Show THE PENALTY FOR HOLDING OF OFFICE FICE in this year of presidential election those politicians who are in politics tor for business are starting already to open wide their mouths and holler for support it they would confine themselves to sing their own praise be it justified or based on ima imaginary Imae 9 1 nary inary virtues only no harm arra would be done but they think they can better their own chances tor for election by roasting and lambasting lam basting the other fellow and there it Is where so much harm Is done because no real good men like to pay the penalty of 0 holding office by being slandered and muck racked in the world of 0 business of commerce of industry says the fremont neb tribune in a recent editorial merit counts for everything A mans I 1 progress depends solely upon his ab to suggest valuable ideas and to carry them out in the world of politics all the wealth of genius may be killed billed in a popular clamor aroused by a mere catchword catch word logic must give way before sensationalism Is it any wonder then that a man capable of success in either of these lines would choose the former it if he were an official of 1 a business enterprise and could go before the board of directors with a proposition to expand the firms interests he would be heard attentively and his proposal would be judged altogether on its merits it if he were an official of the united states government and could go before congress with a proposal to advance and expand the governments interest he might be heard respectfully and he might not andt fiig project would be judged solely on the basis of the voting strength that could be mustered by his particular political party of course there are exceptions to this rule but exceptions do not count for much against the rule the main result is that big men honest men stay out of bf politics and devote their lives to commercial pursuits the average man dotes not care to deliberately invite hostility and unjust opposition where it is not necessary he is willing enough to buck the legitimate obstacles in the way of every unproven theory or proposal but he is iq not willing to risk his reputation in the hands of men who would not hesitate to wreck it in the interests of partisanship this condition opens the political held field to another class of men the less scrupulous the less ambitious the lower principled these are men who given the opportunity turn political power to selfish ends and corrupt public office they do not mind t the h e penalty ot of holding office f it I 1 is a only a weapon which they themselves know how to wield of ef fictively they combat trickery i 1 with intrigue meanwhile the american public pays the bill of poor governmental leadership of extravagance of corruption and the people themselves les are largely to blame they heed the senseless catchword catch word in preference to logic of statistics and proven facts political argument popularly phrased is allowed to carry far more weight at the polls than is cold and sane reasoning we have a great gabat many good men in public office when one of these conceives legislation based on principles ot 0 good business that will t benefit the country his political enemies assail his motive not the logic of his proposal we place one 0 of f the greatest financiers in the world at the head of our public treasury he evolves a plan tor for tax reduction I 1 based on the present condition of the treasury A congressman who has no real knowledge of finance who has never been in a position to actually know the condition of the nations momentary affairs makes a counter proposal and congress accepts the latter tor for the simple reason that it has popular appeal not because it is backed up with the good judgment of men who are in a position to know how tax reduction should be made effective the wonder is that so many really big men are willing to assume the hazards of public office and the greater wonder is that more men of low character are not finding their way into official positions but there are enough of the latter to make the positions of 0 the former nearly untenable i |