The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-05-15
MORAL AND POLITICAL NEEDS.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.l

the 200 years in the history of this country,
| from 1920 to 1S20,were more fruitful In physi-
| cal, mental, moral, and religious advancement
| that the like time in the history of any other
| country, and that our Puritan ancestors did
more to build up integrity. honesty and man
| hood than any other set OF men have ever
| done in the same time. If our ancestors
| were drunkards, let us be a nation Of drunk
| ards, that human life may be saved. What
| we want is more preaching ON the sinfulness
| of sin and not the ornamental parts of it,
Judge Goddard paid hi: respects to Con-
| grsss, and said that wasting time in filibus-
| tsring to prevent the passage of bill that
was sure to pass was undermining the Re
! public. The speaker closed by citing the
| history of other nations to illustrate his re-
| marks.
Judge Goddard's remarks were received
with continued applause.
Letters were read:from the following:
BISHOP HEALY,
The Rt. Rev. James Aug. Healy, Bishop
| of Portland, regretted that he could not be
present, and said: "If the reform be politl-
CAL | should not know what to do in an I'M
known sphere; If moral, the dictator would
be powerless except by example. But if he
wo uld prove by word and example that he
believed in God as a Judge, who in Eternity
is to reward and punish, as the Bible teaches,
and moreover declare that education without
religion is the root of corruption to the ma
basis of moral REFORM
EDITOR DINGLEY.
Editor Dingley of the Lewiston journal,
writes: National Reforms cannot be inn
pOsed-they must be inspired; they must be-
gin with change of heart of the individual.
They cannot be effected by proclamation
or legislation. Our esteemed fellow-sinners,
the Mugwumps, supported that late eminent
| civil service reformer, Grover Cleveland, In
| implicit faith that figs might be grown on
| thistles; they failed to recognize that jack
soniaR ideas ingrained must necessarily be
sovereign over civil service orthodoxy i'm
posed This cutaneous orthodoxy spoils
| State as easily as church. Legislation and
resolutions may be helpful, but only If re-
| enforced from the public conscience. Unln-
| forced law is statutatory irony, one, OF the
| tempt in free state. i believe the disfntegra-
| ton of home life and the decline Of the fam
| lily is not only social but national men
ace; Were dictator tor ! would mrs nrst TT try r to
| ed, and then would call in, not Saul. but
Paul, to help me"
GEO. W. CABLE.
Mr.. George w. Cable writes: Even were
| a dictator trust that | should remember
| that all good reforms have their interests in
| terwoven, the interest of each with all the
| rest; so then it is the interest of every re-
| form that whichever one the people are
| nearest ready for should take precedence.
| This one | should seek to know from all the
others, and when / had convinced myself
| which one it was l should demand first at
| tention to it. In other words should move
as nearly as l could with the people; in adj
| vance of them, but not too far in advance of
| them to be their leader. At the same time
| should urge attention to other reforms ac-
| cording to my own notion of their compare
tive urgency. / believe that in this view
| the most urgent reform today is concerned
| with the tariff; it is not the reform to which
| l am giving most attention, for am not die
| tator nd must decline to run for nomins-
| tion."
SENATOR HALE.
Senotor Eugene Hale writes: 81 do not
| think that among subjects included in what
1 may be called national reforms there Is any
| of more vital interest to the American people
| than the purity of the ballot. That the elect
| i've franchise should be everywhere free and
| unrestrained under the laws; that the use of
money at elections should be forbidden. and
| that fair count of the ballots should be
had, are all things of the very first political
| Importance"
| CONGRESSMAN MILLIKEy.
| Congressman MillikeI writes: "The most
needed reform is to place in power party
ton to American industries, a good navy
and self respecting foreign policy"
SENATOR HoAR.
Senator Hoar writes: "Beg to be excused
| from attempting an answer to SO vast ques-
| ton in the time at my command. eshould
| not be willing to confne myself to what you
suggest, viz, limiting at reply. With great
| respect for the Congregational Club, &c"
PRESIDENT PEPPER.
| President Pepper of Colby University
| says: Il incline to believe that evils per-
| tanning to the family imperil our nation as
| much as any that can be reached by legisla-
| ton. My conviction is that there is univer-
| col n paad nf OthQr and hQffQr laxVc
as to marriage. divorce, homes, and in gen
| eral, the family, and that with right laws
rightly administered there would be an i'm
| mense gain"
PRESIDENT DEWITT HYDE.
President VIM. Dew. Hyde of Rowdoin
College Celebrates his dictatorial policy thus
"Great as are the evils of intemperance, OF
Mormouism and RIGHTEOUSNESS, of unrestric-
| ted immigration, of trusts, think should
begin with none of these. l should insist
first on the complete separation of civil SER
vice from party politics. The immediate
| evil of the spoils system is less than the evil
| Of intemperance, but until patronage ceases
| to be the principal factor in politics, we can
/ not expect to have any political question de-
cided on its merits. The spells system is a
network of intrigue, fayoritism, injustice
and corruption. Until we have enough
sense, honesty and courage to clear this away,
we are morally unfit to grapple with any
| other problem successfully. Not as relative
| ~ RTedJeSt Dut rs logically uISl, WOulu Uo-
| gin with civil service reform. Thus clearing
| away the chief obstacle from the path of the
| temperance reformer, whomI should hope
| to have as my successor in the dictators hip"
PROF. sTEARNs.
| Prof. Stearns of Bangor Theological Semi
| nary writes: II am content to await the
| slow but certain action Of the influences now
| at work in our nation, tending towards NOR
| al, social and political reform. Were / die
| tator should leave all reforms severely
| alone and let God and the people, through
| their chosen representatives work them out
| in their own way. They must be attained,
| from within"
Rev. Mr.. Snow was called upon, but said
| he had not made anyIpreparations to speak.
DIR. FEM.
DIR. Fem said he did not like the question
because he had no talent TO be dictator. and
if he had he did not believe that a dictator
| would do any good. Reformers are under
| great temptation to dictatorship. The first
| reform we need is to reform our reformers.
| We should not use force or be too hasty.
| DIR. Fem said he was troubled about ano-
| Their aspect of reforms There is discord and
| disagreement among them. They are intol-
| Grant of each other. The public mind is slow
| to learn. If you press too many minor re-
| forms you are liable to obscure the great.
II miss tanother element in reforms" he
| said, land that is the true Christian spirit
| among reformers. This is a great danger.
| There is no great reform without the accord
| of the general public"
The last speaker was Rev. Mr.. Root of
| Auburn, who spoke briefly on account of the
lateness of the hour President Daniels made
onnronriate closing remarks Rev Mr. vii