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Show Prevailing Opinions - Comment of the American Preu ; and see that our laws are duly ' executed" provided, however, ."we do not sow the seeds of contention, con-tention, faction and tumult by making our posts of honor places of profit" It may seem In these daya quixotic quix-otic to ask public officials to serve without pay, but the spirit of Franklin's address to ths convention con-vention contained an eternal truth, and the truth was embod- - TeVe the Profit Out Profit In politics" Is, as Ber-nerr Ber-nerr Macfadden recently said in a broadcast release, the "Monumental "Monumen-tal evil," which confronts this country. This Is, hardly an exaggeration, as ons of our besetting American sins Is looking on politics as a commercial career instead of a publio service. This menace of making political profit which means, basically, a monetary profit out of our civil service, was foreseen with uncanny uncan-ny clairvoyance by Benjamin Franklin, who, on June 1 177, Introduced in the constitutional convention an amendment relating relat-ing to the executive departments of the government which read: "Whose necessary expenses shall be defrayed, but who shall receive re-ceive ne salary, stipend, fee er reward whatsoever for their services." serv-ices." Franklin's object was te create a mental habit among the executives execu-tives of the new republic that pubhc pub-hc service wss a patriotic duty. Franklin's speech urging the adoption of his amendment contained con-tained some sentences that once again revealed the Intuitive wisdom wis-dom ef the founding fathers and their fear that if ever this republic re-public cracked up It would be caused by Inner weaknesses and corruptions. Said Franklin: "Place before the eyee ef such mea (that la, those motivated by ambition, avarice and love ef power) a post of honor that shall at ths aame time be a place of profit, and they will move heavsa and earth te obtain tt" He warned that If political prof-It prof-It la put above patriotic service the men 'who would rule ue "will not be the wise and moderate, ths lovers of peace and good order, or-der, the men fittest for the trust. It will be the bold and the violent vio-lent the men ef strong passion and Indefatigable activity la their selfish pursuits." Franklin went so fax la his faith In ths essentially sound character charac-ter of the American people that he did not -doubt men could be found "with public spirit enough to preside ever our civic concerns |