Tombstone epitaph., 1890-02-08
Our Political Obligations.

politician; the other Is the over right eous man who stands aloof from poll. ties. Sham politics is no more true politics than Is sham religion true re ligion; neither is sham politician any more a true politician than a hvpocritical professor true Christian. There are as many quacks in politics as there are in medicine. The true politician, in keeping with true poli- tics, deals with living issues, concern ing which there may be an honest dii- ference of opinion among intelligent men. He is man of ideas as well as of real convictions; a man Of con science and of principle, who fear lesslv stalks ahead and blazes the way for the people to follow. He would "rather be right than be President"
 The sham politician, in keeping wi h false notions of politics, mistakes party loyalry for patriotism, and looks upon any means as fair in political cam paign. He is not man "f convlc- tions, but of prejudices. His mind IS not absorbed in the contemplation Of great questions born of the ages, but rather with schemes that can have no far-reaching meaning. He will de- fend any action rather than acknowl- edge a partisan wrong. Instead Oi leading the masses by the force Of ideas, he Is continually seeking to keep his boat in the popular current. Con tradictions mean nothing to him, ii he can but ride into office upon some tic- titious issue, for he is always hungry and desiring to have both hands in the public crib. He willingly becomes the tool of any power that will aid in obtaining his point He is always seeking to revive dead questions, in the hope of appealing to the preju- dices and passions of men. He Is a disturbing and dangerous force in any country, but especially Is he so Tn q land of democratic institutions. By such the higher obligations of govern ment are never felt. True patriotism should ever pose as the guardian Of the state--a broader spirit than that which knows only the confines of single party. Notwithstanding this, patriotism is not inconsistent with l parties and the partisan spirit. The patriotic spirit and conviction of the right shape, and not be shaped by, the the partisan idea.
 On the other hand we have no sym pathy with the man who draws the cloak of sel righteousness around him and refuses to discharge the duties Of citizenship for fear he may sol his robes if he enters the political pool. We cannot entertain the highest re- spect for the neutral man in any field. We like to see a man possessed of some opinion, accompanied by con- viclions, in at least two of the great fields of thought. In this age of op- portunities and intellectual advan tages there car be no excuse for ihe failure to possess opinions upon gov ernment and religion. Let man stand somewhere, whether he be right or wrong. It is, or should be, easy to hold in esteem a political opponent who is honest, but there Is no excuse for one having no political preferences. The right of franchise is sacred right, and should be so considered by every one who holds dear the liberties of his land. Very frequently we hea. the greatest complaint coming from those who have done nothing whay ever to purify or correct the existing condition of politics. The man who has not sufficient interest in his coun- try to vote, and vote his honest con- victions, ought to be deprived of the right to vote. There has, perhaps, ] never been nation before in which there were such possibilities for good or evil. Some victories have been won, some danger points have been passed; yet, if we be not mistaken, | the most severe strain upon our insi- tutions may be still in the future. It is beyond reasonable doubt that the slum and hummer element of our large cities Is rapidly becoming a pow
 erful factor in politics. This fact, to- gether with the one previously noticed of the presence of the unscrupulous politician, willing to go into the gut
 ters of life for patronage, is prophetic of great danger to our state.
 In the face of these conditions great moral and social questions are knock ing at the door of the nation deman l. ing solution. Never has the word citizenship" had greater meaning than in America to-day; and never has there been a time when the obliga- I