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Show I : WORKERS. t j ; ' This title has reference to political j workers, and to none others. The United I i; States are governed by parties ; in fact it r ' might almost be said that tha United j j States were created for the benefit of pa- i j . j litical parties, rather than that parties j were instituted for' the .benefit of the j 1 country.' By many it is claimed that if there is to be no reward in the shape of of- j fice for politicians and workers, then there J will be no workers, and the people will lose all interest in politics and govern- ment. Such' is not the case. Under the ' ; , spoils theory of government, people lose i eight of the true object of government ( ; j and are content to think that the mire of ; party politics is the .terra firma of great j government. Government is but an ad- 1 ministration of the common affairs of the ( ', people for the common good;, that is all j '; it is, and parties are formed for accom- ! j plishing this end most satisfactorily. ;i This public administration of common I I affairs must look to the future wel- I . fare of the people "as well as I , ! . to their present welfare. The j j ' ! public are more interested in this admin- ' istration than in the part icular party by j I if whom such administration shall be con- ! ; - ducted.' The spoils theory is the very re- l verse of this, that theory holding that the ; public care for the administrators far I .!j more than for the administration. "What ' the public care for as regards party is the ; general ixlicy to be pursued, and tliis I ' ' policy is controlled by comparatively ': few. Both parties in this country desire ; i t a good and efficient postal service, but I '. the goodness and efficiency of the entire j " j service does not depend upon the poli-I poli-I i tics of the postmasters, but upon i ! ' tlieir integrity and capacity. If nost- i offices are to be made centres for the dis- f . ' i . tribution of political tracts and the j management of primaries, then of course i i the postmasters must be of the party in 1 i - power. The party may require this, but J j , the service does not. Public business ) should be conducted on business princi- ': pies and upon none other. Those who shape the policy of the Government, j" ; ' whether State or National, should be of r j the political faith of the party in power; and this is the extent to-which the I 1 ! political qualifications for office should be required. We have not arrived at this , - point in the United States, but we are ; coming to ft; ; it iU only be reached j '--l when all parties recognize the great and important fact that what the people most want is a good and economical administration adminis-tration of their common affairs, and that in the great majority of offices, which are purely of. a business nature, character and capacity are to be preferred to mere political professions, and that this character charac-ter and capacity can best be determined for Government service the same as they are determined for private service. If men will only work for a party in the hope of reward of a most tangible kind, then their protestations of principles are not worth much. We will have better government and better workers when the people realize real-ize that there is more in politics and j government than a mere scramble for office. - - , |