The San Francisco call., 1896-02-23

native land. In this country you found and
still find the freedom which was denied you
elsewhere. You have found the freedom of
business, the freedom of education and the
freedom OF worship.
These three great principles of freedom are
those Tor which you suffered in those lands
across the sea which saw your birth. Your
trade was cut off, your farms made hunting
grounds, your education made a crime and
your worship unlawful. You fed from the
face OF the tyrant and you found refuge here
In this fair land, where all three freedoms are
guaranteed to You. For these things your
fathers suffered and died, and their blood bear
eternal witness 10 these principles and their
trutn FOR these things our fathers fought and
bled ano died and freedom OF business free
dom OF education, freedom of worship are
written in letters OF blood from Bunker Hill to
gettysburg. Whatever the tyrant has done in
other lands, by whatsoever injustice he has
gained he is now waning prosperity. In this
country he has been taught the lesson OF
Citizenship has its source in the being of
God 1t flows thence in great stream through
the world, and has swept on in its current for
1ull nlgh sixty centuries. Though at times it
has passed under the earth like some of the
mysterious rivers of this coast it has ALWAYS
risen again. farther on, the same glad strea M
Though its waters have been defled with the
sewage of the countries through which it has
passed, like the great waters of the ocean this
pure stream has rendered harmless the filth
ana Wlckedness that men have sought to defile
1t with. So comes the freedom of the citizen
from God himself, and the better the citizen
serves the God he worships the better viii he
serve the country where he lives the land of
nberty which claims his allegiance
Citizenship reposeS on God. We have his
authority Tor the existence of the States s"The
powers that be are ordained of God" this is to
say that 1t is the business of the state to see
that GOOD order is preserved in the community;
tnat justice is observed; that vice is checked
that perjury is punished; that soberness is
practlceu, and that men who habitualy give
| way 10 their passions causing thereby damage
TO their families and society are placed in
positions pos where they may be taught lessons of
| The State exercises the authority OF God over
us citizens in the enforcement OF all laws
whieh make for morality and the well-being of
society, and OF the individual as a mem Der of
| society. The State has the authority of God
over it, and its authority is delegated one
from God himself, and can in no way interfere
| with the natural law. There can be no higher
authority than this, and kings and princes,
obey it.
i Who IS the true citizen of nation that is
Tree? Who are its bone and the sinew? Who
are they but those who recognize the source
whence comes their freedom and the authority
of its giver? Who are they except those men
who, following the great principles of morality
which reason teaches, make the life of the
nation OF which they are sons? The citizen of
country Will be worshiper of God accord
ing to his light. The citizen of the country
VIII be sober man, pure man, an honest
man, an obedlent man both to the civil law
and 10 parental authority, saving always the
laws and the honor of God In other words.
the blasphemer, the despiser of God cannot
be a good citizen; the impure man cannot be
q good citizen, neither the drunkard nor the
thief. nor the perJurer, and the parents of dis
obedient children and the children themselves
as well are pretty certain to turn out bad
citizens.
There is one other quality for good citizen
In these United States owing to the peculiar
aspect which freedom has taken in our land
and to the manner in which we administer the
government. The Government OF this country
Is, to use the words of the great Abraham Lin
coin, "a Government of the people, by the peo-
pie and for the people," The people are the
government. "Vox populi, vox Dell" We are
the government. The President, the Governor.
the Mayor, are our creations, and we are their
makers. They are placed in power by u.s. and
10 us they must render good account for all
Iow-c1tZens, we are the rulers of this great Re-
public OF the United States The good citizen
is the man who rules first himself and then his
country in common with others like himself
one great duty which the good citizen has
IN these United States. and which hold to he
conscientious duty for myself at least. If not
Tor others. is the exercise OF his Office as ruler
OF the State where he dwells. The vote tho
| oollot, Is his weapon with which he is nro
Vlded by the providence of God to do his work
Where once the yell OF the soldier and the
bullets OF the army worked revolutions now
the silent dropping of the ballots purifies WITH
Its white veil the mistakes of the unsatis-
factory representatives of the popular will
This is the first duty OF the good citizen-to
vote-after he has done his other duties to his
country OF which have just spoken. To vote
according to bis conscience for the candidate