Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-06-01

witnessed. In the public service, the
standard of integrity and efficiency is
~ high rs it is in any of the honorable
private pursuits. In other words, the repre-
sentative is in every regard the equal OF his
constituency. We cannot fairly expect more.
II, therefore, we desire . higher grade of
patriotism, intelligence and morals in our
public men and in the public service. We
must begin the process of purefaction at the
ountain-head-among the people. But We
shall never raise the popular standard BY
slanderous depreciation. But what evil can
come from the depreciation ! This: ISLANDERS
oft repeated. gain the force and currency of
axioms. Suppose the people come to believe
that their is neither honesty nor intelligence
on the part of our public men-how long
would they have popular confidence and
respect: If our public men have lost the
general confidence. how long will it be before
our institutions cease to be appreciated and
our government fall into contempt
One cannot mingle much with his fellow
citizens without discovering a class of men
who, while they do not assail the principle of
suffrage. do not conceal their contempt for a
portion of the people upon whom il is con-
ferred. .
"Crucify him, cruelty him." was, 1 am
aware, the cry of the masses. when the
Savior of the world was presented TO the
people for their judgement. but it is well to
remember that he had already been condemned
to death BY the dignitsries of State and
church. The maxim The voice of the
people is the voice of God" has its exceptions
When one contemplates the steady voting
capacity of the slums of our large cities, he
shudders; hut these plague spots are few and
far between and, even in large cities, can be
held in subsection by the intelligent majority
if it so wills. But these spots are exceptions.
The Five Points and North Ends cannot live
where green fields and Gods pure air and
inspiring sunshine purify and ennoble the
souls of men. The pure local democracies
in which a majority of our people are
educated and the hundreds of thousands of
homes in which reverence for right and love
of country are taught in infancy at mothers
knees, our common schools, whose best
lesson is that of equality, have penned up
these plague spots in the large cities and there
they will be confined so long as the virtue,
patriotism and moral purpose of the country at
large are vital force. God bless the common
people of this country. In every hour of
peril they have been its suceor, in every
crisis. their patriotism and saving common
scHsc mas DIouSHt Dut tuSul We
should have no country to-day. In the late
struggle they were the common people who
carried the muskets and the sixty rounds of
ammunition. they were the common peo-
pie who responded time and again: 1--WE are
coming Father Abraham, 300,0 900 strong"
Over their graves, of which there are $50
thousand in this broad land, you have stood
in reverent attitude to-day and paid them the
highest tribute due to heroes and martyrs.
The common people have given the country
its Lincoln and its Garfield. Their patriotism,
common-sense, intelligence and conscience
are the pillars of our Temple of Freedom.
1t is one of the grandest missions of the
Republic to receive into its bosom every race
and kindred and from all races and tongues,
fuse them into new nation possessing the
strong characte ristics of all its elements to be
known as the American people.
Another of the evils of the present day is
somewhat general neglect of good citizens to
perform what should be regarded as political
duties. In general terms all will admit that
citizenship while it confers certain privileges,
imposes positive obligations. The citizen is
not absolved from further duties to society
when he has paid his taxes; and yet great
many appear 10 act upon such an assumption.
The management of the town meeting, the
disposition of the public revenues, and es-
pecallv the selection of candidates, are large
ly left to comparatively few men. In fact,
we have come to assume that every man who
takes an active interest in political matters.
does so because he desires the hoDOrs and
emolumeHts of office. Out of this unfortunate
association there has grown a half assump-
tor that political affairs and elections are
matters which chiefly if not entirely
concern few men who are candidates
or otherwise look to politics for employment.
81 don't want any office, then why should
take the trouble to vote?' was the remark of
well-to-do citizen recently. The answer is
that as a citizen every man wants good gov
eminent, and there will never be good gov
eminent until well-meaning citizens take an
active interest in political affairs. If good
citizens do not look ont for the public well
fare, the designing few will be sure to seize
positions in government for the purposes of
public plumber. MANY stand
aloof and refuse to participate because, for
sooth, they did not want to dabble in the dirty
pool of politics. The better the man, the
greater the need of Lis participation in all
the preliminaries in party and political action.
And it is useless to depricate the existence of
political parties. They have always existed
wherever the people have had any participa-
ton in the formation of government and we are
not yet near the millennium that we can dis
pense with them. Let us not, then, decrv polit
ical parties. but as members of them. use our
influence to elevate the standards of party
action. 1t is as much our duty to take an
active part in public affairs as it was the duty
of the men whose patriotism and martyrdom
we have recalled this dav to go forth to de-
fend the imperilled life of the Republic.
A pressing duty of the mass of good citizens
that of prDfpetlnp the SacrpInpss Of the