THE FARMER AND THE POLITIflAN. 117 



There are certain offices which ouglit to seek the man, 

 and certain others which it is proper for tlie man to seek. 

 Roughly the line may be drawn between those positions 

 which require the entire time, and yield a livelihood, and 

 those which involve only a partial service and whose pecuniary 

 rewards are trifling. The latter offices should seek the man. 

 No man who is fit for a legislative office will willingly seek it, 

 except occasionally a young man who is smitten with political 

 "ambition" and sees in such an opening the beginning of a 

 political "career." While it is a misfortune to any one to 

 desire 'a political career, yet an ambition of that kind is 

 entirely honorable. No such ambition, however, should have 

 any weight with the voters. The men whom they need in 

 legislative positions are the solid, substantial, successful men 

 whose own success betokens their good judgment, and who 

 have weight in their own communities. Such men will very 

 seldom seek any office, but will usually accept it if tendered. 

 What farmers should do is to make their influence felt in 

 securing the tender of nominations to men of that kind. 

 They are not likely to do so, however, nor is any change 

 from present customs likely to "be effected in the near future. 

 It will not, therefore, be profitable to pursue this subject 

 further, but it has seemed proper to point out that for eco- 

 nomic reasons farmers should exert themselves to make sure 

 that those who levy taxes upon them, and determine for what 

 purposes the public funds shall be expended, shall be men of 

 sound judgment and good repute. It is in legislative positions 

 that op})ortunities for corruption exist. Large sums of money 

 are often expended to procure nomination and election to such 

 positions. Why is this?— If the candidates are rich, it may 

 be pride or political ambition. If they are not well off, and 

 are spending money freely, they should be defeated if possible. 

 There are no emoluments to such positions which can be 

 accepted b}' honest men. When money is expended to elect 

 a poor man to fill them, it almost invariably happens thai 

 some private interest is supplying it, which will expect to 

 control the vote. 



In great campaigns enormous sums of money are spent. 



