Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-07-18
ToPEKALrTER.


of July celebration, which accounts fol-
our being a week late in reporting the
last named. 1t Is said that the demo
cratic convention lacked in enthusiasm
| and T. b. Dawes, nominee for attorney
general on the republican ticket, in his
speech at Garfield Park IN this city on
the 4th OF July, said, ''our people need
to gather about their hearth. stones and
kindle anew the fires of patriotism, .
thereby charging the people with
possessing morbid or Indifferent con-
Germ about the affairs of government.
We clip from a Kansas City Trade
Journal of July 9Th, the following que
ry which we will try to answer.
WHY is IT?''
The st. Louis grocer and general
merchant advocates patriotic teachings
even by the pulpit; but the question
arises just now, what is 'patriotism?'
We hear so much about patriotism
these days from so many persons whom
no one would ever suspect possessed
that admirable trait that there is con-
siderable doubt as to just what it 49,"
Without going to Webster or any 9TH
er authority to find the meaning of pa
triotism, we will define what we think
it is. 1t IS love of country, its laws
and its people. 1t is to the individual
what genuine baptism of religion is
to the earnest and God-loving christ
ian. For the christian to enjoy this
happiest of all happy feelings he must
realize that God is his keeper and
guides and protects him from all harm,
temptation and care. He arrives at
that state of mind where he fears moth
ing, believing the wisdom and good
ness of God will carry him through and
beyond all obstacles. Dawes, being an
infidel, Will not be expected to appre-
clate this in its full scope. Then the
citizen must feel, to possess real pa
triotism which developes into enthusi-
asm, that the government is his friend
and will protect him in his rights, re-
CARELESS of his station in life, and will
aid and assist him to the uttermost. He
must feel that the government exists
to relieve suffering humanity. to be-
queath happiness and peace on earth as
it is done by the Divine Spirit in heav-
en-. In short, he must feel that the
government is his friend and protector
instead of his enemy. When our gov
eminent will demonstrate that it ex-
lists for the good and assistance OF all
people. instead of a pawn-shop for
whiskey distillers and importers and a
gambling shop for the plutocrats, then
there will be no lack of patriotism and
no one need ask what it is.
We are free to comics that there Is a
lack of patriotism IN this country and
it is not difficult to see why it is so.
We are in such a state of oppression
that people IN their struggle for place
and position overlook this matter of
patriotism looking after the welfare
Of all.) We were forcibly reminded of
this when listening to Mr.. Dawes speak
He beat over all the ground from the
revolutionary war down to our late un-
pleasantneSs at the State House last
winter, mentioning incidentally some
very noted men and incidents between
these two great historical events but
scarcely an applause greeted his allu-
sions. He got down off the small plat
form which had been erected for him
and pranced up and down among the
people, gyrating and shaking his face
like bulldog hold of sow's ear, ex-
pounding law and constitution, telling
of the idiotic rawlings of the people, de.
nouncing them for not being more pa.
triotic and for not having more regard
for constitutional law. He told his
hearers how presidents were made and
how laws were made, took them over
across the water and gave them a peer
at kings and queens, but no applause
greeted his desperate efforts to bring
out an expression of approval of what
he was saying. Finally, seeing that he
was lost if he did not perform some
great dramatic feat to bring down hi:
audience, he got off his we'll known
piece about the American flag anG
when he got to the point where hi
wanted to fasten his finger and eyes or
| old Glory he looked up through the
branches of the trees and then at the
top of the baud stand, but no flag coulC
be seen. There was none there, so thu
great orator who came all the way
from Clay Center to get off his pretty
piece had it spoiled by his party heeler
neglecting to put up the American flai
to wave over him. Had this been {;
Popullst 4th, of July meeting Dawes
would have had an interesting cam
paign speech for the coming battle OF
the lack of patriotism of the Populist
His speech was pronounced out o
place by his own crowd. Many people
wondered why he felt it his duty to tel
them so much about the laws unles
directed to do so by the railroads who's
candidate he IS.
We often wonder, as do many othe
people, how Dawes got his reputation
as campaigner. If the republican
state central committee has a particle
of political discretion it will never lie
Dawes make speeches in this campaign
He is back number, as vote winner
he is worse than failure; he would
drive voters away where simple fail
ure would have no effect on his hearers
The Kansas City Journal said durin,
the campaign of 1892 that 1t wonders
how Dawes got employment at tn
hands of the state central committee.
State Secretary Semple's comparison
of Dawes to five foot steam boile
with seven foot whistle is good on
and is to the point, he says that whel
the whistle blew it took all the steam
out of the boiler and thA hoat slammed