Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-08-17
INGALLS, ON GOVERNMENT
The Ex-senator Speaks on the
Powers oftCitizens.
Government Is Public Opinion and 1t IL
Evcrywhere - The Kansas States
man Talks in Tslmage's
LxPlace at Pisa Bluffs

ST. Louis, Mo, Aug. 9~.-ExSenator
John j. ingalls, Of Kansas took the place
OF the Rev. DIR. Talmage at the Piasa
Bluffs assembly grounds. speaking on
The Education of Citizens" After re-
ferring to the fact hat many young
college men know nothing of the system
and methods OF this government, he
said. What we hear very much com
planned OF I'm these days is bad govern
ment-bad national government, bad
state government, bad city government,
boodleism i'm municipal affairs and cor
ruption Of high officials. Allow me to
say that the people OF this country. In
every state and every community, nave
exactly as good government as they de-
serve to have. We cannot too often re-
fer to the fact that this Is a government
Of public opinion. The government OF
the United States Is not in Washington;
the government OF the state OF Illinois
Is not In Springfield. 1t Is here. 1t Is
in every assemblage where the citizens
meet for the purpose of consulting
about the affairs that concern their In
dividual and their state and local and
national welfare. Ii Is a government OF
public opinion. We hear a great deal
about the 'cou of public opinion Ii
cannot be too often declared that there
is one thing in this country more power
full than constitutions, more powerful
than laws and statutes and ordinances.
and that is the power Of an enlightened,
conscientious, patriotic public opinion"
Later the speaker referred TO the
90 ,n,,,.ptinp In nnnOraSC and
advocated the election OF president, vice
president and senators by direct votes
of the people. Then ne continued: II
said every man and every woman in
every community should be politicians,
and l am glad to see so many ladies
present. / do not know what the SEN
timent OF the people OF Illinois is on the
subject of woman suffrage, but | will
say for myself that ] do not see why the
participation OF intelligent and patri-
otto women would not be of advantage
in public affairs. but / have my doubts
as TO whether IL would be of n very
great advantage to the We had
a test upon this question In the state IN
which i live this last fall-a state which
has been a favorite testing ground Tor
all experiments in morals and religions
ana society n weather IOI lHS IdNA
twenty-five years. 1t failed In that
state. As / said to Miss Anthony, the
ablest, as she is the most eloquent and
efficient OF the advocates of that great
reform, ii failed, not from the hostility
of men, but from the indifference OF
women. The ONE in that state, in
whom | am most interested, and who
are most interested in me, during the
entire pending of hat bill, did not once
advise me that they desired TO vote; and
If there is any other subject of human
interest on which they were silent dur
ing that interval my memory does not
now record II. | sun therefore,, thai
the great majority of my fellow citizens
were exactly in the same condition tina
/ was on this subject, n that II may
be safely taken for granted that when.
aver the women of Illinois or OF any
other community shall make 1t known
that they desire to vote, the non vii
trample on each others heels In their
efforts to give them the opportunity To-
do So"