, 1892-11-08
TODAY,S.D

All people and all parties of this sister
hood of states will await, with anxiety,
the result of today, when each citizen will
perform his highest and proudest duty in
casting a ballot for the choice of those men
whom he conscientiously believes to be
best fitted to make and execute the laws
for the government of the nation, state
and county.
THE TRIBUNE has endeavored TO instil
into the minds of its readers the wisdom of
putting aside all personal feelings and
petty iealousies and place the reins of gov
ernment in the hands of capable intelli-
gent, conscientious, law-abiding citizens.
Men who will realize that in being thus Sc
lected by the people they have trust to
honor, as they would honor their dealings
in their own daily pursuits and their own
homes.
We have entered in America upon new
experiment IN government. There is
something at times appalling in the aspect
of sixty millions of people, soon to become
a hundred millions, taking their destiny in
their own hands, with no ruler save their
own wills and no one to lead them save
leaders of their own choosing. Hetero-
geneous our population certainly is. And
yet, despite all variations of race, language
and religion, it has a real and very vital
national unity. ."America for Americans 7"
By all means. But who are Americans
We are all immigrants; the only difference
is that some of us are little further re-
moved than others from the immigrating
ancestor. The Irishman who hung bit
of bunting out of his tenement-house win
dow, and whose boy marched with pride TO
the battle hymn of the republic, is a better
American than is the grandson of the
Revolution who SCOTS at democracy and
wishes he wet an Englishman. Irishman,
German, Swede, Italian, all are proud of
America; proud of it as their country;
proud of it because it is an empire of
democracy and they are integral parts of
democracy. Its soil is theirs, irs history
theirs, its flag theirs. This great flood tide
of national enthusiasm sweeps awav all
petty barriers of race, language and sect
and shows us one people, with one lineage,
one tongue, one desUiny-the lineage, the
tongue, the destiny of democracy.
Doubtless one secret of this pride is the
prosperity selt-government has appar-
emily brought with it. But this is itself
an added ground for hopeSulness. The
Americans are a prosperous and happy
people-not contented only because too
ambitious to be contented. The nation is
not going to the dogs. The wolf is a long
way from the door. The people are not
ground down under an unexampled weight
of taxation; they are not robbed and op-
pressed. The sporadic and local manifes-
tations of discomfort which every now and
then startle us are serious symptoms and
need serious consideration. But they are
as yet only sporadic and local; the prevail
ing sentiment Of the American people is
one Of gladness and of hope. They be-
lieve in themselves, in their country, in its
past, its presentand its future They be-
heve in the same divine wisdom, not
guiding from without in visible pillar of
cloud and fire. but within, in the public
intelligence and in the public will enlight-
en- by the public conscience, which solved
the problems of colonization days, of rev.
olutionary days, and of civil war, can and
will prove adequate to solve the problems
of today and of tomorrow-problems of
finance, Of taxation, of industry, of the
home