Year: 1861

There IS class OF men IN the community,
who, in general, take little hand in political
affairs, and who, for the most part, live in a
state of calm indifference to party move
ments and party honors; looking upon them
rather as matters of curiosity than as things
in which they have real interest. This
class we may name the mercantile-although
it includes persons of all callings and occu-
pations-because it is among the merchants
that its largest number and truest represen-
tatives are to be found.


Once in a while, however, on the arrival of
some real or supposed crisis or emergency,
the mercantile class suddenly awakes from
its state of indifference, determines that
something should be done, and proceeds to
take its own methods for carrying its deter
mination into effect.


These impulses are honest ones, and, in a
certain aspect, do credit to the class in which
they originate; but it can hardly be said that,
as general rule, much good is done by their
efforts. The reason for this is, that the mer-
camille class, through their want of ex.
perience in the management of party affairs,
do not manage them well. They are liberal
and open-handed, ready to pay and sacrifice
to carry their points; but politics is a trade,
only to be learned by assiduous practice; and
men with the best intentions, knowing but
little of the mysteries of wire working, are
scarcely the equals of those who, with no
scruples, are adopts in Che manipulation of
party machinery.


The mercantile idea is generally to get up
third party of honest men. We want
honest men in Office, say they, not mere
party hacks; and the delusion seems to pre-
vail that if placard were posted up;
"Wanted, honest men to form new party" )"
none but such would feel themselves permit
ted to join the movement.


They want, however, few men who are
acquainted with party processes to manage
their machinery; and for this purpose they
usually look to the retired list, under the
impression that a man who has been through
and graduated, must not only be an adept
but hes become divested of personal ambition
and will only be influenced by the purest
and most patriotic motives. They forget
that men never retire voluntarily from polit.
| ical life-that the reason why a politician is
out is because he could not manage to get in
and that your retired politician never be-
comes conscientious until all other expedientl
to keep him before the public have lost theil
efficacy.


The new party having been, with the bes
intentions, placed in the worst hands, seldom
or never performs the service that was hope(
from it. 1t seldom achieves success in re
spect to the persons it attempts to elevate
and if it does, is disappointed in regard Il
the ends it hoped to accomplish. If l
elevates men of its own order, however ex
want of skill in political combinations;
others, they make its plans subordinate tt
their own.


The moral of this is that if the Mercantile
class desire political power, they must regu
larly perform political duty. Although poll
ticians by trade are bad in political affair
from knowing too much, novices are,


possible, worse, from knowing too little.
is unfortunate when we are forced to choos
between those in whom we have no conf
dence because they are uninstructsd, an
those in whom we have none because they al
unconsciencious. 1t is a matter of obligatio
upon every man, and all the time, to do h
share of work in primary politics. I'll
work of selecting good men for candidatt
is done in the caucus, not at the polls. Whe
bad men are nominated, it is almost too la
to think of Eectifying the case by nOmina
ing others. All parties would be goo
enough, if good men would go into them
and it is always of doubtful expediency f


men to whom politics are novelty to a
tempt a spasmodic investment in them.