The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-24
POLITICS BREEDS
NUMEROUS THEORIES
Bat Our Interest In the Subject Has q
Beneficial Effect.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT on TRIAL
some Of Its Worst Dangers Arise
from Its Early Successcs..Tcxt Ofa
Scholarly Paper Read Last Evening
bv Howell Harris Before the Robert
Morris Lodge Of True lvOrites.

It Is hardly necessary for me to offer
IN apology for the chosing of theme,
/ subject, that today overshadows all
pthers, unless 1t be that you are al.
ready weary Of political discussion ana
expect, at this. our evening entertain
ment, something Of a different order.
In seasons like the present 1t would
,eem that we are devOting an amount
II attention to politics that is entirely
,ut of proportion to its Importance.
Yet such q conclusion is the result
,f superficial observation; for man Is.
IS Aristotle says, "a political being by
nature" and the earliest and wisest
records of his existence emphasize this
ruth. The opening chapter In human
history records political revolution.
Dur first parents, yielding to the ora
.orical Establishments of Satan, became
ambitious to share with the powers of
heaven the authority of government.
For those among us who sturdily cham
pion democracy, 1t may not be pleasing
to reflect that democratic principles
we're first introduced by his Satanic
majesty. In the midst of a great num-
ber of good people, Satan is still an I'M
portant factor in the world, and pro-
life source of inspiration for many of
pur modern political movements. How
ever true this may be- the fact remains
that man has always manifested
deep interest in politics, an interest
which no form of government could
wholly suppress, although 1t might
prevent any active participation in its
affairs. In defiance of great penalties,
and even at the risk of life man has
scrutinized and criticised the acts of
his rulers. This was the case in the old
Hebrew theocracy. 1t was the same un-
der the imperial despotism of Rome. land
IN fc ha IN, nr,1t tuh nd
land, where we are accorded the fullest
liberty, and sometimes paid hand
some salary for doing it. Through the
labor and sufferings of an innumerable
multitude of martyrs, man has finally
succeeded in making good the PROPOSE
tion, that governments derive their
just powers from the consent Of the
governed"
POLITICAL FREEDOM.
Political freedom is the birthright of
every American. 1t would argue q
monstrous unworthiness on our part,
were We, as a people. Indifferent to the
obligations which that birthright i'm
poses. The great work in which the
people Of the United States are now en-
gagged Is the development Of demo-
cratic government For the last one
hundred years, we have been occupied
Will tHe WOTlu llTSC experiment III
this work on large scale. Before our
time there have been attempts at es-
tablishing governments called demo-
cratic There have been. too, in the
government Of some great nations
other than our own, some single DEM
ocratic features, but 1t was reserved
for the trainers of the American Con-
stitution to lay down the fundamen-
tai principles Of government that is
intended to be thoroughly democratic.
The experiment has been a great sue
cess. We have demonstrated for all time
that stable, vigorous government for
great people, can be formed on dem
ocratic principles. But the growth
of this government is not fin
ished; we must go on with
the experiment. The conditions under
which our progress has thus far been
made have been exceedingly favorable
to the healthy growth and development
OF the nation.
A virgin soil Of extreme fertility yield
ed rich rewards to labor. A varied cli-
mate and an abundance of mineral