The Washington herald., 1922-01-27
Public Service a Duty.

To the Editor, The Washington Herald:
In a news article in your paper
you report Senator David /. Walsh
as saying 20 the Georgetown Uni
versiiy men ,Aat Nine men out OF
ten make a failure out of life and
die in poverty who enter upon a pub
lie career. while the tenth usually
just gets by" and continues. advising
the students TO ''advoid those distract
ing things that divert you from -
successful life
What is success i'll life? What Is
duty to ones country? What great
activity in ones life brings the great
est fame, the most enduring honors.
the most help to the human race?
Is il just the accumulation of ST.
900. 900 or a $1,000. 600. 900? Is it be-
ing just an humble lawabiding. God
fearing citizen?
Would this country have been an
United States of America. If Benjamin
Franklin. Patrick Henry. George
Washington and millions OF other
men had acted as Senator Walsh ad-
vises the young men of today to do?
II is Senator Walsh who fought in
this country for the freedom OF Ire
land-suppose MacSminey, Griffith.
Collins, or going back a little farther,
Robert Emmet, had acted upon Sem
ator Walsh's advice? Where would
Ireland be today. ! am not saying
that Ireland should have rebelled. far
from II: but l am pursuaded to be-
.ievc that Senator Walsh would have
been the first to adversely criticisc
those Irish patriots if they had failed
to enter the p"blic service" whether
it meant personal material gain or
loss.
! have for some time suspected that
Senator Walsh has not the temper
mental characteristics of an able
statesman. I have sometimes. thought
too, that Senator Walsh was trying
to serve several masters. the least of
which is this country. I hope l am
mistaken.
II his speech is reported correctly,
| must believe that he is out of place
i'm the Senate; in fact out OF place
in this country
can imagin no higher duty than
10 serve ones country to the last
full measure as the first consideration
of a citizen. And I believe all pa
triots are with me. II money alone
Is the measure OF success and happi-
ness and duty. John D. Rockefeller
and Henry Ford ought to he the "biG-
gest" men in the world. The general
idea is that Rockefeller is unhappy
ard that Ford is nut"
To be a good mayor of a CITY.
or alderman. or sheriff. is an honor.
1t is also a duty to either serve as
one. or to help elect one. And. or
rather. it is not much OF a patriot
who would advise wishing" the
political job on the other fellow. which
if the report Of the Senator's speech
is correct. is what the Senator ad-
vises. TO give 1t the most charitaole
construction.
If I may criticise our government.
l would say We have not enough able
men serving as mayors, and aldermen.
and governors. and Senators. 1t is the
lack Of able men in public Office that
imperils our country. And able men
are not there in such proportion as
we might wish if we had the best
interests of our country at heart first.
last and always, because too many
men do act on the principle that Sen
ator Walsh advises.
For instance only about 80 per
cent of the legal voters even vote
at primary elections. And while
statistics are not available. II is a
generally accepted fact that less than
one-tenth OF one per cent select the
candidates for primary elections. And
as at primary elections the candidates
for the general elections are selected.
II is easy to see the class of candidates
that really are elected 10 Office by the
60 per cent who vote at general cleo
tions.
So as an almost infiniteSimal number
of men compared to our total popula
ton select the primary candidates
and scarcely half OF the voters vote
at a general election, Il should not