The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-03-05
THE WHEELS GO ROUND.

qdacking about the brutality ofprize-
lighting. And yet the quackers are
eager to learn who the victor and the
vanquished were as the multitudes of
people who think that such sport is
far more useful and manly than the
kindergarten games INDUCED ID by
the effeminate "Chawley" boys secur.
ing an education, at their dear papas'
expense in the art of polo and foot
ball. z
We not only make the assertion,
but know it to be a hard, cold fact.
that there has been more fatal &C
cidents and deaths in these games in
one season than in a whole generation
of prize-fghting. That's no dream or
fiction, either. And yet such scenes
are witnessed daily during the season
by the society bellies and swells of
our land, who rail at the "brutalism"
of prize-fighting. d.
1t is safe to say that nine out of ten
of the most furious football dudes
haven't enough sand to reject an in
suit to a lady, their little sisters or
themselves by timely exhibition of
the manly art. @
~
Exchange. We send men, in this
enlightened age, to prison for i: teal.
ing bread. But when men endeavor
to control public officers, and make
tools of them for private ends, we
call it smartness. Which is the worse
crime1 a
X
Minneapolis Times: ,%
Is perjury a crime' 1t is true that
it is catalogued among crimes; that
it ranks as q felony; that it 10 forbid
don by statue in every State in. the
Union, and that severe penalties are
attached to it. But-as matter Of
fact-it does not appear to be account"
ed a crime by great many men, and
there is hardly session of court
held in this city in which the offense
is not unblushingly committed. tits
penetrated in other ways than by |
giving false testimony in a court. In |
fact, every public officer who, having |
taken IN oath to perform the duties
of his Office honestly and in the il:
terest Of the people, fails to do it, = ) |
perjurer. Whoever violates an oath, |
taken for any purposes . guarantee |
Of bis honest speaking or honest
doiug-is perjurer, Yet, year altar |
year, tho community sees men s. |
public Office who appear to have for
gotten that they ever took an oath 70
be faithful to the people, whom theyI
are supposed to serve, or who have
no conception of any sacredness at.
tsching to an oath. The public
comes to know them as bare-faced
unb]ushing perjurers. Day after day
men walk up in court and, having
with uplifted hand and uncovered head
called God to witness that they, will
tell the truth and nothing but truth,
proceed to reel off with ease,
fluency and the utmost nonchalance
lies that might put to blush the Faith
Ter of Falsehood. Now and then one
of these perjurers gets his legs so en-
tangled in the meshes of his own
making, that he is tripped up and ex-
posed. But most of them, when too hard
pressed, just stand still and say they |
don't remember" or ''don't know"
when judge, jury, bar and spectators
can see that they stand knee deep in
contradictions and are self convicted
liars. The wholesale perjury which
has come to be one of the commonest
offenses of the day has brought about
a disregard for the sanctity of what
was once regarded as the most solemn
and sacred obligation a man could
assume, and the violation of an oath
has come to very venial offense, in
deed. It is not a hasty con clusion
that the dishonest legislation at the
State capitals, that corruption among
State officials, and boodling in city
councils and by other municipal and
county officers, have their origin and
cohesive strength in the utter lack
of common honesty and personal
honor which finds expression in de-
perjury. If the law against
this crime cannot be enforced, why
not repeal it?
NJ. E.LAWT0N