Show tt < SOCIAL STANDING II I I Since President Cleveland has been the Chief Magistrate of the nation he has made some appointments to foreign missions and all the appointees have I held high social positions The first among those nominated was Mr Phelps I of Vermont as Minister to the Court of St James Many charges were made I against him on various grounds such as being a Southern sympathizer and a gross maligner of President Lincoln Following this and more heinous still i J I 1 was the charge that he was f an aristocrat in his very nature felt and in social matters he himself to be far above the masses It was said that among the American hating aristocracy he would find most congenial friends and jovial companions I social stand All this was said because his ing was high and he commanded the respect re-spect of all without regard to politics I The Republican press has been charging it against the Democrats that they care I far more for social standing than for Democratic principles as though respect ibility were a disgrace while dirt and demagogism were merits The San Francisco Fran-cisco Post has been taking up the theme and has put to it the variations which best suited it The Alta has now taken up the Post and in its issue of last Thursday Thurs-day has the following to say on high social standing as qualification for office It has the proper tone and right view of the matter and will meet with the approval ap-proval of all men of sense no matter what their politics The Post of last evening in rasping the Alta in a playful sort of way says The Alia is we believe a Democratic journal Is it Democratic to make high social standing one of the qualifications for office in this republic where all men are supposed to be equal 1 We do not know whether it be democratic or aristocratic aris-tocratic or snobbish to make high social standing a qualification for office but we do say that high social standing is a good quality in any man and that it is a strong safeguard in public life as it is in private life Social standing is closely akin to selfrespect without which no man can possess character and without which no man is fit to be entrusted with public affairs We most certainly deny that all men are equal in this republic We know they are not and we are glad of it We may all be equal before the lawdoubtful however but we are not equal in our rights to public confidence The man of high social standing may prove untrustworthy but he is not nearly so likely to do so as the man with no standing We are always glad when a gentleman attains official position and we are alwayt mad when a trickster a loafer bummer or man of no reputation succeeds to office We know the Post feels precisely as we do in this matter but it simply wanted to remind us of its power to hit out We know the Post is about sloshing around and we intend to be discreet |