The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-12-10
GOLDEN RULE In POLITICS.
Full Report of the Remarks of
Prof. j. j. Burns
At the Tariff Reform Banquet Held in
Bast's Hall Thursday Evening.

u
lie oninior are TO be construed with less
strictness in the strife of political parties
| than between private companies contenu-
ing for patronage, between rival NATIONS
struggling for empire, or between man and
man in ordinary vocations, each srasplng
| for what one only can seize. ,
| | will 90 farther. Even in war, spite OF
| an old proverb, everything Is not tair'
Civilized man will not abide, for example,
| the poisoning of the enemy's WE'LL the
sending of disease into his ranks, the ut
| tering of ISLANDERS against ms integrity,
the honesty and chastity OF the ps par9nss
| who bore him. But do throw a random
| cast beyond the truth when l declare
| that, with the limitation which the Al
| mighty nut upon Satan in his second cam
| vas against Job, to spare his life, the merry
| war OF parties fighting for spoils, otnces,
| hoDors, the control OF tue governmental
| helm, is held to condone almost any
| thing said or done by the ins to stay in, or
| the outs to get in. A.,
| present and so dull reader OF the past
| as to think that this bad state
| of things is growing worse. The vlrulence
| of the disorder has much abated since
| the day of the British Treaty or the Sc
dition Law; since the time when his OPP
| ponents charged John Jay with having
sold himself for British gold, and wag-
ginE wicked tongues called George WASH
| inRton, 'the stepfather of bis country"
would not weary you with platitudes, and
will submit few propositionsto to Illustrate
by example the spirit of my toast.
The Golden Rule is not like the writ OF
Habeas Corpus, to he suspended in times
of imminent peril, for no body or officer
has authority to suspend IT, and II such
authority we're somewhere lodged only
Greater periI would follow it's exercise.
A mans reputation is as sacred pos
session, and should be as inviolably
guarded, after he is nominated Tor mir
mary director, governor, or president, as
II was before.
Truth seould not be crushed to earth,
either in defense or attack, simply be-
cahse that great Democrat, the poet
Bryant, shouted the glad tidinRs that she
will rise again."
She may not be the worse for the
crushing, but the crusher will be.
Unfair dealing in politics does not pay.
There is a stout sense OF talr play IN the
Auqlo-Saxon mind, and too loud cry OF
stop thiefw begets suspicion that the
cryer shared in the spoil.
The openinQ OF batteries OF abuse upon
candidates for Office lowers the degree of
popular respect for those in authority, for
lawmakers and law-executors, and even
for law itself, "whose seat is the bosom Of
God, whose voice is the harmony of the
world" To diminish the peoples rever-
ence for law is to err vitality.
This thing ! am condemning works
harm in another way.
1t is an admitted truth that our free in
stitutions are based upon the granite rock
of popular education.
The work of educating the people, begun
by that worthy guild of which am hum
BILE member, continued by the professors
of the "art preventative" represented to-
night by our friends the eloquent Mac
pherson and the rhythic Sherwood, is sup
.,,I aI hN
from the pulpit, lectures from the plat
form, arguments at the bar, plays upon
the stage, spirit.stirring strains at the
opera or concert; but certainly not the
least of these agencies is the political can
vass, with it's speeches on the stump, its
articles in the newspapers, its fusilade of
small arms and arguments on street cor
ners, at doorstep, in grocery, in shop,
street car, or parlor.
The turning of the popular attention TO
great questions, the tariff, revenue, pro-
lection, internal improvements, the dis
position of the epublic lands, state rights,
foreign relations, restricting or prevent |
ing the sale OF articles injurious to health |
these things, say, are in high degree |
educative. This is training in civics, the |
high duties and privileges of citizenship. |
These discussions quicken the public |
mind, start thousands of people to think |
ing, perhaps reading, upon themes above |
the level of their daily thought and talk, !
and makes not only better citizens but |
better men of them.
But when this upward tendency meets, |
on the stump and in the papers anything |
which is not honest discussion of the |
questions at issue il is turned back, ii no |
longer eleyates, there is an end to instruc- |
ton, it is a circus passing school room |
attention is needed to a geogra- |
ply lesson, what the writer or orator |
should say and what he does say are, |
''No more alike than hornets nests and hives
Or printed sarmons be to holy lives"
It does not pay. 1t works public harm.
Il is wrong in itself and no party, no in
iividual, can afford to lower the standard
of right. "God does not pay at the end or
every month but he pays"
Not once or twice In our rough island story
The party OF duty (not necessarily OF onice) was
the way to glory"
do not deny, of course, that the views
On public matters of candidates for pub
ic honor, office, and perquisites are legit-
mate subjects for honest attacks and de-
'ense. They may embody policy which
We approve or one which we condemn.
they may be the conclusions in regard to
affairs of wise Secretary |
II State from Delaware, or OF an other
wise Secretary of State from Maine; they
nay be the logically expressed decision
% 1
Speaker of the House from Kentucky, or
bold defiance of all parliamentary law
~ Speaker from the same State which |
furnishes the Secretary.
"Insatlate areherl would not one sufice?"
They may be the judicial opinions Of the
,reat ex-senator of Ohio-"the noblest
loman Of them alp or of the iridescent
ex-senator OF Kansas, who |
vas never suspected OF being Roman at
.ll-unless ii was when he was a-roamin' |
round TO get away from the conscript Of
Ice. The Golden Rule in politics forbids
he using of such boomerang as thrown,
Turing his first gubernatorial canvass,
nd with such disastrous results to
he thrower, at our gallant lead
n, the Governor to whom we
ay in the words of the Iriquo's Clubs
ispatch Just after the recent unpleasant
less, 1--WE love you just the same"
Nay, we love you more; and the emo
ion in nowise resembles that of the hon
st fellow whom the ministers asked |
whether he loved the Lord, and he re-
lied, "pye nothing again bim,"
II forbids such brutal attacks as were
made few years ago upon our great
ritic, essayist and poet, j. II. Lowell,
ecause he believed in Cleveland, man
nd president, aud had courage to say 60; A;
forbids the overriding Of minority |
ights in legislative bodies; 1t forbids the
ending to Congress from ONO or dele |
alton OF marked inequality between the I
wo parties; this remark is strictly non
artisan il forbids the freeing OF massive
ortunes whose foundations were perhaps
Aid in the civil war from any tax or as
essment to pay the pensions of the
oldiers whose efforts made those fort
mes a possibility. Wealth should pay |
ensons, and wealth should buy para
oric and bibs for our infant industries IL
nev mead anv haln from outside the fam |
v, Ii ia not a violation OF the golden |