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Show OFFICE-HOLDING. Tho voteran politician, Thurlow Weed, in a lottor to a New York journal, says: "If a young man in whose welfare I take an interest should consult me about office-holding I should tell him it was one of the wordt ways of commonoiug life." How much better it would be for the public and individuals if young men could be induced to accept the advice of the venerable statesman! Our nation has degenerated into a commonwealth com-monwealth of office-seekers. The legitimate paths of industry, and the ordinary pursuits of life are deserted io tho race for position. Too result is the numerous wrecks that we en-oouuter en-oouuter all ovor the land. The tendency of the times is so much in this direction that the offices, national, state and municipal have been multiplied mul-tiplied to find places for ambitious men; and numerous as are the offices of-every governmental organiz itiou, there are acorcB of applicants for each positiou. Unfortunately the legitimate legiti-mate ambition to rise on so.-iul and political planes, has been in u great degree reversed. It has been degraded into an aspiration for power and place tor other than hont-et and honorable purposes. The motive that impels many forward is not strictly consistent with honesty, and it is' rarely so much a desire to work tor the general Wi:idro as to subserve personal ends. Tne old theory of the office seeking the person and not the reverse, has been lost sight of entirely in the demoralizing tendency of ihe ago. Qualification and fitness for place ate seldom taken into con- ! isideration, md as a reeu't the failures form a large percentage of the whole number whu get into office. Mr. Hayes stated it correctly in hii letter of acceptance when he said: The offices havo Income not raoruly rewards f.T party servic s, h-jt rewards for survicoa lo pirty leaders. Tliii system sys-tem destroys llio indi-piiiid-iiice of llio sepirolo departments ol tho government It tends diiec.ly to extravagance and , otlii ial incapneity. It is a tutnpt-ttioa to i dishonesty; it liindurs and injures tbat 1 ciretul supurvieion and strict accountability accounta-bility by wtiicti nlono fnitht'nl and efficient effi-cient public tervice ean h) securudj it obstructs the prompt rem val aad BUrc punishment of tho unworthy; in overy way it, degrades Iho civil serviue and tbo character of tho government. t o Light to bo abolished. The reform should be iho rough, rodicil and com plots. Truly the reform Bhould be "thorough, radical and complete." Offices Bhould neither be rt wards for party services nor for services to party leader; they should be given to per sons best qualified to perform tho duties attaching to them; and wo would welcome the day when placo- hnntoro mora nnV-uMrn Mr. Weed is eminently correct in his advice lo younc men. The history of the republic provts that it is a bsd beginning for a young man to enter upon practical lifd i an office-holder, jit is bad fjr the individual and bad 1 for the public. It is demoralizing to the young man in thi?, that it d(-tracts d(-tracts from his powers and ability to grapple with the things of thu world single banded. The longer he holds office the less is he Gtttd to rely upon himself. He becomes more and more depecdaut upon others for those things necessary to his exisleaoe, and which bad he started out to win by his own abilil", he would have been able to Becure. His independence ! is destroyed and ho becomes at once the tool of i-uperiors and the dependent depen-dent of others higher iu power. We have but to look around ua to see many lilj wrocks among those woo commenced their careers a-t officeholders. office-holders. E;en older men, beiug re lieved af:er a period of office-holding, find ihenuolves so demoralized, bo uufitted fur self reliant action, their original qualifications and abi.ilies to dormant, that frequent failurs mark their subseq lent lives, disgusting to themselvoi aud sorrowful to their friends. Wj earnestly advise youo men to t-;er clear of public office. 1 1 you have ambition pointing in that direction, smother it, at least untJJj after you have learn 3.1 by experience something of the r.m realities of lifs. We wouid mt discourage young men in the mattsrof qmlifyiug themselves for performing official duties; but be-rore be-rore they seek or accept place they should establish an independence ud a self reliance that will not desert them when the office departs. |