The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-02-17
Office Holding and Its Effects.

"The Bennington Banner has de-
liyered a very effective little COM
mentary on the foolishness of young
men seeking and holding public
office The contemporary is abb
solutely right. Very few men ever
secure a competence from the saw
ings which they make from official
salaries. The pay in the first place,
even in the high Offices, is small COM
pared with that received by the well
trained professional or technical
workers or with the rewards which
come from a. well-conducted private
business.
We know of many men who are
running productive farms. little
stores, small shops, and other places
OF business who have more net cash
at the end OF the year than any Of
fee holder in the entire state of
Vermont And these men not con-
spicuous have more peace OF mind
and contentment day by day.
THE man who gets into a public
office is losing all chance az the big
places and not infrequently he finds
himself out of job at the time when
the dead line of age makes II impos-
sible to take up new line of work
with any prospect OF success. To the
young men who are soon coming into
the harness this advice, is timely and
lgohyl fifnd yaat, wink and stick to it,
and let the other fellow have the pub
lie .otiloe.--Bratileboro Reformer
We know very little OF the sub
ject TO Which the Contemporaries adj
dress themselves. Presumably on
the world-old basis-'fools rush in
where angels fear TO tread" as our
still youthful friend "Aleck" Pope
voiced it two hundred years ago--it
is for that reason that wei rise to
make few brief remarks We
probably are fully as unfamiliar
with the general subject OF Office
holding and how the frightful habit
should be avoided, in youth at least,
as the editor of the Bennington Ban
ner is with the direct primary Law
and that ought TO be considered pref
ty near a bar to the expression of an
opinion.
Youth, in the first place, it would
seem to our benighted mind. is mat
ter of opinion, perhaps OF tempera-
ment of health, rather than time
We have known young women
of 40 or Al. and old ladies of IS;
young men of 20. old men of 90 The
editor Of the Banner. as an example,
is youthful, although some OF his po-
litical ideas may antedate Moses.
AS to the pay the remuneration
of public office: That depends. The
secretary of the Rutland board OF
license commissioners-rath young
and by some considered rather
good looking-got 5000 the past
fiscal year and his official duties did
not make of him a nervous wreck
nor did they compel him to resign
his regular job" On the other
hand, the commissioner of public
works OF this city-whose duties
are ody to oversee street, sidewalk,
sewer, water and few hundred
other important phases of the COM
munity business--a job for all the
time of big man; he got $500. So
public Office pays or does not pay
depending. No hard and fast rule
may be laid down, it would seem,
simply Judging from these two spora-
die cases referred to.
Knowing nothing whatever about
the subject of Office holding and its
blasting effect on youth. The Rut-
land News ought to follow the u.s.
ual rule and print dissertation of
several columns. But it's different"
Just how young or old the man
should be to go after public Office
should be left to others to judge.
The editor of the Bennington Banner
was 3S when he was representative
in the state legislature from his
town land he was a good one); 3S
when he was honored with the posi-
tion of presidential elector; 40 when
he was speaker of the Vermont
house of representatives land he
bn