchcs behind his desk, looking as
wise as a tree full Of owls and devoteS an
hour of mature delibcration and eXhauSung
argument to trying to figure out now some
old soldier can get his pension increased TWO
dollars a month. That is some work Tor a
millionaire: but it is a shining example OF
the fact that any man, whether ne be
millionaire or a paupcr, must stick close TO
his constituents.
GETTING back to what man learns by
~ being in politics. there is this great tact
Every American is by instinct and native
ability a politician. And in the American
ncoplc one of the most remarkable and one OF
the grandcst things is the ability OF the aver
ace American to rise equal to any situation
or emergency. That is why |, who got into
Congress by accident, and why Others, who
got there by similar accidents Immediately
began to learn and to master the real game
of poli,ics. Until YOU do learn 1t, you can
form no ADEQUATE idea Of the lntrlcacics, the
bcwildcring net Of circumstances, the swiftly
succeeding events. that 60 10 raise up or de.
strov q man public life. Your district may
love YOU. YOU may be the strongest man IN
All the counties YOU represent, there may not
be q single cloud on the horizon; but over
night YOU may ALLEVIATE the voters and write
your own death warrant by thoughtlcss
comment on some comparatively obscure
public question treated by another politician
in a speech at Portland, Maine. There are at
work in every county and every State all
the time more or less pulling currents and
eros, currents Of personalities or new-iicdged
ambitions. In the situation your friends and
Your enemies take the leading parts, and you
are necessarily drawn into them. It IS IN
dealing with this phase Of life and with pub
ne questions that YOU reach the highest pin
nacic possible for yourself in politics and that
YOU finally accomplish your own dcstruc-
ton.
There may be a few exceptions 20 this
general rule: but YOU can put 1t down as a
safe proposition that YOU who are IN politics
will sooner or later be- caught in the tragedy
Of polite. While YOU are doing your work
and taking part and mngling IN the public
and private affairs Of your people, YOU are
naturally making some enemies. rs rule,
the enemies YOU make remain your enemies
and YOU 90 on and on. no matter how mcrl-
toriou, or conscientious your efforts may be,
adding o. the list of hostility against YOU
At last those enemies, impotcnt against YOU