Year: 1877




The Virtues of Talk.


One of the secrets of Mr.. Lincoln's sue
cess as an administrator in an exceeding
ly difficult and even dangerous time, was
his habit of asking advice and inviting
free criticism upon his action. lie had
very little patience with flatterers. and
he always distrusted the judgment of pol
iticians who assured him that the Govern
ment was going on finely and winning
applause from all sorts of persons. He
preferred that Congressmen and others
should tell him what was wrong in their
districts and what the people were grum-
bling about. He gave welcome and a
patient hearing to everybody who came
TO him with complaints. He constantly
sent for Senators and Representatives, not
only the prominent men in the two Houses
but the less important men, too, and not
merely Congressman, but all others who
might be supposed to have knowledge OF
men or measures which he could make
useful, and consulted them about appoint
ments and lines of policy. Then, having
collected all the information within his
reach. and compared opinions, he acted
according to his own judgment.


Mr.. Hayes will lose nothing by following
Mr.. Lincoln's example; and that he is
we'll disposed to follow it the events of
the last day or two seem to prove. There
are men in the Senate and the House who
were honored leaders in the republican
party long before he emerged into politi-
cal life; who understand its spirit, cher
ish its traditions. and share its aims; whose
purity of purpose cannot be questioned;
and whose practical ability has been dem
onstrated by lifetime OF success. 1t is
no more than reasonable that their advice
should be asked upon matters which con-
cern, not Mr.. Hayes's private business, but
the perpetuity of the party in which these
gentlemen have at least as close an inter.
est as he has. And whether the President
afterwards see fit to follow their counsels
or not, he cannot fail to learn from them
something that he did not know before.
Even Solomon might learn something
from leading American politician. All
the deplorable mistakes which have Civ
en- reform such back-set since the 4th of
March might have been avoided by little
plain talk between the President and the
politicians. All the suspicion, the uneasi-
ness, the general 'contrariness," which
has disturbed the party ever since last
Spring, can be even now dispeled by the
exercise on both sides Of little courtesy,
common sense, discretion and openness.
20 Besides, no President can administer
our Government successfully unless he get
close to the people. Mr.. Hayes has APP
parently supposed that he could learn the
drift of public sentiment in the seclusion OF
his office at the White House, or in con-
versation abont the weather with his per-
sonsl friends, or by making speeches to
the multitude from the rear platform of a
railway car. But there is no place where
the pulse Of the country beats so teebly
as at Washington. There is no man in
public life whom the thoughts of the peo-
pie reach with so much difficulty as the
peoples Chief Magistrate If he would
know how the Nation feels, what it wants,
what it thinks of him, which way it is re-
solved TO go, he must come out of his Sc
clusion and place himself in contact with
the peoples representatives, official or uu-
official. Nor must he wait for them to
come to him, He should understand that
the people who seek him are the people
: who want things OF him-o4lices, con-
tracts, favors of some sort. The people
whom he should seek are the people who
have nothing to ask of him, but whose
opinions concerning the conduct OF the
Government, and the temper of the peo-
pie, would be valuable to him. They will
not identify themselves with the herd of
adventurers and sycophants who daily
throng his doors. If he is to get at what
they know and think. he must seek for it
they will not seek him to thrust it upon
him. If he ask advice it is not necessary
that he should therefore follow il /; because
advice and direction are very different
things; but the mere asking will be sure
to extend his influence and rpen bis judg
ment.