Year: 1874

thew call themselves, statesmen'-are CHAR
latans, confidence men, and jugglers, ana
there is 80 much of mouthing emptiness ana
can't in their public utterances, that such
letter as that of the Hon. George r. Hoar Oh
Massachusetts,, replying the other day TO
request from bis constituents to accept re-
nomination, receives throughout the country
an uncommonly hearty greeting and approval.
There is a straightforward simplicity and
candor in the gentleman's communication
with his constituents which, combined with
modest sense of dignity and self-respect,
take this document out of the range ana
above the level of the ordinary politicians
letters. 1t suggests no crOokedness, is neitner
artificial labored, nor cunning; does not READ
indeed at all like the letter OF q demagogue
or politician. Into all the waste, the dreary,
wordy waste of current political literature,
IL comes with q most wholesome and refresh
ing atmosphere. 1t is fine, if involuntary,
tribute to the high character of Mr. Hoar that
when he indicated his purpose to retire from
Office, and not to be candidate for reelection,
there was no intimatiOn from any quarter
that he meant other than precisely what he
said. There are few men in public HE
to-day 80 guileless and sincere that such an
announcement from them would not be sus-
pected of covering some ulteriOr political
design. 1t was likewise high tribute to his
services as a representative and his worth as
n man that in a district where nomination is
equivalent to an election aud there can Dc no
lack of aspirants for the succession, the
request to him to accept denomination was
so general as to leave no doubt of the public
desire.


In replying to the request of these gentle
men that he should reconsider his determlna-
ton not to be candidate for reelection, Mr.
Uoar assures them that his desire to with
draw from public life and return to the prac-
tce of his profession was not because Oh any
unwillingness to do his share in the service
of the Republic, nor from any indifference TO
the honor of representing community 10
which he is strongly attached, and in whose
high character he takes great pride. The
reason for his course he frankly states to be
simply that further absence from his profess
sion and the devotion of his time and thoughts
to other duties seemed likely to unfit him for
its practice when it should become necessary
for him to return to it. There is no nonsense
of any sort about this. 1t is gentleman's
communication to constituency OF gentle
men. His business is simply to tell them his
reasons in the first instance for desiring to
retire from their service, and then his reason
for reconsdering his determination. There is
no talk about his services, or the party record.
or ANYTHING but the business in hand. And
the meaning of this quiet assumption that
nothing more is necessary is simply the recog-
milton on his part of the new pOht-
ical condition, in which the best possible
and the only trustworthy platform is the can
didate's character, and the best commenda-
ton his record. The sturdy manliness OF
character, unselfsh patriotism, and immovable
integrity with which he had represented
them needed no certifcaton. The reading
between the lines of his letter is of con-
sciousness of upughtness and of the fact
that it was for that and not because he was
a Republican, or on any particular side of any
question. that his fellow citizens desired him
to represent them.


Attached to this letter requesting him to
consent to denomination, he finds the names
of men who represent fairly the business in
terests, the moral sentiments, and the best
political opinion of that community, and as
" it does not contain the names of men who
"hOld or who wish to hold political office, and
$50 may be supposed to have any wish or in
"terest other than for the general welfare,
cor who have been engaged in angry contrO-
"versies in the past and therefore may be
supposed to have their judgment blinded"
he says he cannot doubt that they desire
"nothing but the public good and the promo
ton of Republican principles" "Under these
circumstances" he says in conclusion, 81
shave no right to set up my individual judg-
"ment, still less my PERSONAL interests or wishes,
"against the opinion you express that it Is
better that my withdrawal from the office
of your representative in Congress should be
deferred. l have no right, having accepted
nominations from the Republicans of WOr-
"cester City and County when it was great
"pleasure as well as a great honor to receive
"them, now to say that, in deciding the ques-
ton whether shall continue in their SER
"vice, will consult only my own wishes or
interests without any regard to theirs" 1t
is not inconceivable that a tricky, scheming
politician might have taken some such course
as this with an ulteriOr selfish purpose. Such
things have been done before. Indeed politi-
cal cOquetting has become common enough to
be dangerous, and your demagogue fights shy
of it, Such course adopted by some poll
ticians would be greeted with derision; for
some others il would be a doubtful expert
ment; for Mr.. Hoar to adopt it excites neither
suspicion nor distrust, but gives the impression
of plain dealing and sincerity by man whose
purposes are !honest and his methods direct.
1t is a very good thing to have manly char
acter and an honorable record. If more of our
politicians had them it would not be SO difficult
to discover from what they say precisely what
H., c,oop ha corraopood On hatuaap Mr.