The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1896-04-23

OF the people are natives, born within the
borders OF the State. In Idaho the reverse
is true. Very few Of us here tonight are
native products of Idaho. We have come
here from many different States. We
take root, and in many instances feel a
longing for society whose members are
natives Of some special State. We are all
as good Americans as ever, as proud OF
the flag OF our country as ever, for our
nationality remains the same. While we
have changed our State and owe our
every allegiance to our adopted State, we
still have not lost our feeling Of attach
ment for our native State, with which we
yet have so many ties OF kindred and
early associations, and we have not yet
had time to cultivate a strong feeling OF
loyalty and affection for Idaho and her
institutions. We very soon acquire that
feeling for the town in which we live; the
inhabitants of Boise, Nampa or Caldwell
soon acquire an intense interest in the
welfare and progress Of the town in
which they have cast their lot, and the
conditions of which directly affect their
lives in 50 many ways, so that it quickly
becomes natural for them to make sacri-
| fees of time and money in the common
effort to accelerate its growth, prosperity
and we'll being. But the whole State is
political entity which does not seem to
come so near to us; it is more remote
somehow, not so much in evidence, a sort
Of political abstraction. So in our legis-
lature we find that the members from the
different sections Of the State come to the
capitol with much stronger interest in
and attachment for the localities which
they directly represent than for the State
at large. Naturally they favor that leg
islation which they feel will most directly
benefit their particular section of the
State, without so much regard as to
whether it is the best thing for the State
as whole. AS citizens of this State we
must try TO conquer these local jealouses
and geographical divisions 1t may be
well 10 point out here that the same cir
cumstances were noticed in the early. his
tory OF our national government. The
original colonies were Jealous of one
another, and the small ones were afraid OF
being oppressed by the larger ones, if
they joined them in the establishment of
central government. This feeling of
mutual suspicion, rs we all know, led to
the adoption of the federal principle in
our national constitution, by which the
representation OF the very smallest State
in the United States Senate is equal to
that OF the greatest and most powerful
one. But as the feeling of nationality
developed and broadened, the inhabitants
OF the different States came to realize that
there was something infinitely grander
than being citizens of New York or South
Carolina, and that above all they were
Americans. So the feeling of State jeal-
ousy became more and more swallowed
up in attachment and devotion to the
Union. This process is exactly what we
should foster in Idaho. We must learn
to feel that it is far grander thing to
realize our citizenship of the great State
of Idaho than to be bounded in our feel
ings and interests by the limits of any
town or county, that the interests OF our
imperial State take precedence of any
merely local interests, and that where the
welfare and the honor of the whole COM
monwealth is concerned, there is no North
Idaho and no Sonth Idaho, no East and
no West, but that we are one and indi-
visible.
The State today is what the people of
the past have made it. In the future it
will be largely what we help to make it,
We have great opportunity TO monld
and direct the future of this young State;
our duty is no less than our opportunity
Traditions have not the binding power
over us that they have in older commune
ties. We inherit all the good of the past,
but it is largely in our own choosing to
lesve its evil behind 1t is true that as a
commonwealth we are still too young to
have made history which might arouse
feelings Of State pride There are as yet
few heroic characters in our brief annals
OF whom we can say with affecuonate
pride, they were citizens Of Idaho.
high purpose-looking forward instead Of
back ward-that must take the place of
it, that must stimulate our hope and be
the poe-star Of our endeavors
We love the State truly Just in proper
ton as we help it to a larger usefulness.
Ideas are the most powerful factors
known. They build States, and some
times dash empires to ruin. The great
Italian patriot, Mazzini, once said that
even fallen people were capable of being
regenerated il Their habttual thought
could be impregnated with one single
grand idea. In founding State it be-
hooves the citizen to see to it that men
elevated to power represent something,
stand for something. Great men may be
little more than opportune men, but sim
cerity must be the basis of all true great
ness. Only sincere men can move the
world. only sincera man can corfor laet