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VII. The Need to Appoint Suitable Men to Public Offices (Complete)
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CHAPTER VII THE NEED TO APPOINT SUITABLE MEN TO PUBLIC OFFICES m So many evils befall states because of the incapacity of those employed in the principal positions and most important commissions that the prince and those who have roles in the administration of his affairs need to exercise the greatest care in seeing that each public servant is charged only with those functions for which he is suited. The clearest minds being sometimes blind to what is close to them, and seeing that few men are willing to recognize their own limits, those who find themselves in the favor of princes almost always believe themselves worthy of all kinds of positions, and, on this false basis, they neglect nothing which could enable them to acquire them. However , it is true that such persons, although capable of public service in certain positions, are also capable of great mischief in others. I have seen in my time such strange misfortunes come about from the poor selection of officials, that I am con10 3 10 4 NEED TO APPOINT strained to say something on the subject in the hope of forestalling their repetition in the future. If doctors do not allow new cures to be tried upon important people, it is easy to see how dangerous it is to put the principal offices of the state in the hands of people without experience , giving by this means a chance to apprentices to make experiments under circumstances which necessarily call for masters and skillful conduct. Nothing is more capable of ruining a state than such a procedure-an infallible source of all kinds of misfortunes. An ambassador poorly chosen for the making of an important treaty can, by his ignorance, commit a great blunder. An army general incapable of performing his task can, by a wrong decision, risk the fortune of his master and the well-being of his country. A governor of an important region destitute of the attributes necessary for his office can, in an instant, so advance the ruin of all the realm that a century will be needed to repair his damages. I dare say, indeed, that if all those who are in public offices were worthy of them, their states would not only be free from many of the misfortunes which often trouble their tranquillity, but would even enjoy an immeasurable happiness. I well know that it is very difficult to find subjects who have the qualifications required for the positions for which they are destined. But at least they should possess the basic characteristics necessary, and when one can find an accomplished man, there is not a little satisfaction [44.200.196.114] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 14:57 GMT) SUITABLE MEN 10 5 in choosing the best that can be found in these sterile times. If the mask behind which most men ordinarily hide, if the artful ways with which they habitually disguise their shortcomings keep the truth from us until they are in high office, at which time they appear as bad as we had estimated them to be good when selected, it is necessary promptly to repair the error. And, if indulgence can at times tolerate some incapacity, it can never suffer malice, which is too prejudicial to the welfare of the state to be tolerated purely out of consideration for personal feelings. In this regard it is necessary to impress upon kings clearly the degree to which they are responsible to God when they bestow the principal offices of state solely on the basis of favoritism. This can lead to their being filled by mediocre men, to the prejudice of the well-being of their states. It is necessary to point out at this juncture that while one should not condemn out of hand all personal attachments which have no other foundation than the natural affection one feels more strongly for one person than for another, one cannot excuse princes who allow themselves to be carried away to the point of giving to those they thus like responsibilities in the discharge of which they can be as detrimental to the interests of the state as they can be useful to their own.30 30 Here is pointed up one of the great weaknesses in Louis XIII, against which Richelieu had to struggle to his dying day, both in his own behalf and against his potential rivals. 106 NEED TO APPOINT Those who are so fortunate as to have the good favor of...